Authors tell business leaders to lighten up on their employees
The Levity Effect： Why It Pays to Lighten Up
We all know what we need from our jobs： a paycheck， benefits， challenging tasks and a sense of purpose. The last thing anyone needs from work is a good laugh， right？
Wrong-at least according to Adrian Gostick and Scott Christopher， co-authors of The Levity Effect： Why It Pays to Lighten Up. In their book， the authors maintain that "an increasing body of research demonstrates that when leaders lighten up and create a fun workplace， there is a significant increase in the level of employee trust， creativity and communication-leading to lower turnover， higher morale， and a stronger bottom line." And if that isn't enough， they write， "The research also shows that managers who have taught themselves to be funnier are more effective communicators and better sales people， have more engaged employees， earn a lot more than their peers， and are much thinner. OK， maybe not the last one."
While Gostick and Christopher may initially seem like a pair of jokers， when you consider that being a "fun place to work" is the criterion that sets Fortune's "100 Best Companies to Work For" apart from even their honorable-mention colleagues， you realize these authors are onto something. In The Levity Effect， they argue their case by sharing real-life examples of how successful businesses （such as Jim Olsen of the franchise Amy's Ice Cream） have harnessed the power of fun to transform their work environments into places where employees feel trusted and， in turn， are more committed， creative and passionate.
The Levity Effect： Why It Pays to Lighten Up
We all know what we need from our jobs： a paycheck， benefits， challenging tasks and a sense of purpose. The last thing anyone needs from work is a good laugh， right？
Wrong-at least according to Adrian Gostick and Scott Christopher， co-authors of The Levity Effect： Why It Pays to Lighten Up. In their book， the authors maintain that "an increasing body of research demonstrates that when leaders lighten up and create a fun workplace， there is a significant increase in the level of employee trust， creativity and communication-leading to lower turnover， higher morale， and a stronger bottom line." And if that isn't enough， they write， "The research also shows that managers who have taught themselves to be funnier are more effective communicators and better sales people， have more engaged employees， earn a lot more than their peers， and are much thinner. OK， maybe not the last one."
While Gostick and Christopher may initially seem like a pair of jokers， when you consider that being a "fun place to work" is the criterion that sets Fortune's "100 Best Companies to Work For" apart from even their honorable-mention colleagues， you realize these authors are onto something. In The Levity Effect， they argue their case by sharing real-life examples of how successful businesses （such as Jim Olsen of the franchise Amy's Ice Cream） have harnessed the power of fun to transform their work environments into places where employees feel trusted and， in turn， are more committed， creative and passionate.