“Happy workers are productive workers.”

The link between happiness and productivity has snapped into focus over the last 18 months as workers were forced to take their offices home.

The pandemic caused widespread fear and paranoia because of the obvious dangers that it posed to public health, but the more insidious side effects of isolation and loneliness have also made a lasting impact.

The All-Ireland Business Foundation recently hosted a special session in our Leadership Series on Laughter in the workplace.

Our panel included Dr Sabina Brennan, health psychologist, neuroscientist, and host of the Super Brain Podcast and One4All sales director, Terry Spence.

We learned some priceless lessons on how to embrace laughter and fun in the workplace and how they can be harnessed to boost productivity.

Below are 10 key lessons Dr Sabina shared with us during the session.

Happy workers are more productive

“If you have laughter and joy in the workplace, you can actually expect to see an increase in productivity, so your workplace is joyful and that there are breaks where people are laughing, this should be seen as a positive sign rather than procrastination.”

Laughter and fun have been proven to improve analytical precision and productivity.

One research study showed that people become 10% more productive after watching a comedy video clip.

Many remote workers are lonely and stressed

“Many people have felt extremely isolated because of the pandemic. They’re anxious and they’re depressed.”

A recent One4All survey shows that 61% of people say they have laughed less since the shift from office working to working from home.

You have the power to increase your brain function

“Your brain is constantly changing, and your behaviour, your experiences, the lifestyle choices that you make shape your brain on an ongoing basis.”

Exercise, quality sleep and engaging in fun activities all help to combat brain fog, depression and anxiety.

Laughter improves brain function.

“A hearty belly laugh is a form of aerobic exercise. So if you laugh 100 times that’s the equivalent of 10 minutes on a rowing machine.”

Laughter in the Workplace

Laughter has been referred to as “nature’s stress buster” because it has been proven to reduce cortisol – the stress hormone.

Smiling builds resilience

“It’s like our own inbuilt resource that we can tap into during times of adversity and actually during times when you probably feel least like smiling”.

Laughter releases feel-good hormones and boosts your immune function.

Laughter builds team spirit

“When you laugh your brain releases dopamine and oxytocin, the hormones associated with reward, bonding and feeling good”.

People need to feel like they’re part of a team, striving towards a common aim – creating a fun atmosphere where laughter is actively encouraged is fundamental to achieving team spirit.

Stress is not all bad

“Poorly managed chronic stress is not good for your brain but well managed moderate stress actually is.”

We all need a level of stress in our lives as an impetus to achieve our goals – it can be a powerful tool if harnessed correctly.

The trick is to make sure you don’t subject yourself to too much stress.

Fake it till you make it

“It might surprise you to find out that you can get 100% of the physiological and mental health benefits from a fake smile.”

People think smiling is reactive, that you need something to smile about – this not necessarily true.

Sabina urges her clients to make the effort to consciously smile five times a day – regardless of the circumstance.

Set aside time for bonding and team building

“Online coffee breaks and lunch breaks are a great way to connect with colleagues in a relaxed way.”

“They can have a knock-on benefit of getting people to actually take their lunch breaks because that’s really important”.

Juggling home commitments with work can mean that your job can easily bleed into your lunch breaks.

Over time neglecting rest will affect your brain function and also your productivity.

Reducing stress on workers also increases productivity

“Anything that you can introduce in the workplace that will help your employees to manage their stress is going to increase your productivity.”

“One key area of stress will be the transition back to the office.”

Sabina advises employers to be conscientious of their staff members who are still worried about the virus.

The special session was hosted in partnership with One4all Ireland who recently announced the return of its Shop4Crumlin fundraising initiative for the seventh year.

The money raised each year is donated to the Giggle Fund, an initiative dedicated to creating moments of happiness for patients in CHI at Crumlin.

Taking place from Saturday 11th – Sunday 19th September 2021, all money raised will go directly to the Giggle Fund.

During the week of Shop4Crumlin, One4all will donate 50c to the Giggle Fund for every transaction made using a One4all Gift Card. Loadable from €15 to €150 and available to buy in several custom designs, the One4all Gift Card can be spent with over 11,000 retailers nationwide and online including Argos, M&S, Penneys, Tesco, Life Style Sports and many more.

The Shop4Crumlin campaign has raised over €185,000 for Children’s Health Foundation Crumlin to date.