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Enjoying Your Work Richard Brislin |
Casual company banter
has a number of benefitsThree colleagues were having lunch in their company's cafeteria. Bob Perkins, Kimo Sumida and Tom Chun had worked together for a year at the same investment firm in Honolulu. They began talking about sports.
Kimo (to Bob): "I see that Utah State is going to the Copper Bowl this year. Didn't you go there for college?"
Bob: "Yes, and I have the skiing injuries to prove it."
Tom: "My fondest childhood memories are watching the Copper Bowl game on television with my father. We'd look forward to the game all year!"
Kimo: "What will Utah State do with the proceeds from their Copper Bowl appearance? Will the football team upgrade from Motel Six to the Holiday Inn on their next road trip?"
Bob: "I can see that you're working hard on your MBA degree with sophisticated financial analyses like that one!"
Later, a fourth colleague joined the group. Mary Stevens has a deaf nephew and was taking sign language courses during her lunch hour at a nearby community college. Tom pointed to an empty seat, and Mary sat down. Kimo began wiggling his fingers and waving his hands in an attempt to mimic sign language.
Kimo (to Mary): "What did you learn to say today, Mary?"
Mary: "I learned to say that I never see you surfing when the waves are higher than 4 feet!"
Bob: "With your knowledge of surfing, you could be an adviser to those movies they are making on the North Shore."
Mary: "Right, my start in show biz. I'll have to get your advice on investments when I enter the higher tax brackets."
Do conversations such as these serve any positive purpose in the workplace? Yes. This sort of bantering solidifies collegial relations among people. Participation in such conversations signals messages such as "I am one of you, and I am not putting myself above or below anyone." This bantering also shows that people have a sense of humor, and this can be a great asset in people's contributions to positive morale in their organizations.
Another benefit is that banter assists people in thickening up their skins. When people are so sensitive that offhand or humorous comments are always seen as personally insulting, they will find themselves cut off from informal conversations in an organization. As a result, they will find that they do not receive practice in the give and take of discussions during serious policy-making sessions at work. If they perceive any disagreements with their suggestions as personal attacks, they will not be effective participants in policy-making meetings.
Participation in lunchtime banter can also provide practice for quick thinking. In the example, the four people's comments are droll rather than crude and involve clever thinking rather than appeals to the overused language of the gutter. Thinking on one's feet is a valuable contribution to bring to important workplace meetings.
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The purpose of this column is to increase understanding of human behavior as it has an impact on the workplace. Given the amount of time people spend at work, job satisfaction should ideally be high and it should contribute to general life happiness. Enjoyment can increase as people learn more about workplace psychology, communication, and group influences.
Richard Brislin is a professor in the College of Business Administration, University of Hawaii. He can be reached through the College Relations Office: cro@cba.hawaii.edu