Have you laughed lately ??

Well, have you ??  Today’s white water rapid pace of constant information, technology and drive are a fact.  We say we want to escape it, but few really do.  This constant push leads to things like job dissatisfaction, stress, tension and makes people uptight.

How is that good for the workplace ??

I love to laugh.  Those that know me can attest that laughter is a daily part of my life – intentionally.  I know there are things that are challenges, and things that we don’t like about work.  But, does that mean you have to succumb to that way of thinking in order to succeed?

HR people are the toughest crowd when it comes to laughter because we don’t do it enough.  We think that if we’re not taken “seriously,” then we won’t get a “seat at the table” or some other catch phrase that we cling on to.  Honestly, it makes me laugh to even think about how people make themselves miserable and call it a career.

For the past eight years I’ve written a song each week that makes fun of HR.  Seriously.  I run an old-fashioned, pre-social media Internet message board that reaches a ton of people with an e-mail.  And, to start off each weekly update I write a song that pokes fun at the profession I adore.  Last week I chose I Don’t Like Mondays by the Boomtown Rats.  It’s not a song that many probably know, but it’s really a classic !!

My version was “I Don’t Like Paydays.”  I’ll send you a copy later if you’d like to join the HR Net. (covered at the end of the post).

Each week I love writing a song.  I giggle, count syllables and spend time on Rhymezone to make sure the songs match the tempo, pace and lyrics of the original.

After I send out the weekly message I will inevitably get e-mails back from people who say things like this:

” Unsubsribe !! I just don’t get this and your songs !!”

“I’ve never heard of this song and I don’t have time for this !!”

The emphasis is there every time.  It makes me sad that something as simple as an e-mail can ruin our day today.  I would bet that the people that discard things that make them stretch a little also laugh little.

I’m not saying you have to like my songs.  I just want HR to step back, laugh and not take itself so seriously.  People learn more when they laugh.  They remember situations and they develop stronger relationships.

So, as you start your Monday, try something different HR . . . laugh . . . laugh a lot !!

(Side Note: If you want to get the HR Net, then e-mail me.  I’m at [email protected] – It’s a fun resource that is meant to connect HR folks so that we can do even greater things in our profession. Just know you’ll get a song and a broader musical awareness as part of this.)