On Monday, July 20, 2009, on The Fed Page of the Washington Post, there was an article called “No Laughing Matter.” (click the link to read it) The article reported that Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) had killed a proposal by the Bureau of Public Debt (BPD) for a program on Humor in the Workplace. Sen. Dorgan was quoted as saying, BPD “should know that there is very little that is funny” in today’s economy.
In my letter to the editor of the Post, I emphasized the lack of foresight in Sen. Dorgan’s comment. There is a big difference between joking about the economy and humor in the workplace. Clearly Sen. Dorgan does not understand that difference.
While it is never appropriate to laugh at someone’s misfortune, humor can go a long way in helping all of us cope with misfortune. Just ask anyone who has survived cancer, a natural disaster, or an accident. Usually, they will tell you that a sense of humor helped them make it through.
I am disheartened that leaders, especially those running our country, are so narrow minded that they can’t understand this difference. In the workplace, humor can help manage stress, communicate more effectively, and make the work environment more pleasant for those who must do the work every day.
As a humor expert AND a taxpayer, I want my government employees to be stress free. I want them to communicate effectively with me and their other customers (especially the IRS). I want them to enjoy their jobs because I know that if they enjoy it, there is a better chance that they will do a good job. And if those things happen, I am getting a bigger bang for my tax dollar.
I think Sen. Dorgan was way off base by killing the Bureau of Public Debt’s plan to teach their employees about how to survive using humor. If he wants to be an uptight, serious, political stick-in-the-mud, that’s fine for him. But don’t impose that attitude on others.
Of course, I’m not biased or anything.
Ron