Funny bosses can ease up a serious meeting or lighten the mood, but a new study has found that cracking too many jokes could actually harm employee wellbeing. The study, recently published in the Academy of Management Journal, looks at how 'leader humor' — when someone in a leadership position expresses humor — puts pressure on subordinates to engage in 'surface acting,' which includes faking or exaggerating positive emotional reactions.
The study includes a field experiment, laboratory experiment, and a multi-wave field study and was authored by researchers from various prestigious institutions. It found that bosses who make too many jokes actually increase the amount of surface acting employees do, which can then lead to emotional exhaustion or burnout, and lower levels of job satisfaction.
When employees are faced with deciding whether to fake laugh at their boss's jokes, it can drain their energy and lead to additional emotional labor. This study sheds light on the impact of leader humor on employee wellbeing and job satisfaction.
In one of the studies, participants from a behavioral lab took part in a focus group scenario where they were greeted by a leader who either had a high or low power distance. The leaders were instructed to make jokes or not, and the results showed that frequent leader humor increased surface acting in followers, leading to negative well-being outcomes.
The study emphasizes that the pressure to display the correct emotion in response to leader humor can have detrimental effects on employees, especially when there is a significant power gap between the leader and follower. However, the study also suggests that 'fewer, higher-reward attempts' at quality humor can have a positive impact on employee wellbeing.
Leaders are advised to use humor sparingly and be thoughtful in their approach to avoid causing emotional exhaustion in their employees. While humor can be beneficial in the workplace, excessive joking can lead to negative outcomes. Finding the right balance is key to creating a positive and productive work environment.
