All in Good Fun during work

Before moving out of hi firm’s old space to an office that holds 40 employees, Ranjith Kumaran was a boss who gives jokes even at his own expense.

The founder of YouSendIt, a company that lets users send large files over the internet quickly, was lightly reprimanded by his investors due to this. The story was then turned into a war story when Kumaran told his team about it. .

"Back then, there were wires running everywhere, and our investors were tripping over them," says Kumaran, whose company projects sales of $10 million for 2008. "In one corner, there were boxes stacked up floor to ceiling. Sometimes they'd have to ask us to clean up our area, which was kind of embarrassing."

Kumaran makes light of it now in his brightly painted, couch-filled work space with poker chips and a pingpong table. "We need our younger creatives to feel comfortable, so I tell this story to show them that sometimes it's OK to be the butt of a joke." He believes that using this humor is a way to create a bond and promote a positive work environment.

Studies prove humor is good for workplace

A study suggests that leaders should seriously have a good sense of humor. "Humor is often regarded as thoughtless and even distracting in the workplace. However, research suggests that humor plays an important role in helping people communicate effectively and bonding people in the workplace," says study co-author Christopher Robert, an assistant professor in the College of Business at the University of Missouri.

Another study notes that “social swearing” serves the same purpose of building camaraderie.

Are these always appropriate for every workplace? Humor consultant Malcolm Kushner has his doubts about swearing, but he endorses Kumaran's approach.

"Some leaders incorrectly think that telling humorous stories like this undermines your authority, but people love it if you poke fun at yourself. It reflects confidence and security and shows people you're not such a taskmaster," says Kushner, whose clients include IBM, Motorola and Sony.

There are, however, some lines that shouldn't be crossed. For Kumaran, when it comes to the look and feel of the company's web-based application, it's no nonsense.