Workplace Happiness is the buzz word of the new millennium with an explosion of research into the areas of happiness, humour, optimism and positive attitude. With restructuring, deregulation, tariff reductions, rise in taxes and bank rates, outsourcing, advancements in technology and globalisation, a greater demand to increase workplace productivity is affecting staff from management to the shop floor. Organisational focus on profits and productivity and the policy of pay double to squeeze out three times as much has led to increasing levels of stress, burnout, depression and loss of job security.

Over the last decade, mental problems in the workplace have increased in both the private and public sectors. In Australia, the EU, USA and Canada, approximately one in ten employees is suffering from depression, anxiety, stress and burnout. Between 3 - 4% of world GNP is spent on mental problems in the workplace. By 2020, depression is predicted to become the most common workplace health problem.

Though some bosses dismiss workplace happiness as a soft topic, there is an increasing body of opinion that a happier workplace is a more positive and productive workplace. Employees can learn to laugh and continue to be competent and professional.

So what are the benefits of Laughter? Laughter:

a. relaxes the entire body and its muscles, relieving physical tensions and stress.
b. boosts the immune system thereby decreasing stress hormones and increasing the level of antibodies that resist disease and illness.
c. triggers the release of endorphins, the body's "happy" chemicals that make a person feel good, engendering a general sense of well being.
d. protects the heart by improving the function of blood vessels and blood flow, thus preventing heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.
e. dissolves distressing emotions making it very hard to feel anxious, angry or sad.
f. helps relax and recharge a person by reducing stress and increasing energy, allowing for greater focus and increased productivity.
g. shifts our perspective from victim, anger or prejudice to seeing situations in a different and less threatening light, thereby eradicating overwhelm.
h. engenders spontaneity and the ability to think of solutions without the encumbrances of the problems being faced.
i. allows us to relax and be calm, letting go of our defensiveness with its concomitant negativity that is holding us back, making interactions more open.
j. enables us to express our true feelings, thus allowing us relate more realistically and honestly to situations and demands.

Good managers should not only concentrate on workplace health and safety but also on laughter. A happier and positive workplace increases staff retention, productivity and loyalty. As Robert Orben said "If you can laugh together, you can work together"