CAMARADERIE

Goodwill and easy rapport among colleagues — that's camaraderie. Do you experience it at work?

We believe the strongest bonds of camaraderie come from three simple practices:

Acknowledge each other
Acknowledge each other's work
Say "thank you"

Taking a closer look, there are several more factors. To build camaraderie, it's important to have:

A sense of belonging where you work
Acceptance for who you are
Inclusion — "Make everyone an insider"
Occasional fun events, planned to meet diverse interests
Clear messages stating that all are welcome
Understanding for those who don't choose to participate
Good humor

Camaraderie tools

Some very creative examples of camaraderie-building events already exist on campus. Here are a few ideas:

Special events
A kite-flying day — the Benefits Office
A pre-game parking lot tailgate party — MAIS
A picnic (lots of examples!)

Ongoing activities
A quilting group — Fleming Building
A choral group — Business and Finance departments
Team sports — MAIS

Community involvement
Habitat for Humanity — Plant Operations
High school mentoring program — Hospitals and Health Centers
Adopt-a-family — HR Organizational Effectiveness

More ideas
Award department "trophies," serious or funny
On-line trivia contests
Weight-loss contests
Fitness competitions

Humor

Laughter — it's about the most effective way there is to relieve group tension. Humor is a free, natural tension-reliever. Ideas for humor in the workplace abound. Check some of these resources, and choose something to implement where you work:

The Faculty and Staff Assistance Program offers a brown-bag workshop session on humor.
Look up "humor at work" on the web, and find ways to lighten up your work and your workplace. Here are some of our favorites:

Here's a reading list from the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor:

Barreca, Regina. They Used to Call Me Snow White . . . But I Drifted: Women's Strategic Use of Humor. New York, NY: Viking-Penguin, 1991.
Blumenfeld, E., & Alpern, L. Humor at Work. Atlanta: Peachtree Publishers, 1994.
Kushner, Malcolm. The Light Touch. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 1990.
Morreall, John. Humor Works. Amherst, MA: HRD Press, Inc., 1997.
Paulson, Terry. Making Humor Work. Los Altos, CA: Crisp Publishing, 1989.
Weinstein, Matt. Managing to Have Fun. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 1997.

You can also subscribe to newsletters about "humor at work":

HumorPower@aol.com
Humor@Alanklein.com
Humor U's Newsletter

Remember that GOOD humor often includes laughing at ourselves — but it doesn't include laughing at others. And, good humor is humor that's in good taste. Save off-color jokes for off-the-job!