First, we told you about how swearing in the workplace can boost employee morale. Now, a study by University of Missouri-Columbia researcher Christ Robert has found that humor is another valuable tool. Robert, an assistant professor of management at the school's Robert J. Trulaske Sr. College of Business, found that occasional humor among colleagues can enhance creativity, office cohesiveness and overall performance. "Humor has a significant impact in organizations. It's not just clowning around and having fun; it has meaningful impact on cohesiveness in the workplace and communication quality among workers," said Robert. As for using humor in cross-cultural situations, Robert says not to avoid it, but to abide by some simple ground rules for understanding what kind of humor is appropriate for each situation.

For more detailed information on his findings, you can view Robert's analysis, "The Case for Developing New Research on Humor and Culture in Organizations: Toward a Higher Grade of Manure," featured as a chapter in Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management.