Humor at Workplace Scenario

Workplace Scenario
I used to work as a sales person in a jewelry store. I was a sales associate and I made money off commission. (Zoltners, et al.) I would try to charm customers and maintain a good rapport with my manager, assistant manager and other sales associates. There are several reasons why this was important. The main reason however, was to avoid people gossiping about me and maintain my job for as long as possible. People tend to fire others in these kinds of jobs because they may not work well with others. (Dixon and Adamson)
Workplace Setting
Being a sales associate and co-workers trying to steal sales, so they can get commissions is commonplace. Commissions also mean extra paychecks at the end of the year on top of what was earned from the initial sale. (Seltzer and Ochs) This means the more someone sells, the easier it is for them to make more money. In addition to the extra money, managers place goals each month that sales associates must maintain to remain employed in the company. Depending on how well someone sells, they increase or decrease the goal.
If someone does not sell well, managers begin to reduce the monthly sales goal until there is a point where the sales goal is so low that the sales associate then becomes obsolete within the company. This can happen for several reasons. Aside from the lack of customers being an obvious one, other sales associates will attempt to take a sale or split it. That means less commission for the person and less of a chance to meet monthly goals. (Evans)
This can be quite difficult to circumnavigate because ‘sharks’ exist in sales and they are very aggressive. One must be charming not only with the customer, but with the sales associates. If they see weakness or meanness or aggression, they will at times work together with others or work against the person to see he/she gets fired. Humor is often used to put everyone in a good mood and maintain an assertive stance on sales. (Meyer) Without humor, sales associates will have a difficult time maintaining the peace and attracting loyal and long-term customers.
Workplace Tasks
The first thing to do is clock in and often I must be around the other sales associates. They sit there at the ‘work section’ and drink their coffee, some eat their breakfast. This is when it is important to socialize. If they do not see someone as ‘friendly’ they may work together to take their sales. This seems catty and unfair, but the world of sales can be ruthless. Here is where I crack a few jokes and talk about some entertainment stories and current events. People love others that make them laugh it seems. The more they smile and laugh, the more I seem ‘friendly’.
At the start of the week there is a meeting where everyone, half an hour before opening, meets and discusses sales goals. At the end of the month, people are given new sales goals dependent on their performance. The managers often talk to problematic sales associates after these meetings. Then, the manager instructs sales associates to clean the store front and take out the jewelry. Jewelry is kept in a safe if they are valued a certain number. The cheaper merchandise stays behind the glass displays.
Glass displays are cleaned with Windex and the floors are swept. When the store is officially opened, sales associates must remain standing always unless attending a customer. The tasks related to customers are sales, repairs, fittings, and cleanings. Customers may ask for a ring to be refitted and the sales associate must submit a repair for the jeweler. This means multi-tasking as a sale has been made, a commission must be noted (either solo commission or split-commission) and a repair order entered.
Repairs can be charged extra or if sales associates convince customers to sign up for a special plan or apply for a store card, they get free repairs. This is another aspect to be a sales associate. The need to get customers to sign up for store credit cards. This counts towards sales goals, but in a different way.
Humor Scenario
Humor can be used for many things and many instances in the workplace. As was described earlier, humor can help people see someone as ‘friendly’ and decrease any potential tension someone may have. Humor can also be used to deter co-workers from going in on the sale. How would that be possible? Humor allows someone to be assertive, while also appearing positive and friendly. Without humor, any attempts at assertion may seem aggressive and hostile.
For example: "Trisha sees me with a customer and tries to include herself in the sale. I make a joke about how her previous client would be upset if she decided to go with someone else and then politely say I can handle it. I bring this issue up at a meeting and try to lighten it by using similes like: 'I didn't know there was a sign on my head that said dunce: need help' and try to use self-deprecating humor to show I'm not upset, but just trying to keep my goals up to date”. These attempts at humor are integral at smoothing any tensions from communication. While communication is important, it is often the delivery of this communication that can land someone in hot water.
To go into more specific detail, I used a joking tone to assert I do not need assistance on my sales. I showed another attempt at assertion at the meeting. By following my first attempt with a second and making everyone laugh, I seem less hostile, while also confident and not a pushover. Trisha saw I was serious, but did not recognize hostility coming from me, so back off in the end.
Timeline
· 8:00 am, clock-in and prepare store front.
· 9:00 am, begin working and attempting to engage customers for sales.
· 11:30 am, an older Asian woman stops by with her husband and asks me for help.
· 12:00 pm, I gained a $5,000 sale and Trisha decides to interfere while the couple desire a fitting alteration to the diamond tennis bracelet.
· 12:04 pm, jokingly tell Trisha her loyal customer will be upset if he sees her with someone new.
· 12:15 pm I finish the repair order and give my customers my personal business card.
· The next day at 8:00 am, I mention the potential split commission with the manager and other sales associates at the meeting.
I performed my humor attempts within the scenario twice. The first time was with Trisha. The second was at the meeting. Everything went well, and people saw that I was assertive, but friendly.
Results
The results were positive. I did not expect this. I understand humor can generate positive outcomes with people. However, I did not think being assertive and being funny would work together so well. The situation was tricky, especially at the meeting. Still, I was able to convey what bothered me and still maintained a level of engagement and friendliness people desire. I think my openness and willing to communicate helped as well in the decidedly positive outcome.
Regarding obstacles, some obstacles did occur. For example, the need to wait until the meeting was annoying. Nevertheless, it was needed in order to maintain a professional tone. The customers were also an obstacle. It was hard to focus on continuing the sale and talking with Trisha.
Regarding surprises or interference, while there was some aggression towards me at first because I was voicing my concern and my opinion, because of the humor, it made the situation easier to handle. Humor allowed the project to work since the tension that would have existed otherwise, was eliminated. I know the humor was effective because people did not try to split my commission that I worked on and the manager saw me in a better light. I believe that when people express themselves in an honest way while also retaining friendliness and openness, it allows others to hear what they say.
In terms of incorporating humor again in my work setting, I may try to use humor to get closer to other sales associates and managers. People come in and out of jobs and it is always good to make new friends. Socializing is a big part of humor. Understanding what makes people laugh takes time. Because of my success, I will continue my project.
This project was a fun exercise for me in creativity. I might try to something new by focusing on enjoying being humorous. I focused on others more and tried to be accommodating. That left me not enjoying being humorous as much. Therefore, I will try to make myself laugh in that I want to enjoy my own jokes and humor.



Works Cited
Dixon, Matthew, and Brent Adamson. The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation. Portfolio/Penguin, 2011.
Evans, James R. Quality and Performance Excellence: Management, Organization, and Strategy. South-Western Cengage Learning, 2011.
Meyer, John. Understanding Humor Through Communication: Why Be Funny, Anyway. Lexington Books, 2015.
Seltzer, Richard A, and Holona L. A. Ochs. Getting a Cut: A Contextual Understanding of Commission Systems. Lexington Books, 2010.
Zoltners, Andris A, et al. The Complete Guide to Sales Force Incentive Compensation: How to Design and Implement Plans That Work. American Management Assn., 2006.