Love and Laughter Week

 

"So, What Are You Wearing to the Account Executive Meeting?"

joandco.com — Feb. 2, 2001 ¾ Looking forward to the upcoming "Love May Make the World go Round, but Laughter Keeps us from Getting Dizzy Week" February 7-14 (sponsored by The Humor Project, Inc. www.HumorProject.com) , the associates of Johnson & Company (jo&co), the "Virtual Agency"™, pooled their expertise on keeping a sense of humor in the home or "virtual"office.

In general, people enjoy the concept of working at home - no commutes, no one looking over their shoulders, no having to find a clean blouse to go with a coordinating skirt. Still, working at home is hardly about fun and games, especially for a high-stakes home-based operation such as Johnson & Company (jo&co). Projects must get done, meetings attended, and clients dealt with on a diplomatic basis. Professionalism - albeit virtual - is paramount.

What's more, all this is accomplished without commiserating smiles in the break room or help from the office down the hall. But there are ways to keep humor at the fore and co-workers close. Consider:

"What would my client think if he or she could see me now?" In a world where employees obsess with appearance and age, in a 100% virtual environment, looks simply don't matter. Associates relate incidents of sitting in bathrobes during meetings, taking the 30-second stroll directly from the bed to the office and rushing from shower to meeting in various stages of undress. Remind your spouse when you're buying the latest techno gadget for the office of all the money saved on makeup and clothing.

Exploring the freedom of the home environment. Johnson & Company associate Cami Rozanas describes cruising on her son's scooter while in a meeting. She crashes, but as silently in the virtual world as the sound of one hand clapping-leaving no one the wiser. Other home office workers combat the "you-can't-work-from-home-and-have-a-tidy-house" notion, by routinely making beds or tackling laundry during low-stakes meetings with team members. One associate dons sunglasses for extra attitude before pitching to prospective clients.

Though you may not see your team in person, technology can help relationships grow. Home office workers can "instant message" a joke during a stressful meeting or e-mail a virtual high five. Jennifer J. Johnson, Principal and "Chief Virtualist", recognizes humor in everyday telecommunications when she says, "An e-mail without its attachment is the virtual version of the check is in the mail."

In an environment where a toddler can yell at the door and laundry may hunch under the desk, maintaining professionalism takes discipline and endurance and keeping a sense of humor may be the most important business of the day.

According to Chases's Calendar of Events, "This week is dedicated to Victor Borge's notion that 'Laughter is the shortest distance between two people' and Joel Goodman's notion that 'Seven days without laughter makes one weak.' This is a chance to lighten your relationships and to reinforce the connection between 'heart' and 'hearty laughter.' Annually, the week leading up to and including Valentine's Day."