As winner of NBC’s Last Comic Standing, John Heffron isn’t exactly a typical business tycoon. But in recent years, with sales of his That Guy! bachelorette card game skyrocketing, he and his business partner have started hiring more employees and dealing with a growing number of organisational headaches. And if there is one thing Heffron has learned at the helm of their Los Angeles-based Eleven Eleven Productions, it is that humour is a surefire way to keep employees on track.

The way he sees it, sterile all-work-and-no-play corporate environments simply drive people to other diversions – be it daydreaming, surfing the web, or playing Solitaire – to help pass the time. By bringing laughter into the office, a business owner can at least have some control over when and how the enterta-inment happens. “People are going to seek out ways to make their workday seem shorter anyway,” says Heffron, who also starred in the VH1 sitcom Smash. “You might as well keep it in-house.”

But even in relatively laid back offices, the thought of loosening up a notch can seem downright frightening to many bosses. That, says Ron Culberson, a speaker and author who helps organisations incorporate humour, is because of an old-school paradigm that’s still affecting today’s corporate mentality. “The impression is that if you are having fun at work, you’re not working hard enough,” he says.

As the study of humour becomes more of a serious discipline, however, researchers are gradually und-erstanding that just the opposite might be true. Not only can humour reduce stress and help produce happier, healthier employees, but it can also enhance people’s ability to retain and recall information and connect and cooperate with one another, says Culberson, whose FUNsulting, etc. is based in Washington, D.C. He has been studying and teaching about the benefits of humour for more than two decades, and is trained as a mental health therapist.

Joking on the job has also been known to stimulate creative thinking, prevent burnout, generate loyalty, and increase productivity. “The more fun you have, the more you can get done,” says Bruce Baum, professor of exceptional education at Buffalo State University and a former board member of the Association for Applied and Therapeutic humour.

Bigger businesses are also finding benefits in encouraging employees to clown around after Waterbury, Vt.-based Ben and Jerry’s hit a big growth spurt back in the mid ‘80s. For example, the ice cream company’s top brass decided to form the Joy Gang – a self-selected group of staff members who regularly plan a variety of funny skits, themed meals, holiday celebrations, and other morale-building activities. “It makes fun an official part of the corporate culture,” says Lisa Sholk, an integrated marketing specialist who is currently a member of the Gang. “It gives us something to look forward to.”

You do, of course, need to make sure the jesting doesn’t become too disruptive or degenerate into something offensive. Since the tone for the company – be it stodgy or silly – usually trickles down from the top, as long as top managers keep themselves in check, the rank-and-file will very likely follow suit.

The best way to find the right balance between work and wit is to make gradual, inch-by-inch changes that will become a natural part of your corporate culture over time, Culberson says. After Culberson held a humour training session for lawyers at a federal agency in Washington, D.C., the group went up on the roof of their building and made snowmen together. While simple, the activity represented an unexpected burst of playfulness that created a sense of unity they hadn’t felt before. “It’s not a big deal, it’s not going to make a big change in the bottom line, but I believe it does change the relationships and attitudes in a way that is conducive to better business.”