I'm pleased to be quoted in this great article from Insureon.  Here are the highlights:

“It's not enough for companies to vie for top talent with the same desirable cultural traits,” says Karen Jaw-Madson (@KarenJaw), principal of Co.- Design of Work Experience.  “An organization must make clear what makes them uniquely differentiated and special in both word and deed.”

In other words, make sure your company culture is genuine so that the values you articulate match the lived experience. When you can do that, Jaw-Madson says it can attract and retain the right talent – the kind that will thrive in your culture.

The takeaway: The competition for quality employees can be fierce, but the winners are the business owners who find skilled people who also fit their culture. Create a workplace that makes them say, “I want to be part of that.”

I recently attended a talk about humor at work.  My interest in the topic was two-fold. First, I just kicked off a new project working with a new team.  There are lots of benefits that come with making hard work fun and at times even humorous. I was interested in picking up some new tidbits to either experiment with or share.  Second, I wanted this to serve as stimulus for me to think about the relationship between humor and organizational culture.  The audiences' questions were not mine to answer.  Most were around trying to figure out how to use it: where there are cultural differences between countries, when what's humorous is so subjective, and without offending people.  I'll put my two cents in here.

IMHO, humor is another form of communication that comes in play when we interact with people.  When companies identify humor as a cultural value, they are communicating an expectation--or in some cases, permission--that humor is not only acceptable, but encouraged. 

When we see it this way, use of humor becomes more purposeful.  As with all other communication, think about how to deliver with intended impact. That includes making your intentions evident to the receiver, and getting the desired response--a smile, chuckle, laugh, or even a stronger rapport or connection.  If the chances of that happening are outweighed by the chances it won't work based on what you know, then don't do it.  When it misfires, address it--right away. Ok?  Ok. "So a management consultant walks into a bar..."