The Hump Day Humor-Gram,  October 3, 2007    Issue Number 232

Welcome to October! Remember that October is official 
Popcorn Month AND Pizza Month. And of course, next week,
October 10th, is the ever so popular Bring Your Teddy Bear
to Work day. (And no, I’m not making that up.)
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1. All in the Family? 

Most workplaces of course say that they are inclusive (who
wouldn’t?), but then they do strange things, like, you know, 
not include everyone. Here’s a very simple example. Does 
everyone where you work have a business card? Yes, I mean 
everyone - the cleaning staff, the guy in building maintenance, 
the receptionist, and even that guy Fred that no one is quite 
sure what he does, but he seems harmless and he must be related 
to the boss otherwise he wouldn’t be hanging around so much.   

Why do only some people have cards? Is it just the important
people who get cards? Am I (I’m speaking as Fred now) not
really part of the team? Business cards for everyone (preferably
on the first day of work) is a ridiculously inexpensive 
investment and a simple way to instill a sense of pride, 
engagement and belonging. (And of course, for bonus points,
you can make the cards fun by creating offbeat job titles
or including a humorous quote on the back of the cards.) 
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2. Mike's Fun at Work Tip  

Truly inspiring workplaces interested in fostering creativity 
create physical spaces designed to spark ideas and conversation, 
as well as space to allow for contemplation and incubation of 
ideas. In addition to creating fun, toy-filled, offbeat 
“inspiration rooms”, companies such as Oticon have designed wider 
than normal stairways so that people can easily stop and chat. 
Steelcase has designed “town squares” where people can comfortably 
chat and share ideas. But these workplaces also have designated 
quiet zones where people can relax, mediate and yes, even think!  
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3. Quote of the Week 

“One can discover more about a person in an hour of play than
in a year of conversation.”  Plato
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4. It's a Wacky, Wacky, World  

Churches in Britain are using humor to attract larger crowds. 
Here are some of the winning entries in a contest that sought 
out the funniest lines: “In a Jam? God Preserve Us”, “Forget Big
Brother, Speak to Our Father”, and “The Ultimate F-Word is 
Forgiveness.”  

Happy Hump Day! Laugh like no one is watching . . .
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Copyright Michael Kerr, 2007. mike@mikekerr.com  www.mikekerr.com