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For the past few years the debate has raged: Is it OK to use humor to communicate compliance? What sparked this dialogue was a series of amusing compliance and ethics videos produced by one of the world’s premiere comedy brands. These guys know humor and many of those videos have been genuinely funny.
Some feel that funny videos are an incredible breath of fresh air. “Finally, something that will get our employees’ attention, something they will want to watch,” they said. Others think that compliance is too serious a topic to be conveyed with humor.
My view is that this question is more nuanced. If I were using funny videos I would be asking these questions:
1. Is this humorous message a good fit for our corporate culture – around the globe?
Answers will vary widely. In some conservative cultures humor might not work at all, but in many environments humor used as the prelude to a more substantive discussion can be a great way to help employees relax – increasing their openness and receptivity. Be cautious, however, when using humor across geographical boundaries. The humor may not translate.
2. Does it convey the message clearly?
There is nothing about humorous messages that, per se, precludes them from doing this. However, the harder a message tries to make people laugh, the less likely it is to contain the detail necessary to help employees see nuances in potential violation situations. Make certain that at least the broad strokes of the compliance issue are clearly laid out in the video – or at least in accompanying communications.
3. Is it actionable?
This is fundamental! There is, in my view, really no point in communicating compliance without a clear message about what you expect your employees to do. If the humorous video you are using does not spell this out clearly, then either don’t use the video or supplement it with additional information.
4. Is it likely to change behavior?
I guess this is the crux of the matter. Humor can be a great “pattern interrupt” – significant behavior change usually starts with the interruption of patterns of conditioned responses (see my paper on this topic). But there is little point in interrupting employees’ behavioral patterns unless you are executing on a plan to create new patterns of behavior. Don’t use humor just because it gets their attention. Once you have their attention, use that to give them something meaningful that will impact behaviors and attitudes. Otherwise, your funny videos are just compliance sugar-water.
COMPLIANCE COMMUNICATIONS TIP: Whenever you use humor to convey your messages, make sure that humor is also combined with substance and an actionable route to a positive outcome.
