Even CFOs Like to LOL

Apparently most chief financial officers think of themselves as fun-loving people who enjoy a good laugh at the office, a new survey finds.

Jovial CFOs. Who knew?

 jovial cfos

Nearly eight in 10, 79%, of CFOs interviewed said an employee’s sense of humor is important for fitting into the company’s corporate culture, according to a survey sponsored by Accountempts, a staffing service for temporary accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals.

The survey was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on interviews with more than 1,400 CFOs from a stratified random sample of U.S. companies with 20 or more employees.

CFOs were asked, “How important is an employee’s sense of humor in him or her fitting into your company’s corporate culture?”

Their responses:
Very important 22%
Somewhat important 57%
Not at all important 20%
Don’t know/no answer 1%

“Sometimes, a little levity goes a long way toward building rapport among
colleagues and diffusing workplace tension,” said Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps and author of Managing Your Career For Dummies. “All work and no play can erode employee morale.”

“Job candidates should let their personality shine when meeting prospective employers,” Messmer said. “The interview is no place for a standup comedy routine, but it is the right time to show hiring managers you are approachable ad will be easy to work with.”

CFOs Have Humor Too

Of course, what CFO is going say they only want to hire a management team of humorless Excel jockies who don’t know the meaning of morale?

“Managers with a good sense of humor will be viewed as more approachable by their employees,” Messmer said. Levity by those at the top can make the office less stressful and even more fun, which can help improve productivity, morale and retention.”

“Firms with a reputation for a healthy corporate culture are better able to attract new top performers and keep their best people on board,” he added.

–Robert Scally

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