FUNNY BUSINESS - Accountemps Survey: Executives Say Humour Is Key Part of Cultural Fit

TORONTO, Jan. 31, 2012 /CNW/ - Is it good to LOL at work? A new survey from Accountemps suggests it could be. Nearly three-quarters (73 per cent) of chief financial officers (CFOs) interviewed said an employee's sense of humour is important for fitting into the company's corporate culture.

The survey was developed by Accountemps, the world's first and largest specialized staffing service for temporary accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals. It was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on interviews with more than 270 CFOs from a stratified random sample of Canadian companies with 20 or more employees.

CFOs were asked, "How important is an employee's sense of humour in him or her fitting into your company's corporate culture?" Their responses:

    <<
    Very important.................       32%
    Somewhat important.............       41%
    Not at all important...........       27%
    Don't know/no answer...........        1%
                                      --------
                                      101%*

    *Responses do not total 100 per cent due to rounding.
    >>

"Humour can help professionals build rapport with their coworkers and alleviate stress in the office," said Kathryn Bolt, Canadian president of Accountemps. "Employee morale can be negatively affected without some levity in the workplace."

Bolt added, "Job candidates shouldn't perform standup comedy routines during interviews, but should demonstrate an easy-going and approachable attitude when speaking with the hiring manager."

About the Survey

The Canadian study was developed by Accountemps. It was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on more than 270 telephone interviews with CFOs from a random sample of Canadian companies with 20 or more employees. For the study to be statistically representative and ensure that companies from all segments are represented, the sample was stratified by geographic region and number of employees. The results were then weighted to reflect the proper proportion of employees within each region.

About Accountemps

Accountemps has more than 350 offices worldwide and offers online job search services at www.accountemps.com. Follow Accountemps for workplace news at twitter.com/accountemps.

Nadia Santoli, [phone], [email protected]