Accountemps Survey: Executives Say Humor Is Key Part of Cultural Fit

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Accountemps

Jan 31, 2012, 08:00 ET

MENLO PARK, Calif., Jan. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Is it good to LOL at work? A new survey from Accountemps suggests it could be. Nearly eight in 10 (79 percent) chief financial officers (CFOs) interviewed said an employee's sense of humor 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 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%

 

100%

"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® (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.). "All work and no play can erode employee morale."

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

About the Survey

The national study was developed by Accountemps. It was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on more than 1,400 telephone interviews with CFOs from a random sample of U.S. 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.

SOURCE Accountemps