Forget honesty, trust or respect, what workers really want in a boss is a sense of humour, according to new research.

Forget honesty, trust or respect, what workers really want in a boss is a sense of humour, according to new research.

A poll of 600 employees by officebroker.com, which works with thousands of small businesses each year, finds that the ability to have a laugh with a superior was the single most effective trait when fostering a successful boss-employee relationship.  

More than a quarter (26 per cent) choose sense of humour as their top boss trait, followed by trust (20 per cent), respect (15 per cent) and patience (13 per cent).  

Other boss traits that are particularly sought after by employees included fairness (10 per cent), open communication (9 per cent) and honesty (7 per cent).  

Comical bosses, such as the Ricky Gervais creation David Brent, are more important to female employees than male, with a 61 per cent to 39 per cent split of those choosing it as the top manager trait.  

A spokesman from officebroker.com says the findings reveal a mutually shared sense of humour benefits any relationship, whether work or social.  

‘As workers are pushed to do more demanding and time-consuming roles it’s becoming increasingly important that they can share a joke with their boss in a bid to increase their enjoyment of the working day.

‘We found traits which are widely regarded as being positive to a working relationship such as respect, trust and open communication still went a long way to a productive environment but it seems many workers want to go one step further and regularly share a joke with a superior.’    

However, according to officebroker.com, a boss who jokes around too much, a David Brent-style character, could well risk damaging not only his, but also his employee’s performance.  

See also: Make the most of your office space