When the economy falters, it is time for companies to get serious. Employees need to focus - to not waste time on any fun, non-work related activities. Every minute of the day is important to the company's bottom line. If the company is going to survive the downturn in the economy, everyone's behavior needs to reflect the gravity of the situation.

This advice sounds good in all ways except one: It is wrong.

While it is true that during an economic downturn companies need to pay more attention to their bottom lines, companies who choose to pay that attention by getting more serious and somber are actually doing themselves a disservice. During difficult financial times, life becomes more stressful for just about everyone, both in their work lives and in their personal lives. Making work less fun when the stress level is already high is like turning up the heat on a pressure cooker. The result can be a volatile mix that erodes the foundation a company needs to be successful.

What if, instead, companies added more fun to their workplaces? What if they held parades, gave silly awards, dressed up on occasion, had karaoke contests, had themed potluck lunches, watched a movie together during work hours, or had office Olympics? All of this may sound like goofing off. It may seem that instead of helping employees focus on work, it is encouraging them to waste time on other activities. It may seem counterintuitive to some people in management positions, but there is evidence that fun and success have a strong connection in the workplace.

In their book, The Levity Effect, authors Adrian Gostick and Scott Christopher lay down the facts that connect company success to levity in the workplace. Levity, to the authors, is not about being silly or distracting, but about being light and having a sense of humor. When they interviewed the head of the annual "100 Best Companies to Work For" survey published in Fortune magazine, they discovered that there was a direct correlation between strong positive company cultures and strong financial returns. In addition, they found that fun at work can have a positive impact on recruitment and retention, employee creativity, and a number of other key factors in company success.

Somehow, as employees, we know those facts already, but as soon as we get promoted to a managerial position, we lose that natural sense. We knew as an employee that we liked work more when we were having fun. That having fun made us more productive and creative and made us feel more loyal to and engaged with our company. As soon as our hats switch from "employee" to "boss" we often start reverting to sayings in the unwritten rules of management: You have a serious job to do and it therefore should be taken seriously. If you are having too much fun, then you must not be working. These statements on the surface may sound correct, but when you look back to when you felt most motivated or productive as an employee, it was usually when work was also fun.

Adding fun to the workplace gives employees the sense that work is adding more to their lives than just a paycheck. That leads to higher levels of employee engagement. In the best situation, employees are inspired to work hard and deliver on their results because they truly love the company they work for. It is hard to imagine that level of love and loyalty being present in a company that discourages fun.

There is so much to say about the connection between success and fun that it filled up a whole book (The Levity Effect) and will be the focus of continued discussion in this column. Adding levity to the workplace doesn't require that you be a stand-up comedian or that you have a lifelong supply of great one-liners. It starts with a ready smile and creating a work environment where laughter and lightness are encouraged. As Hal Rosenbluth, CEO of Rosenbluth International (the nation's largest travel services company) says in The Levity Effect: "I know our company is doing well when I walk around and hear people laughing. The enjoyment translates into performance."

Jessica H. Lawrence is the CEO of Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Council, a non-profit serving 15,000 girls and 5,000 adult volunteers in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. She can be reached at jlawrence@gssgc.org.