May 31, 2025 – Mark your calendars, HR pros, because today we celebrate National Smile Day! Yes, a whole day dedicated to showing those pearly whites and pretending that inbox of unread emails doesn’t exist.
If you work in HR, you know smiling isn’t just about looking friendly—it’s a survival skill. We smile when someone says, “We don’t need HR; we’re like a family here.” We smile when a manager insists, “We don’t have a morale problem—people just don’t want to work anymore.” And we definitely smile when an employee asks, “Can I take my emotional support ferret to the company retreat?”
But today, let’s talk about the science of smiling and why HR professionals are basically the Olympians of the practice.
Why Smiling is Your Secret HR Superpower
Smiling has all kinds of benefits—reducing stress, improving mood, and making you seem 37% more approachable when delivering bad news (okay, I made that stat up, but it feels true). Studies show that even a fake smile can trick your brain into feeling happier. This explains why we all instinctively grin when someone asks, “Got a minute?” (which, in HR language, always means at least an hour and probably a lawsuit).
HR’s Greatest Smile Challenges
HR professionals have developed highly specialized smiling techniques to survive our daily reality. Some of the most common include:
- The “I’m Listening” Smile – Used in meetings when someone says, “I just don’t understand why we can’t pay everyone whatever they want.” This smile is warm but conceals deep existential exhaustion.
- The “I Swear I’m Not Judging You” Smile – Required when an employee asks if they can expense their dog’s grooming because “technically, she’s my emotional support animal.”
- The “Absolutely Not” Smile – This is the one you use when a manager wants to fire someone on the spot, but you have to remind them that, no, Tim’s bad vibes are not grounds for termination.
- The “Please, Please Read the Handbook” Smile – Deployed when an employee insists, “But I thought unlimited PTO meant I could take the whole summer off?”
How to Celebrate National Smile Day in HR
Now that we’ve identified the smiles of the trade, let’s talk about how to celebrate:
- Send a Memo About Smiling – Because nothing says authentic joy like a company-wide email encouraging forced happiness!
- Hand Out Mirror Self-Checks – A helpful tool for those employees who claim, “I’m totally smiling,” but actually look like they’re plotting revenge.
- Create a “Try Not to Smile” Challenge – Tell employees HR is reviewing job descriptions and compensation. Watch as they nervously smirk through the panic.
- Implement a New Policy: Smile or Else! – Just kidding. That’s how HR gets investigated.
Of course, none of these are realistic and, admit it, you actually smiled while reading those.
HR professionals are the glue holding the workplace together, and sometimes that means smiling through chaos. Today, let’s celebrate the real smiles—the ones that happen when someone gets a well-deserved promotion, when a conflict is resolved peacefully, or when an employee finally reads the PTO policy before booking a month-long trip to Bali.
So go forth, HR warriors, and spread those smiles. Just…maybe not the “I’m about to lose it” smile. That one scares people.