Humor in the Office: Best Practices

Each corporate work environment is defined by its own personalities and dynamics, making it difficult to set hard and fast rules guiding an exact approach to humor in the office.  However, there are some general best practices to keep in mind, as the upshot of using humor, for better or worse, is fairly consistent across the board.  A well-timed, appropriate joke may ease tension in the office, and help build your standing among coworkers.  But that very same joke, delivered at the wrong time to the wrong audience, may have deleterious effects on your job and career trajectory.  So, before your next attempt at humor in the office, consider the following scenarios.  That split second decision may be the difference between the corner office and unemployment.

Scenario 1

It’s Monday morning staff meeting, and the boss starts rambling off topic.  Year over year revenue figures give way to a weekend recap, which in turn segues to inappropriate musings on a recent divorce.  Despite the increasingly awkward nature of the subject matter, all meeting attendees laugh, uncomfortably, in unison.  An off color joke you recently told comes to mind, but the window to fit it in is fleeting.  What do you do?  Now, you may very well be the next Daniel Tosh or Mike Birbiglia, and this joke may have killed among a group of close friends the night before, but think rationally for a moment about how this is likely to play out.  First, consider the context.  For your boss, this is an easy, predictable crowd, but that’s not the case for you.  Your coworkers laugh because they have to, not to mention the fact that they are subject to confirmation bias.  Now, think about what may happen if you blurt out your joke.  The joke may not go over well, and could irreparably damage your reputation in the eyes of your coworkers.  Alternatively, the joke may be quite funny, but the boss may interpret your interjection as an affront to his authority.  This is not good.  Finally, the joke may go over well among all parties, giving you a short term lift.  But at the next Monday staff meeting you suddenly feel the pressure to deliver something funnier than last week, but you’ve got no material.  That’s an onerous burden to carry, getting pigeon-holed as the “funny guy.”  As the different outcomes indicate, even the best case scenario has a major downside.  In short, you’re better off keeping your mouth shut.

Scenario 2

You’re several weeks into a new job and some coworkers invite you to lunch.  Between forkfuls of salad, you find moments to contribute to the conversation where appropriate.  Then someone mentions a subject you are familiar with, and you perk up; all of a sudden you have a lot to add.  You can tell that the group is receptive to what you have to say, and you’re beginning to feel more relaxed, comfortable.  Assuming the topic is innocuous, this is a great moment to drop a joke.  Be certain that the joke isn’t offensive, but also be weary of using self-deprecation.  Coworkers may interpret this as a sign of insecurity or weakness, and no joke is worth undermining your standing in the office in the eyes of your peers.  If self-deprecation is your only brand of humor, you may want to seek therapy.

Conclusion

When Ricky Gervais’s seminal show, “The Office,” debuted in 2001, it offered a fresh take on modern workplace dynamics.  The humor was informed by all the nuance and complexity found in the web of office relationships, and the show resonated because the humor was, for the most part, grounded.  The truth is, humor is an essential social lubricant that helps working professionals, who spend countless hours together, to coexist amicably.  Yet, the aforementioned scenarios illustrate that you should always evaluate the context, subject matter, and audience before using humor in the office.  Walk through the various potential outcomes, and weigh the pros and cons carefully.  There is simply too much to lose in making the wrong decision.