The Risks of Humor at Work

Humor at work can make work fun. It can defuse tense situations, prevent difficult situations from becoming more difficult, and clarify points that might otherwise have remained murky. Being uproariously funny on a consistent basis does take some skill. Fortunately, consistent uproariosity isn't important at work. Two things do matter. First, it's important to be funny enough often enough to keep your team out of trouble. And second, it's important not to hurt anyone or set the team back in its path to making progress together.

And that second item is the focus of this post — managing the risks of using humor at work. Here are some guidelines for avoiding trouble when using humor at work.

Connect to the here and now

Prepared humorous stories ("canned jokes") might be funny over the dinner table or along the sidelines of a children's soccer game. But they're of little value at work because they so rarely connect with the present situation. Moreover, they often sound practiced.

Be funny

Perhaps the most critical attribute of any attempt at humor at work is that the lines delivered must actually be funny. And the people who have final say as to the humor value of the delivered lines are the people who hear them.

Simple is better than complicated

The more It's important to be funny enough often
enough to keep your team out of trouble.
And it's also important not to hurt anyone
or send the team deeper into toxic conflict.complicated the humor, the more likely it is to fall flat. Especially in tense situations, people at work are most likely focused on work. A humorous comment might take many by surprise. They're unprepared to process the humor. Make it easy for them.

Puns are high risk

Even when people are getting along well, with stress levels low, puns can be irritating. Delivering a pun in the hope of defusing a tense situation is unwise. Oddly, there are entire Web sites devoted to providing puns to use at work. Don't go there.

Unalterable personal attributes aren't funny

Using someone's personal attribute as a predicate for a humorous comment is extremely risky, especially if the attribute is undesirable. The target of the comment almost certainly will take offense at the commenter and anyone who finds the comment funny. Such comments risk being divisive.

Ridiculing a serious situation isn't funny

In serious situations, some people realize they might be held accountable for the problem. Others expect that although they themselves might not be accountable, they might pay a high price personally — harm to their careers or a requirement to work long hours to deal with the problem. Neither set of folks is likely to see much humor in the situation. Indeed, they might interpret humorous comments as comments that devalue the pain they are about to endure.

Sarcasm is frequently misunderstood

To be effective, a sarcastic comment must be delivered drily — as if it were a straight comment. And therein lies the risk. Some might interpret the comment literally, which is usually the opposite of the intended meaning. This risk is elevated when the audience is comprised of people hailing from multiple cultures.

Humor that elevates your own status can seem self-serving

If the supposedly humorous comment is an example of indirect backdoor bragging, it's more likely to exacerbate tensions than it is to relieve them. And backdoor bragging is just one way to make trouble by elevating one's own status. Another: delivering humor that's humorous only if one has specialized knowledge or access to restricted information.

The human mind is endlessly creative. I'm certain that there are dozens more ways to make trouble with humor. If you notice one not mentioned here, add it to your list of tactics to avoid — and please send the example to me.  Top    Next Issue

Are you fed up with tense, explosive meetings? Are you or a colleague the target of a bully? Destructive conflict can ruin organizations. But if we believe that all conflict is destructive, and that we can somehow eliminate conflict, or that conflict is an enemy of productivity, then we're in conflict with Conflict itself. Read 101 Tips for Managing Conflict to learn how to make peace with conflict and make it an organizational asset. Order Now!

Your comments are welcome

About Point Lookout

Thank you for reading this article. I hope you enjoyed it and found it useful, and that you'll consider recommending it to a friend.

This article in its entirety was written by a human being. No machine intelligence was involved in any way.

Point Lookout is a free weekly email newsletter. Browse the archive of past issues. Subscribe for free.

Support Point Lookout by joining the Friends of Point Lookout, as an individual or as an organization.

Do you face a complex interpersonal situation? Send it in, anonymously if you like, and I'll give you my two cents.

Related articles

More articles on Conflict Management:

Practice Positive Politics

Politics is a dirty word at work, as elsewhere. We think of it as purely destructive, often distorting decisions and leading the organization in wrong directions. And sometimes, it does. Politics can be constructive, though, and you can help to make it so.

Agenda Despots: I

Many of us abhor meetings. Words like boring, silly, and waste come to mind. But for some meeting chairs, meetings aren't boring at all, because they fear losing control of the agenda. To maintain control, they use the techniques of the Agenda Despots.

When Somebody Throws a Nutty

To "throw a nutty" — at work, that is — can include anything from extreme verbal over-reaction to violent physical abuse of others. When someone exhibits behavior at the milder end of this spectrum, what responses are appropriate?

The Perils of Limited Agreement

When a group member agrees to a proposal, even with conditions, the group can move forward. Such agreement is constructive, but there are risks. What are those risks and what can we do about them?

Risk Acceptance: Naïve Realism

When we suddenly notice a "project-killer" risk that hasn't yet materialized, we sometimes accept the risk even though we know how seriously it threatens the effort. A psychological phenomenon known as naïve realism plays a role in this behavior.

See also Conflict Management and Conflict Management for more related articles.

Forthcoming issues of Point Lookout

Coming September 4: Beating the Layoffs: I

If you work in an organization likely to conduct layoffs soon, keep in mind that exiting voluntarily before the layoffs can carry significant advantages. Here are some that relate to self-esteem, financial anxiety, and future employment. Available here and by RSS on September 4.

And on September 11: Beating the Layoffs: II

If you work in an organization likely to conduct layoffs soon, keep in mind that exiting voluntarily can carry advantages. Here are some advantages that relate to collegial relationships, future interviews, health, and severance packages. Available here and by RSS on September 11.

Coaching services

I offer email and telephone coaching at both corporate and individual rates. Contact Rick for details at rbrenyrWpTxHuyCrjZbUpner@ChacnoFNuSyWlVzCaGfooCanyon.com or (650) 787-6475, or toll-free in the continental US at (866) 378-5470.

Get the ebook!

Past issues of Point Lookout are available in six ebooks:

• Get 2001-2 in Geese Don't Land on Twigs (PDF, )
• Get 2003-4 in Why Dogs Wag (PDF, )
• Get 2005-6 in Loopy Things We Do (PDF, )
• Get 2007-8 in Things We Believe That Maybe Aren't So True (PDF, )
• Get 2009-10 in The Questions Not Asked (PDF, )
• Get all of the first twelve years (2001-2012) in The Collected Issues of Point Lookout (PDF, )

Are you a writer, editor or publisher on deadline? Are you looking for an article that will get people talking and get compliments flying your way? You can have 500-1000 words in your inbox in one hour. License any article from this Web site. More info