Meetings, deadlines, a colleague who constantly hits ‘reply all’… The workplace is often more a place of stress and annoyance than of roaring laughter. A shame, because fun at work is the ingredient for better collaboration and more enjoyment. How does that work? And how do you make good jokes in the workplace?
An awkward conversation about someone’s performance. A brutal deadline that creates tension and silence. Or a team meeting where everyone remains politically correct because being honest carries risks. For many of us, the workplace is not a place where you truly feel relaxed, let alone a place where you can laugh. Yet, that’s exactly what we should be doing, says American comedian and writer Pep Rosenfeld.
As the founder of comedy theater Boom Chicago and author of the book Work-Laugh Balance, he doesn’t advocate for cheesy office humour or embarrassing jokes by the coffee machine, but for the conscious use of humour as a communication tool. “Humour reduces stress, increases creativity, and makes difficult conversations less confrontational,” he says. “And what’s more: people listen better when they laugh.”
Why laughter is essential
It sounds logical, yet humour in the workplace is often neglected. We associate it with unprofessional behavior, with the joker who doesn’t take anything seriously. Unjustly so, according to Rosenfeld: “Anyone smart uses humour to achieve more.” According to Rosenfeld, in an environment ruled by workload, screen time, and deadlines, humour is not a luxury, but a necessity.
And science is on his side. “When we are stressed, our brains produce adrenaline and cortisol,” he explains. “That’s useful if you have to fight or flee, but not if you have to collaborate with your colleagues five days a week. Laughter switches off that stress response and stimulates the production of dopamine and endorphins, the same substances released when you eat chocolate or have sex.”
The humour effect: Daring to be funny at work
Research conducted by scientists at Stanford University shows that humour also influences how others perceive you. Managers and employees who regularly make jokes are seen as more competent and more likable. Psychologists call this the ‘humour effect’. This doesn’t mean you have to do stand-up during your lunch break, but a well-timed joke can achieve a lot, according to Rosenfeld: “With humour, you break the ice, relieve tension in a conversation, and ensure that people truly remember your message.
Unfortunately, many people, especially women, are hesitant to use humour because they are often told not to be too present, too aggressive, or too funny. As if using humour automatically makes you lose credibility.” Rosenfeld’s advice: be funny and know what you’re talking about. People who only make jokes are indeed not taken seriously, according to him. “But people who are only serious are simply forgotten.”
Humour doesn’t have to come at the expense of authority, provided you use it correctly. A Harvard study shows that female leaders who use humour smartly at work communicate more effectively and gain more trust from their team. One of the techniques Rosenfeld recommends is ‘kidding on the square’, conceived by former senator and Saturday Night Live writer Al Franken. It means delivering something as a good joke, while the content is dead serious. Ideal for making sensitive issues discussable without ruining the atmosphere.
“Suppose someone interrupts you for the third time in a meeting,” Rosenfeld begins. “Instead of reacting testily or getting angry, at such a moment you could say: ‘No problem, being interrupted is at the top of my CV.'” The tone of what you say is light and funny, but the message is clear: let me finish! According to Rosenfeld, the power of this method lies in the combination of honesty and self-control. “You name something that’s not okay, but you remain calm. As a result, you don’t shut down, but you maintain control. This makes this form of humour extraordinarily effective in all kinds of situations. For example, if your colleague repeats your idea during a meeting as if it were hers: ‘Great idea, Anne-Marie, exactly what I emailed yesterday!'”
Read also: The many faces of discrimination against women in the workplace
Fostering connection
Another area where workplace humour has a proven effect is connection. Research from the University of Zurich shows that teams that laugh together not only collaborate better but also stick together longer. Companies with a high ‘laugh index’ also appear to have stronger teams and less turnover in the workplace, something Boom Chicago learns from. “We have a culture where humour is part of everything,” says Rosenfeld, “from internal emails and team meetings to the annual meeting.” According to him, humour creates shared references and recognition. It gives you the feeling that you are working with like-minded people. “A joke is a shortcut to trust,” he explains. “And trust is exactly what you need to solve difficult things together.”
However, not all humour is suitable for the workplace. “Don’t make jokes at the expense of others, especially not about things people are ashamed of,” says Rosenfeld. “That’s not humour, that’s humiliation. And second: don’t constantly put yourself down. Occasional self-deprecation is good and healthy; it shows you’re not arrogant. But if that’s all the humour you use, people will start to wonder if you’re serious.” He calls this the ‘kidding on the square’ risk in reverse: jokes that come back so often that they no longer feel like jokes. “I also advise against making jokes about people who aren’t present. That seems innocent, but it undermines safety in a team, because your colleague will wonder: if you’re joking about him now, what are you saying about me when I’m not around?”
According to Rosenfeld, jokes that do work in the workplace largely revolve around surprise. In his book, he names ‘surprise people’ as one of the seven basic techniques to come across as funnier at work. This doesn’t have to be complicated; you can do it very simply by saying the opposite of what’s expected in response to a predictable question. For example, if a colleague asks just before a meeting: ‘Can I just go to the toilet?’ Reply: ‘No, the sales department is having their Friday afternoon drinks there.’ And then immediately: ‘Of course, plenty of time.’ Or if someone asks how many emails are still in your inbox and you dryly say: ‘Only 2483 left, I’m almost there.’ That works because it’s just unexpected and because you break the routine without being silly.”
Leading with laughter: The strategic use of humour
These small, unexpected jokes are not an end in themselves, but a way to liven up the atmosphere and momentarily pull people out of their routines. In an environment where everything is tightly planned, with little room for spontaneity, that works very liberatingly. And it positions you in a certain way, as Harvard research shows: leaders who use humour are more often seen as confident and empathetic, an effect that is strongest in women. “Because female leaders are quickly scrutinized for whether they ‘exude authority,’ humour can positively break that image,” says Rosenfeld. “Especially if it’s subtle, intelligent humour, like a well-timed remark or a relativising quip.”
He gives the example of a female CEO of a tech company who opened her weekly team meeting with ‘the failure of the week,’ kicking it off herself. Rosenfeld: “Everyone immediately felt: it’s okay to make mistakes here. That’s worth gold.” A tactic you can also use for other topics no one likes to talk about: reorganizations, performance pressure, diversity, transgressive behavior. “When I’m a speaker at an event, I often start with a joke about ‘the elephant in the room’,” says Rosenfeld, “not to ridicule that topic, but to relieve the tension. Often organizers tell you beforehand: you’re not allowed to talk about that. And then I know: that’s exactly what I need to say something about.”
As soon as there’s laughter about that specific topic, the tension subsides, and people dare to talk about their own experiences. “Humour makes the space safer, especially with difficult topics,” says Rosenfeld, who works with Boom Chicago for companies in more than twenty countries. “American companies are often hesitant about jokes, especially if they are about politics or sex. In the Netherlands, people are more likely to push the boundaries, so they can nicely just cross them.” He finds this directness has advantages, because it opens the door for open communication. At the same time, he warns against the risk of clumsiness. “Jokes are not a license to be undifferentiated. You have to have a good feel for whether the other person is also laughing, otherwise you’re just broadcasting instead of connecting.”
Subtle shifts: Integrating humor daily & in tough times
Not everyone feels equally comfortable making jokes during a meeting or office lunch. For those people, there are also more subtle ways to integrate humor into the workday. Think of a creative subject line in your email: ‘Status update (with just a hint of panic)’ or ‘Spoiler alert: you don’t need to prepare anything.’ Or at the bottom of a presentation: ‘Don’t worry, this is the last graph.’ According to Rosenfeld, these small expressions are enormously powerful. “Humour doesn’t have to be grand to be effective. Even an emoji or a playful remark in Slack can already trigger something. It shows that you are accessible, human. In times of hybrid work, where much communication is digital, that’s more important than ever.”
Perhaps you’re thinking now: nice story, but what if work stress is high or there’s just been a round of layoffs? Isn’t humour inappropriate then? Not necessarily. In difficult times, a well-placed joke can actually help to lower tension without trivializing the situation. Rosenfeld: “It’s about how you approach it. So: don’t joke about the pain, but about the absurdity around it.” He gives the example of an organization that, after a difficult period, organized an event with a quiz about ‘confusing department names’ and a stress ball in the shape of a board member as a consolation prize. “Everyone immediately felt: what happened sucks, but we can also laugh about it.” And that is perhaps the core of humour in the workplace: it doesn’t change the situation, but it changes how we deal with it.
7 techniques for a funnier workplace
In his book Work-Laugh Balance, Pep Rosenfeld describes seven techniques that help you use humour in the workplace.
Observe and note: Pay close attention to your surroundings and write down what you notice. The funniest jokes often come from recognizable observations.
Know your audience: Adapt your humour to the people you’re talking to. What works among colleagues might not necessarily work with clients or your manager.
Be honest: Honesty is funnier than boasting. A good joke often contains a kernel of truth, especially if it’s about yourself.
Use structure: Good jokes have a build-up: tension, surprise, release. Tell your story with rhythm and timing.
Be concise: The shorter the joke, the more powerful the effect. A twenty-second joke quickly feels like a TED talk.
Create a surprise: The secret weapon of humour is surprise. Say something unexpected, reverse the situation, or give an absurd answer to a predictable question.
Sell your joke well: Even a mediocre joke becomes better if you deliver it with flair, energy, and conviction. Unfortunately, the reverse is also true.
This article was originally published by Fleur Baxmeier on the Marie Claire Hungary website.
Translated and syndicated for Marie Claire Nigeria by Tobi Afolabi
