The Use and Abuse of Humour At Work

Important: GDPR Email Preferences

As you may already know, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will be coming into effect on 25th May 2018. We take your privacy seriously and we are working hard to ensure we comply with the new data protection laws. You can find out more about how we're doing this in our privacy policy on our website.

We want to make sure you continue to receive the latest newsletters, blogs, special offers and more.

As someone who has opted-in to receive our emails in the past, we’d like to give you this opportunity to confirm what you wish to receive:

Just so you know, if you don’t let us know what kinds of emails you want to receive from us, we’ll stop emailing you on the 24th May 2018 - you'll be missing out!

You are of course free to change your mind at any time – just follow the link at the bottom of any of our emails.

The Use and Abuse of Humour at Work

At work, it can be good to have a laugh and can be very beneficial:.

• Laughing can help build a good team spirit.
• It can make the time pass more quickly.
• It can make you appear more attractive.
• Humour can make work more fun.

It is GOOD to have a laugh.

But not always!

Sometimes it is NOT good to laugh. Sometimes it is better to NOT clown around.

There are two things to be wary of;

1. Humour as a weapon.
2. Too much self-depreciative humour.

1. Using humour as a weapon

Be cautious of anyone who uses humour as a weapon to tear others down.

Some people have hostile intentions, but they express those hostile intentions in the form of sarcastic humour or jokes at the other's expense.

Some people use humour as a form of passive aggression or bullying.

I call this type, The Smiling Assassin.

Don't be a smiling assassin.

And don't allow the smiling assassin the freedom to attack you in meetings, and dress it up as a "Joke".

Take-on the smiling assassin.

2. Self-depreciative humour

Be cautious of using too much self-depreciative humour. This is when a person makes himself/herself the butt of their own jokes. He turns himself into a clown and puts himself down, as a joke.

A small amount of self-depreciation is endearing, as it shows that you are not egotistical. But if you do it too much, you turn into a Boris Johnson-type clown figure.

And it is interesting to note that Boris Johnson failed to achieve his stated goal of becoming prime minister; partly due to the fact that he has spent many years building a public persona that is that of the clown. And nobody will follow a clown into battle.

So don't always strive to be the funny one, in the meeting.

You don't have to be a comedian, to win.

Let the other person be the funny one, whilst you concern yourself with making the decisions.

Don't be the funny guy;

Be a serious person, with a sense of humour.

The double-edged sword of humour for leaders and managers.

About the Author: Chris Farmer

Chris Farmer is the founder of the Corporate Coach Group and has many years’ experience in training leaders and managers, in both the public and private sectors, to achieve their organisational goals, especially during tough economic times. He is also well aware of the disciplines and problems associated with running a business.

Over the years, Chris has designed and delivered thousands of training programmes and has coached and motivated many management teams, groups and individuals. His training programmes are both structured and clear, designed to help delegates organise their thinking and, wherever necessary, to improve their techniques and skills.

Blogs by Email

Do you want to receive an email whenever we post a new blog? The blogs contain article 5-10 minutes long - ideal for reading during your coffee break!

Further Reading in Teamwork

• How can I get the team to work together?
  Do your team members sometimes fight amongst themselves, and tend to work against each other; rather than with each other? If so, what can you do about it?
  Read Article >
• The 7 People Management Skills
  To get the best from other people, there are seven main categories of people management skills that you should consciously work to improve.
  Read Article >
• Be a Team Player
  Think carefully about how you can make the lives of your fellow team members better. If you do, then you will be considered to be a positive, beneficial addition to the team. If you don't, you won't.
  Read Article >
• Team Problem Solving
  It is a fact that the most profitable ideas are usually the fruits of more than one brain. These ideas are usually the fruits of many minds working in harmony, to solve a shared problem. The best way to achieve this is using the Mastermind method.
  Read Article >
• Staff development training
  Staff development training You need to get the best performance from your staff. Why? Because the future survival and success of your organisation depends on the quality and quantity of their performance. If you get a good performance from the staff, then your chances for great success improve dramatically, and if...
  Read Article >

Looking for People Management Skills Training?

If you're looking to develop your Teamwork Skills, you may find this People Management Skills Training Course beneficial:

Open Training Course Pricing and Availability

Next Open Course Starts in 4 days, Online - Teams, places available Book Now >