THE RULES OF WORKPLACE HUMOUR
We’ve all encountered two kinds of colleagues: The ones who can crack a joke that brightens the whole room, and the ones whose attempts at humour bring to mind the Jonah Hill “cut it out” GIF.
The difference? Knowing where the line is.
1. If it’s “probably offensive”, don’t say it
If you feel the need to preface a joke this way, you already know you shouldn’t say it. Your inner voice is like a mini compliance officer – listen to it.
The Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices in Singapore provides guidelines on workplace communication, and discourages jokes or remarks that target individuals or groups based on race, gender, religion, age, disability or any other protected characteristic. So you would want to avoid any of those subject matters in the workplace altogether.
This isn’t about “being woke” or “cancel culture”. It’s about basic respect for others. Ultimately, we want to keep the office a safe, shared space for everyone.
So unless you’re a professional comedian headlining at Marina Bay Sands, keep your quips strictly SFW.
2. Punchlines shouldn’t punch down
There’s good-natured teasing and there’s bullying. Targeting a colleague – especially someone in a junior role or with less power – is a one-way ticket to becoming that boss.
Thinly veiled sarcasm is no better: “Wow, I didn’t know you used to be me. How else can you ‘revert’ to me?” (Sorry – I’m guilty of this one.)
It might seem funny to you in the heat of the moment, but really, it’s just passive-aggressive – and it breeds resentment faster than you can say “mandatory team-building retreat”.
If the joke doesn’t uplift the atmosphere or your co-workers, don’t say it. Save your snark in the draft folder of your conversational outbox.
