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Why you seriously need to stop trying to be funny at work
Using humor at work can enhance relationships and creativity, but it carries risks. Instead of attempting to be funny, individuals should focus on “thinking funny” by challenging norms, collaborating for innovation, and tailoring their ideas for specific audiences to drive success. to stop trying to be funny at work
Last Updated on October 10, 2025 by Daily News Staff
Peter McGraw, University of Colorado Boulder; Adam Barsky, The University of Melbourne, and Caleb Warren, University of Arizona
How can you get ahead in your career and still enjoy the ride?
One solution offered in business books, LinkedIn posts and team-building manuals is to use humor. Sharing jokes, sarcastic quips, ironic memes and witty anecdotes, the advice goes, will make you more likable, ease stress, strengthen teams, spark creativity and even signal leadership potential.
We are professors of marketing and management who study humor and workplace dynamics. Our own research – and a growing body of work by other scholars – shows that it’s harder to be funny than most people think. The downside of cracking a bad joke is often larger than what you might gain by landing a good one.
Fortunately, you don’t have to tell sidesplitting jokes to make humor work for you. You can learn to think like a comedian instead.
Humor is risky business
Comedy works by bending and breaking norms – and when those rules aren’t broken in just the right way, it’s more likely to harm your reputation than to help your team.
We developed the “benign violation theory” to explain what makes things funny – and why attempts at humor so often backfire, especially in the workplace. Essentially, humor arises when something is both wrong and OK at the same time.
People find jokes funny when they break rules while seeming harmless. Miss one of those ingredients when you tell a joke and your audience won’t appreciate it. When it’s all benign and there’s no violation, you get yawns. When it’s all violation and not benign, you could end up triggering outrage.
It’s hard enough to get laughs in the darkness of a comedy club. Under fluorescent office lights, that razor-thin line becomes even harder to walk. What feels wrong but OK to one colleague can feel simply wrong to another, especially across differences in seniority, culture, gender or even the mood they’re in. https://www.youtube.com/embed/PhGe50BXb2M?wmode=transparent&start=0 The hit sitcom ‘The Office’ pokes fun at the cringeworthy jokes cracked by a hapless boss.
An advertising study
In our experiments, when everyday people are asked to “be funny,” most attempts land flat or cross lines.
In a humorous caption contest with business students, described in Peter McGraw’s book on global humor practices, “The Humor Code,” the captions weren’t particularly funny to begin with. However, the ones that were rated by judges as the most funny were often also rated the most distasteful.
Being funny without being offensive is of paramount importance. This is particularly true for women, as a robust literature shows women face harsher backlash than men for behavior seen as offensive or norm-violating such as expressing anger, acting dominantly or even “making asks” in negotiations. https://www.youtube.com/embed/_s8CUzXQ4G0?wmode=transparent&start=0 Don’t be that guy.
You might end up getting no respect
Research by other scholars who examine leader and manager behavior in organizations tells a similar story.
In one study, managers who used humor effectively were seen as more confident and competent, boosting their status. Yet when their attempts misfired, those same managers lost status and credibility. Other researchers have found that failed humor doesn’t just hurt a manager’s status – it also makes employees less likely to respect that manager, seek their advice, or trust their leadership.
Even when jokes land, humor can backfire. In one study, marketing students instructed to write “funny” copy for advertisements wrote ads that were funnier, but also less effective, than students instructed to write “creative” or “persuasive” copy.
Another study found that bosses who joke too often push employees into pretending to be amused, which drains energy, reduces job satisfaction and increases burnout. And the risks are higher for women due to a double standard. When women use humor in presentations, they are often judged as being less capable and having lower status than men.
The bottom line is that telling a great joke rarely gets you a promotion. And cracking a bad one can jeopardize your job – even if you’re not a talk show host who earns a living making people laugh.
Flip the script
Instead of trying to be funny on the job, we recommend that you focus on what we call “thinking funny” – as described in another of McGraw’s books, “Shtick to Business.”
“The best ideas come as jokes,” advertising legend David Ogilvy once said. “Try to make your thinking as funny as possible.”
But Ogilvy wasn’t telling executives to crack jokes in meetings. He was encouraging employees to think like comedians by flipping expectations, leveraging their networks and finding their niche.
Comics often lead you one way and then flip the script. Comedian Henny Youngman, a master of one-liners, famously quipped, “When I read about the dangers of drinking, I gave up … reading.” The business version of this convention is to challenge an obvious assumption.
For example, Patagonia’s “Don’t Buy This Jacket” campaign, which the outdoor gear company rolled out Black Friday in 2011 as a full-page ad in The New York Times, paradoxically boosted sales by calling out overconsumption.
To apply this method, pick a stale assumption your team holds, such as that adding features to a product always improves it or that having more meetings will lead to smoother coordination, and ask, “What if the opposite were true?”
You’ll discover options that standard brainstorming misses.
Create a chasm
When comedian Bill Burr has his fans in stitches, he knows some people won’t find his jokes funny – and he doesn’t try to win them over.
We’ve observed that many of the best comics don’t try to please everyone. They succeed by deliberately narrowing their audience. And we also find that businesses that do the same build stronger brands.
For example, when Nebraska’s tourism board embraced “Honestly, it’s not for everyone” in a 2019 campaign, targeting out-of-state visitors, web traffic jumped 43%.
Some people want hot tea. Others want iced tea. Serving warm tea satisfies no one. Likewise, you can succeed in business by deciding whom your idea is for, and whom it’s not for, then tailoring your product, policy or presentation accordingly.
Cooperate to innovate
Stand-up may look like a solo act. But comics depend on feedback – punch-ups from fellow comedians and reactions from audiences – iterating jokes in the same way lean startups may innovate new products.
Building successful teams at work means listening before speaking, making your partners look good, and balancing roles. Improv teacher Billy Merritt has described three types of improvisers. Pirates are risk-takers. Robots are structure builders. Ninjas are adept at both, taking risks and building structures.
A team designing a new app, for instance, needs all three: Pirates to propose bold features, robots to streamline the interface, and ninjas to bridge gaps. Empowering everyone in these roles leads to braver ideas with fewer blind spots.
Gifts aren’t universal
Telling someone to “be funny” is like telling them to “be musical.” Many of us can keep a beat, but few have what it takes to become rock stars.
That’s why we argue that it’s smarter to think like a comedian than to try to act like one.
By reversing assumptions, cooperating to innovate, and creating chasms, professionals can generate fresh solutions and stand out – without becoming an office punchline.
Peter McGraw, Professor of Marketing and Psychology, University of Colorado Boulder; Adam Barsky, Associate Professor of Management, The University of Melbourne, and Caleb Warren, Professor of Marketing, University of Arizona
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Community
4 Ways to Preserve Veterans’ Stories for Future Generations
Family stories, photographs, letters and memories all have a place in the broader story of humanity, but if they aren’t recorded and preserved, they can fade over time. Consider these ways to help the veterans in your life preserve their stories and leave their mark on history. Preserve Veterans’ Stories for Future Generations
4 Ways to Preserve Veterans’ Stories for Future Generations
(Feature Impact) History is built from stories and memories, which is why it’s important to listen to the people who were there as the world changed. Family stories, photographs, letters and memories all have a place in the broader story of humanity, but if they aren’t recorded and preserved, they can fade over time.
Because more than 70 years have passed since the Korean War ended, opportunities to hear firsthand accounts from earlier conflicts grow fewer as time passes. Veterans and their families may be able to help record stories and lessons from “The Forgotten War” that might otherwise be lost.
You don’t need to be a historian to help preserve your loved ones’ memories and experiences. Programs like the Library of Congress Veterans History Project are dedicated to collecting stories from people like Private First Class Robert Lawrence Barber, who wrote regular letters home to his mother while serving in Korea. They paint a harrowing picture of combat, exhaustion, cold, fatigue and the stark realities of war that should never be forgotten. Experiences away from combat can be equally revealing, from daily routines and friendships to unexpected challenges.
Consider these ways to help the veterans in your life preserve their stories and leave their mark on history.
Start the Conversation Now
When it comes to recording memories, time is of the essence, especially for those who served in Korea. Decades may have passed, but each day makes a difference. Sit down with your loved one and gently start the conversation. You don’t have to get the entire backstory at once, but you can begin asking questions about their military experience and give them time to gather their thoughts.
Record Their Story
How a story is told can add dimension to the story itself. An audio or video recording preserves your loved one’s voice, expressions and emotions along with their words, giving your family memories to look back on for generations. Choose a quiet, comfortable space and test the equipment before recording.
Consider Preserving the Story Beyond Your Family
Family stories are most meaningful to those who know and love the storyteller, but they also matter to the world. Sharing veterans’ stories – including difficulties and ordinary moments – offers others a firsthand view of military life. Libraries and oral history archives may be able to preserve qualifying material for a wider audience.
“We want all stories, not just those from the foxhole or the battlefronts, but from all veterans who served the United States in uniform,” said Monica Mohindra, director of the Veterans History Project. “What did they hear? What did they see? What did it mean to them?”
If you have oral history interviews, and/or original photographs, letters or other records, consider contributing them to be archived and made accessible to future generations. Staff members are available to help you curate and select physical materials to contribute to the nation’s library.
Give Old Photos and Letters Context
Brush the dust off those old photo albums, scrapbooks and memory boxes because they may contain tangible pieces of history. A photograph, letter or piece of memorabilia could be what a veteran needs to bring fuzzy memories back into focus – whether it’s seeing the face of an old comrade or reading a letter written home. That gives you the opportunity to hear new stories and fill in context.
Learn more, discover veterans’ histories and find instructions for contributing veterans’ stories at loc.gov/vets.
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock (man looking at photo album)
Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress (group of soldiers)
SOURCE:
Library of Congress Veterans History Project
Community
5 Meaningful Ways to Make a Difference This Holiday Season
Make a Difference This Holiday Season: Hunger relief is often top of mind during the holidays, and there are many ways to make a meaningful difference. Consider these ideas.
5 Meaningful Ways to Make a Difference This Holiday Season
(Feature Impact) The holiday season brings people together and often inspires them to think about how they can support others. Yet for many families, this time of year can bring added pressure as they balance the cost of food and other everyday essentials.
According to Feeding America’s latest Map the Meal Gap study, published in 2026, nearly 48 million people in the United States, including 14 million children, experience food insecurity.
Hunger relief is often top of mind during the holidays, and there are many ways to make a meaningful difference. Each year, Charles Schwab employees come together through Season of Giving to support local nonprofits and help make the holidays brighter for those in need.
Consider these ideas from Charles Schwab Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing financial literacy and strengthening communities.
Give What’s Needed Most
When giving to a local food bank, pantry or other nonprofit, start by finding out what the organization needs most. Many organizations share lists of priority items, while monetary donations can give them flexibility to direct resources where they will have the greatest impact. A little planning can help make every contribution count.
Turn Giving Into a Group Activity
Invite family, friends, neighbors or coworkers to get involved with you. Organizing a donation drive, packing meals or volunteering together can multiply the impact while creating a meaningful way to connect during the holiday season.
Share Your Time and Talents
There are many ways to contribute beyond making a donation. Consider volunteering your time or putting your skills to use for an organization that could benefit from them. From sorting donations and packing meals to helping with special events or administrative projects, your time and expertise can make a meaningful impact.
Support Organizations in Your Own Community
The holidays are an opportunity to learn more about the organizations serving your neighbors every day. Look for local nonprofits addressing needs that matter to you, whether that is hunger, housing, education or another community priority. Supporting organizations close to home can help strengthen the networks people rely on throughout the year.
Keep Giving Beyond the Holidays
The spirit of giving doesn’t have to end when the holiday season is over. Consider turning a one-time contribution into an ongoing commitment, whether by volunteering periodically, making recurring donations or continuing to support an organization with a mission that resonates with you.
Learn more about the work being done to advance financial literacy and strengthen communities at schwabmoneywise.com/foundation.
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock
SOURCE:
Last Updated on November 11, 2026 by Daily News Staff
Fifty volunteers joined Diana Gregory Outreach Services and community partners on November 5, with support from AARP, State Farm, and BHHS Legacy Foundation.
PHOENIX — Fresh produce and community support came together Thursday morning, November 5, 2026, as Veggies for Veterans distributed 700 grocery bags during an event hosted by the Phoenix VA Health Care System.
The Diana Gregory Outreach Services (DGOS) program brought together 50 volunteers to help provide veterans with nutritious food. Each bag contained a variety of 13 fruits and vegetables, according to the event results supplied by organizers.
The effort also received a contribution from Peddler’s Son, which donated a five-pound bag of Idaho potatoes and a bag of grapes for each veteran.
AARP, State Farm, and BHHS Legacy Foundation Lead Financial Support
AARP, State Farm, and BHHS Legacy Foundation were the event’s three largest financial sponsors, helping make the distribution possible.
Volunteers represented all three organizations, along with the Archer Ragsdale Arizona Chapter Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. Arizona Community Foundation and Santander also contributed volunteer support.
AARP Arizona State Director Dana Marie Kennedy attended the event. AARP’s participation included volunteers and an outreach table featuring candy and AARP-branded giveaway items for attendees and veterans.
Together, the financial contributions, donated food, and volunteer service supported an event centered on veterans and their access to fresh produce.
A Special Guest With a Remarkable Service History
Among those attending was 106-year-old Major Fannie Griffin McClendon, whose military career connects the gathering to an extraordinary chapter in American history.
McClendon served during World War II with the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, widely known as the “Six Triple Eight.” The historic unit of Black women soldiers helped process a massive backlog of military mail in Europe.
Her service continued beyond World War II. The Library of Congress documents her later career in the Air Force, including service as a squadron commander.
Her attendance offered an opportunity to recognize a veteran whose career helped break barriers for Black women in the military.
More Than a Bag of Groceries
Veggies for Veterans’ purpose extends beyond the food distributed at an individual event. The program focuses on helping veterans access fresh produce while creating opportunities for connection and community support.
Grocery costs, transportation, and mobility can make obtaining nutritious food difficult. Bringing produce directly to veterans through VA and community settings is one way the program works to address those barriers.
The November 5 distribution also reflected the collective work behind that support: an organization coordinating the effort, a VA host, financial sponsors, a food donor, and volunteers contributing their time.
With 700 bags distributed and 50 volunteers participating, the event demonstrated how community partnerships can translate into practical support for veterans.
Readers interested in learning more about the program, volunteering, or exploring ways to support its work can visit Diana Gregory Outreach Services.
Reporting note: Event results, sponsor recognition, donations, volunteer participation, and attendee information were supplied for this recap. Historical background on Major McClendon is supported by the Library of Congress.
Sources and Further Information
- Diana Gregory Outreach Services — Veggies for Veterans
- Phoenix VA — November 5 Veggies for Veterans event listing
- Library of Congress — Fannie Griffin McClendon
