Since most of you will spend the majority of your life at your job until you die, it’s probably a good idea to figure out how to get a few laughs. And that’s why we have Office Humor. It’s an off-shoot of the comedy family, easy enough for anyone to grasp and simple enough for anyone to create.
Alas, with workplace comedies like “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “The Office,” or “Hey, That’s My Stapler!” people have gotten the impression that office humor takes a lot of work, a staff of writers and a studio audience. Nothing could be further from the truth. The impossibly high bar set by TV sit-coms simply doesn’t apply to real-life office humor.
As in the most classic farces, mistaken and assumed identity is a mainstay of office humor. Say one employee, “Bill,” sits at a desk normally occupied by a different employee, “Betty,” it is then possible, if not required, to say to “Bill” “Hey, ‘Betty,’ you sure have changed!”
Repeatedly.
If a person has the same or similar first name to that of a famous person (i.e. “Tony as in Danza,” “Albert as in Hitchcock”), you should then refer to that person as the famous person endlessly: “Hey, Tony Danza, who’s the boss, hey!” No, topically or lack thereof doesn’t matter. We still have people here making “That’sa spicy meatball” references.
Along those lines, if someone’s name is the same as a famous song or TV tune, say “Gloria,” “Danny Boy,” or “Slim Shady,” well, that’s just a song cue waiting to happen again and again and again. And the best part is you know that person probably heard it before, so they know it’s coming and will enjoy it all the more.
Now, the converse of this would be if you have the same name as a celebrity (Spielberg, Beyonce) so when someone asks you if you’re related to them or refers to you as that celebrity (Steven Spielberg, Beyonce), you can reply “I wish I had his/her money!” You can actually say "his/her." Doesn't matter.
Work etiquette requires that whenever someone enters the office, someone has to state loudly, “Look busy, ____’s here!” or “Stop talking, _____’s here!”
If in the course of the day’s work you do get off a unique, original and funny line, repeat it for others until it no longer is.
Most workers enjoy having a “catchphrase” they can use during the work day. Most employ one of the following:
“That’s what she said.”
“‘I see,’ said the blind man.”
“I got news for you---!”
“Know what I mean, jelly bean.”
“That’s what she said.” (People really go for that one)
If a certain song comes on the office radio that reminds everyone of a co-worker, shout out “That’s _____’s theme song!” each and every time the radio plays it. And thanks to today’s radio playlists, that will be quite often.
Should a phone call come in for a co-worker, when someone shouts out the name and extension, simply use one of these retorts based on the extension number:
“______, you’re 40!” “Not on his best day.” (if he’s over 40)
“______, you’re 60!” “He looks it!” (if he’s under 60)
Old jokes are always welcome to the mix. Sometimes you don’t even need the whole joke, you can just shout out the punch line from time to time. And remember, the older the joke, the louder you need to repeat it.
So, there you are, some of the basics to get you started in the field of office humor. And remember, with all the high turnover at many jokes, this stuff never gets old because you keep getting a new audience!
NEXT TIME: Unemployment Line Humor
Alas, with workplace comedies like “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “The Office,” or “Hey, That’s My Stapler!” people have gotten the impression that office humor takes a lot of work, a staff of writers and a studio audience. Nothing could be further from the truth. The impossibly high bar set by TV sit-coms simply doesn’t apply to real-life office humor.
As in the most classic farces, mistaken and assumed identity is a mainstay of office humor. Say one employee, “Bill,” sits at a desk normally occupied by a different employee, “Betty,” it is then possible, if not required, to say to “Bill” “Hey, ‘Betty,’ you sure have changed!”
Repeatedly.
If a person has the same or similar first name to that of a famous person (i.e. “Tony as in Danza,” “Albert as in Hitchcock”), you should then refer to that person as the famous person endlessly: “Hey, Tony Danza, who’s the boss, hey!” No, topically or lack thereof doesn’t matter. We still have people here making “That’sa spicy meatball” references.
Along those lines, if someone’s name is the same as a famous song or TV tune, say “Gloria,” “Danny Boy,” or “Slim Shady,” well, that’s just a song cue waiting to happen again and again and again. And the best part is you know that person probably heard it before, so they know it’s coming and will enjoy it all the more.
Now, the converse of this would be if you have the same name as a celebrity (Spielberg, Beyonce) so when someone asks you if you’re related to them or refers to you as that celebrity (Steven Spielberg, Beyonce), you can reply “I wish I had his/her money!” You can actually say "his/her." Doesn't matter.
Work etiquette requires that whenever someone enters the office, someone has to state loudly, “Look busy, ____’s here!” or “Stop talking, _____’s here!”
If in the course of the day’s work you do get off a unique, original and funny line, repeat it for others until it no longer is.
Most workers enjoy having a “catchphrase” they can use during the work day. Most employ one of the following:
“That’s what she said.”
“‘I see,’ said the blind man.”
“I got news for you---!”
“Know what I mean, jelly bean.”
“That’s what she said.” (People really go for that one)
If a certain song comes on the office radio that reminds everyone of a co-worker, shout out “That’s _____’s theme song!” each and every time the radio plays it. And thanks to today’s radio playlists, that will be quite often.
Should a phone call come in for a co-worker, when someone shouts out the name and extension, simply use one of these retorts based on the extension number:
“______, you’re 40!” “Not on his best day.” (if he’s over 40)
“______, you’re 60!” “He looks it!” (if he’s under 60)
Old jokes are always welcome to the mix. Sometimes you don’t even need the whole joke, you can just shout out the punch line from time to time. And remember, the older the joke, the louder you need to repeat it.
So, there you are, some of the basics to get you started in the field of office humor. And remember, with all the high turnover at many jokes, this stuff never gets old because you keep getting a new audience!
NEXT TIME: Unemployment Line Humor
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