How do you respond to office jokes?
We’ve all heard them. Jokes that have been floating around every office since the beginning of time. You know them:
Joke #1: You see a colleague after a long weekend and ask, “Did you get a haircut?” and they answer “No, I got them all cut.”
Joke #2: Your colleague sneezes. You ask, “Tissue?” and they respond “Tissue, I barely know you.”
Joke #3: You say something smart and your colleague says, “I don’t care what Ben says about you. You DO add value.”
Joke #4: You call a colleague at her desk and she answers the phone with “You’re on speaker phone and Jeff’s in my office. So, don’t say anything bad about him.”
How do you respond to a joke you’ve heard a million times? You can’t exactly laugh. That would be insincere. Wouldn’t it? And insincere laughter is just uncomfortable for everyone.
Today, I called the office of my dear friend and colleague, Nicole Curtis. She answered with joke #4. My response? Well, it went like this:
Me: (Dial Nicole’s Extension)
Nicole: You’re on speaker phone and Jeff’s in here. So don’t say anything bad about him.
Me: (Long awkward pause) Uh, Uhm? In that case can I call you back later?
Next time you’re faced with one of these age-old jokes I challenge you to turn it into a real joke. One that makes everyone feel uncomfortable – not just you.
