Told a knock-knock joke during a work safety meeting and got written up

I thought 'knock-knock who's there' would lighten the mood after we reviewed three injury reports, but my boss said I was making light of workplace hazards. Has anyone else had a joke backfire at work?

2 comments

2 Comments

alicew6825d ago

@jennyp19 that story about biting your tongue is so relatable lol. It's like the universe just waits for you to crack a joke and then proves your point within a week. The real pattern I keep noticing though is that most people just aren't good at telling when a joke fits the room. Like some folks can read the energy and know exactly when to drop a line, but for the rest of us it's a minefield. Bosses especially seem to have a radar for humor and always pick the worst moment to activate it.

jennyp1925d ago

Totally been there... told a joke at my old job about tripping over a cord and said "whoops, guess I should've watched where I was going" and my boss deadpan goes "yes, you should have" in front of everyone... so awkward. And later that week someone else actually did trip over something and I almost said "knock knock" again but bit my tongue. I guess safety meetings are where humor goes to die... especially if you're the one trying to resurrect it.