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April 26, 2006
The Office Guide to Laughing at Work
Annabelle’s post on Monday got me thinking about all the silly things that can happen -- and have happened to me -- on the job. On my second week of work at Monster, for instance, I was accidentally hit it the face with a hackey sack. Yeah, I know. Stuff happens, and you just need to find a good way to laugh it off without breaching your workplace etiquette.
Say you’re nervously preying on a pen during a meeting and it explodes on you, your coworkers, etc. Do you laugh? Apologize? When in doubt, follow these tips from a recent article we ran about workplace gaffes:
- Know Your Audience: Gauge the sensibilities of the people you work with. Know the difference between what makes them laugh and what they find hurtful, offensive or just plain stupid.
- Poke Fun at Yourself: Tell the truth, and blame the gaffe on yourself; don’t take yourself too seriously.
- Consider the Situation: If you made the blunder, feel free to laugh at yourself -- but if it's someone else, be sure that person enjoys a laugh at his expense before you risk joining the ranks of the unemployed.
Exciting news: Monster Career Advice has been nominated for a Webby Award! Don't forget to vote for Monster Career Advice in the Employment category before May 5.
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Posted by Maya on April 26, 2006 at 10:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
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Comments
A blunder that *almost* happened.
Someone sent me jpg, a photo of pig wearing cow-slippers on each hoof. The title: "Moo-shoe pork".
OK, I guess you had to see it.
Anyway, I created a new e-mail and attached the file to be sent to a few colleagues who appreciate the humor. I added a subject line 'Who wants Chinese for lunch?' and started to type in names. Adding 'Joe P' in the subject line, Outlook mistook my intentions to address it to my teammate but instead sent it to a senior VP (also a 'Joe P', but a different last name).
Half an hour later I received a call from the VP's Admin, saying he was out of town but he thanked me for the invite. Scrambling to my SENT folder I realized my mistake, but became relieved also noted the mail was sent to the VP's pager, and not his inbox.
The Admin said the VP was curious why I offered to invite him at all, and why I addressed it to his pager.
Once I explained my addressing faux pas (carefully neglecting to mention the pig pic), the Admin understood and told me she'd explain the error to her boss.
Moral of the story: don't forward pig pics!
Posted by: Charlie on the Pennsylvania Turnpike | Apr 26, 2006 11:42:25 AM
Charlie's photo story reminds me of a picture I got years ago. It's an up-close photo of a woodchuck or some other unfortunate road-victim rodent lying in the middle of the pavement with a nice, fresh double yellow line spray-painted right up to, over and beyond the corpse to the distant highway horizon.
The caption? "It's not MY job!"
Posted by: RBL | Apr 28, 2006 4:51:40 PM
