In 2026, leaders are encouraged to be more human, more relaxed and, in many cases, more humorous at work. 

After all, humour is often seen as a cultural positive. It’s associated with connection, engagement and psychological safety. 

But humour is not inherently beneficial.

In practice, it’s one of the most unevenly applied (and least understood) workplace behaviours. The same comment that builds rapport in one setting can create discomfort or confusion in another. The same joke that humanises a leader can just as easily undermine their credibility.

This makes humour a high-impact, high-risk behaviour. And, like any behaviour that carries risk, it needs to be understood and used deliberately.

Humour is more powerful than most organisations realise

Humour is often treated as a soft, cultural extra – something that makes work more enjoyable but doesn’t materially affect outcomes. But the evidence suggests otherwise.

Used well, humour plays a direct role in how people experience work. It can reduce stress, increase engagement and strengthen relationships, all of which are closely linked to performance. Teams that feel comfortable and connected are more likely to collaborate effectively, share ideas and navigate challenges.

There is also a measurable physiological effect. Positive humour can increase the release of chemicals associated with trust and bonding, making it easier for people to work together in complex or high-pressure environments.

This means, when used appropriately, humour can make leaders more approachable and increase trust within teams because it signals a more human, more relaxed and more accessible working environment.

But, unfortunately, that’s also where the misunderstanding begins.

The problem: most workplace humour is poorly executed

While humour has clear benefits, it’s also one of the least controlled behaviours in the workplace. It depends on judgement, and judgement is highly variable.

What feels appropriate for one audience can be misinterpreted altogether by another. A comment intended to build rapport can be perceived as exclusionary, and what’s meant as a light remark can undermine credibility or cause concern.

In the modern work environment, these risks are often amplified. Digital communication removes tone and timing and hybrid settings reduce the real-time feedback people rely on to adjust their behaviour. On top of this, greater diversity among team members can also bring different expectations and sensitivities.

The natural hierarchy of the workplace further complicates the picture. When humour comes from a leader, it’s rarely received at face value. Even if people respond positively in the moment, that doesn’t mean they appreciated it – and that means it can create unintended outcomes. 

Why workplace humour so often goes wrong

If humour is so effective when used well, why does it so often fall flat? 

The answer is capability: humour relies on a set of skills that are rarely developed outside the world of professional comedy (things like judgement, timing, audience awareness and restraint). And, unlike other workplace behaviours, there are few clear standards for what “good” looks like. 

As a result, people tend to rely on personal style rather than shared expectations. Some default to sarcasm. Others mistake self-promotion for self-deprecation. Many simply misjudge the room – not because they have bad intentions, but because humour is highly contextual and context is hard to read.

There’s also an important distinction that gets overlooked and that’s the difference between humour that includes and humour that excludes. Shared references, in-jokes and familiar callbacks can build cohesion within a group – but only within that group. For anyone outside it, the same exchange can signal separation rather than belonging.

But perhaps the most underappreciated risk of all is hierarchical. When a leader attempts humour, the power dynamic changes the way it lands. People may laugh out of politeness, habit or self-preservation. That response isn’t feedback, but deference. And leaders who confuse the two can develop a significantly inflated sense of their own comedic capability.

What good workplace humour actually looks like

The research on effective workplace humour points in a consistent direction: it is less about being funny and more about being aware.

That means the most effective forms of workplace humour tend to be observational rather than performative. They’re about noticing what’s true and sharing it, rather than constructing a joke and delivering it. They tend to be inclusive rather than directional, creating a moment that everyone in the room can access, not one aimed at a specific target. And they tend to be proportionate, i.e. light enough to create connection without derailing the tone of what’s happening around them.

So, with that in mind, here are some general rules for getting workplace humour right.

1. Punch up, not down 

Humour that targets someone with less power or status (whether explicitly or implicitly) undermines trust and leaves employees wondering what you say about them when they’re not there. The safest target is yourself and, even then, you need to exercise restraint. Leaders who are too self-deprecating can inadvertently erode their own credibility.

2. Read the room before the joke 

Timing and context matter more than content. The same comment can land completely differently depending on the stakes of the conversation, the relationships in the room and what’s already happened that day. Humour in a low-pressure team meeting operates by different rules to humour in a performance review.

3. Match the medium 

Digital and hybrid communication removes the real-time signals that humour depends on tone, facial expression and timing. What reads as ironic in speech often reads as literal in a message. When in doubt, save it for a live conversation.

4. Keep it brief 

The most durable workplace humour is rarely a set piece. It’s a brief, well-timed observation, such as a comment that creates a moment then lets the conversation move on. The longer a joke runs, the more opportunities there are for it to go wrong.

The truth about trying to be funny at work

Humour in the workplace is neither inherently good, nor bad. It is, like most high-impact behaviours, simply the result of judgement applied in a specific context. However, the difference between humour that builds trust and humour that damage is execution, awareness and restraint.

The organisations that get this right treat humour in the same way as any other communication skill: something that can be understood, developed and applied deliberately. They create environments where people feel safe enough to be themselves and make it clear that being yourself doesn’t come at someone else’s expense.

In other words, in a working world that’s simultaneously encouraging leaders to loosen up and holding them to higher standards of inclusivity, guardrails and frameworks aren’t the enemy of good humour. They’re what make it possible.

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