Jokes in the workplace Published May 20, 2008 By Tech. Sgt. Regina Harris 355th Fighter Wing Equal Opportunity office DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. -- During this past quarter, we saw a marked increase in the number of people who reported jokes, of a sexual or discriminatory nature, were being told in their work area. Although many of those same people told us the jokes weren't meant to be offensive, I'm concerned about the trend. Appropriate jokes, told in the work place, are a great way to blow off steam and build camaraderie. But if you tell jokes of a sexual or discriminatory nature, you might be offending someone and not know it. When discussing this issue, I often hear two common "defenses:" 1) if someone is offended, they have a responsibility to say so, and 2) the jokes aren't intended to be offensive and some people are just too sensitive. Those "defenses" don't stand up well under scrutiny and while we prefer people to speak up when they are offended, they aren't obligated to do so. Often times, people are hesitant to say they're uncomfortable because they want to "fit in" or are afraid of upsetting the joke teller, who may be their supervisor or in their chain of command. It's important to remember that it's the impact of your joke telling that's important, not your intent, and while you may not have meant to offend anyone, you are responsible for the impact of your behavior. I encourage you to mix humor into your daily routine, because humor seems to make every task a little easier. However, you walk a fine line when you tell jokes of a sexual or discriminatory nature and you should ask yourself, is one joke truly worth the cost of another person's feelings and possible violation of EO policy.