Unusual Sources of Office Humor
As many of you know, I’m currently working on a humorous mystery titled Helluva Monday, sort of Office Space meets Murder On The Orient Express. This is my first time dabbling in humor, not counting the phony horoscopes I used to write for my high school’s newspaper. I’m finding it to be great fun, but also challenging. Hopefully when all’s said and done, I won’t be the only one laughing.
Here are a few unusual sources of inspiration for the office humor in my story:
- Swivel chairs
- The way people look like meerkats when they poke their heads above cube walls
- The overabundance of candy dishes
- Those people who microwave leftover fish for lunch (and think it’s okay)
- Overheard personal phone conversations to the pharmacy (seriously, TMI)
- Break room etiquette (when in doubt, small talk about the weather)
- Acronyms (yes, I actually used to run TPS Reports)
- Emoticons (these days, you can lessen the blow of any professional email with a :))
- Technological difficulties (poll question: does anyone know how to use a fax machine anymore?)
- Swingline staplers (perhaps deadlier than they look…)
Those of you lucky enough to work in a cube, what do you find funny about the workplace?
What I’m reading: The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy
What I’m listening to: Cups – Anna Kendrick
Hi Kate – Love your blog! I think another funny topic for you to include is what people doodle at their desk or do in their office (check texts/emails, eat, work on other projects, put phone on mute and carry on other conversations, etc) when they are on a long, boring conference call. Once they are completely distracted by something else, someone on the conference call asks them a detailed, technical question.
Good luck with your writing!
Jane Mitchell
Thank you, Jane! LOL, that’s hilarious! I’ll absolutely use that scenario. It’s something I’ve observed, and been guilty of myself! 🙂
Those are some funny ones Jane 🙂 I love good office humor.