{"id":66231,"date":"2026-02-24T01:54:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T06:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?p=66231"},"modified":"2026-02-20T15:52:36","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T20:52:36","slug":"fontaine-work-humor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/fontaine-work-humor\/","title":{"rendered":"Back to In-Person Work? Classics Prof Offers Tips on Office Humor"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Mike Fontaine, author of How to Tell a Joke<\/em>, weighs in on the best ways to bond with colleagues through shared laughter<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Cornellians<\/em> staff<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Classics professor Mike Fontaine<\/a> has penned several entries in Princeton University Press\u2019s \u201cAncient Wisdom for Modern Readers<\/a>\u201d series, which shares advice from the classical world on a variety of topics relevant to life today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They include How to Tell a Joke<\/em><\/a>: An Ancient Guide to the Art of Humor<\/em>, in which Fontaine translates writings by Roman statesman and orator Marcus Tullius Cicero.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Classics
cornell university<\/figcaption>
Fontaine in the Klarman Hall atrium, home to copies of classical statuary.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

(Fontaine has also contributed How to Drink, How to Have Willpower, How to Get Over a Breakup<\/em>, and How to Grieve<\/em>; How to Speak Freely<\/em> is due out in 2026.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In early February, Fontaine tapped the expertise he gleaned from writing How to Tell a Joke<\/em> to address a very modern phenomenon: the current push by many companies for a return to the office, and the inevitable adjustments that staffers\u2014particularly the youngest\u2014will have to make as they segue from remote work to in-person office culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

On the University\u2019s LinkedIn account, Fontaine shared his advice<\/a> on fostering humor as a key part of a positive workplace\u2014as long as it\u2019s done correctly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are his five tips, drawn from classical insights:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let timing do the work:<\/strong> Good humor doesn\u2019t interrupt work; it punctuates it. Humor works best after decisions, after bad news, and after a difficult stretch\u2014not instead of substance.\u202f<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an example, after a big presentation, you might say: \u201cWell, that was a lot of information. Let\u2019s all take a second to pretend we fully absorbed it, then I\u2019ll recap.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"The<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reframe the situation, not the person: <\/strong>Target a process, a shared frustration, or a recognizable absurdity everyone already sees. This shifts perspectives and flips the script. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When faced with a difficult or confusing task, say something along the lines of, \u201cI love how this problem looked simple right up until the moment we all understood it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use humor to signal safety, not superiority:<\/strong> Team leaders can use humor to lower their own status before ever using their authority. When kicking off a project, try saying something like, \u201cJust to set expectations early: if anyone here has all the answers, you\u2019re already doing better than I am.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Team leaders can use humor to lower their own status before ever using their authority.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Keep humor proportional to the room: <\/strong>The larger and more diverse the group, the lighter and more inclusive the humor needs to be. As the room grows, precision matters less than safety. It\u2019s best to stick to corny jokes, such as, \u201cStatistically speaking, at least one of us has no idea what we\u2019re here for\u2014and that\u2019s completely fine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use humor to boost morale, not avoid reality:<\/strong> Don\u2019t dodge hard truths or problems. Instead, restore energy and perspective.\u202fWhen solving a difficult problem, you can say something such as, \u201cNo one is enjoying this part\u2014but at least we\u2019re all not enjoying it together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Top: Illustration by Shea Oleksa \/ Cornell University<\/em>.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Published February 24, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mike Fontaine, author of How to Tell a Joke<\/em>, weighs in on the best ways to bond with colleagues through shared laughter<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":66296,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"alumni_hub_syml_posts":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[225],"tags":[],"cornell_year_post":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-66231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ask-the-expert"],"yoast_head":"\nBack to In-Person Work? 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