Office humor has a way of keeping things in balance

For all of us who have ever had white collar jobs, office humor chuckles are NECESSARY. Perhaps no more so than in blue collar or military work environments, but essential nonetheless.

Twelve of my work-for-the-other-guy years were spent in office situations, primarily as a commercial insurance underwriter. Commercial underwriter, commercial driver...guess I must be just a commercial kind of fellow, whatever that means.

Anyway, several of those years were spent in southern California. Though this involved two completely separate insurance companies, my boss remained the same. Her name is Leslie, a crack insurance professional, and we clicked.

One day, about two years after we first began working together, we shared a commercial (there's that word again)...a commercial flight from San Diego to Seattle. We were headed up to run an audit on a small branch office, and we went as a team.

Having hours in the air together and she having enjoyed a couple of those little bottles of Happy Juice on ice, Leslie opened up in a way she never had before. She shared a secret...and even shared an office humor poem she'd written and then memorized.

My Finest-Ever Management Decision
Copyright 1985 by Leslie Sharif
reprinted with permission

I've run major offices
For big insurance firms
Hiring people right and left
From managers to worms

For years I had a trusted aide
An interviewing whiz
She'd do initial interviews
Taking care of biz
Then write up a summary
Of how she thought they'd do
I'd read her notes and let her know
Just who should come on through

One day she sent a long report
On a man I'll call Tarzan
She said his skills were so-so
But she really liked the man
Except for kind of wondering
If she really should have cared
She said she shouldn't judge appearances
But he did look really scared

That touched a mother-chord in me
I told her, hire the guy
Although his test results
Prob'ly left her wondering why
I never even met him
For close to ninety days
Though he worked on our computers
And improved them many ways

When the day arrived for face-to-face
I saw my own mistake
But for an error clerical
He's not a man I'd take
My sympathy for his awful fright
Got the hiring door unbarred
It was a typo, he not scared at all
But had been burned and badly SCARRED!

=================================================================

Leslie, old friend, I told you way back then: If I had a chance, I'd see your office humor poem published. If you see this, Contact Us!

All other visitors, feel free to send us YOUR office humor.

If you enter an original office humor poem (or short prose) in the form above, here is what we will do in return:

1. Read it very carefully and with respect.

2. If it is clean and humorous, I will publish it on a special poetic-humor Contributions Page for a minimum of three months. (To see how that works, click on the Contributions button, then on any Name Link shown on that page.)

3. If your creation does not quite fit our website, we will let you know AND let you know why.

4. IF you want no-charge mentoring, I will personally suggest possible amendments (I don’t say “improvements” because often it’s simply a matter of taste, not quality.).

5. If you choose, you amend and resubmit as many times as you like.

A point about copyright: You retain all rights to the material you submit with one exception: Poetic-humor.com receives the right to publish said material on this website for a period not to exceed one year.

A point about copyright: You further certify that any and all poems you submit are your original creation(s) and that you hold us harmless from any legal action should such not be the case.

Please feel free to submit as many poetic humor writings as you like; we look forward to receiving every one.

With appreciation,

Fred

Office Humor (And More) Home Work Humor