Joke of the Day for Work: 120+ Clean, Funny, and Office-Friendly Jokes to Boost Morale

In modern workplaces, stress is a common undercurrent. According to recent findings, many African workers report significant daily stress and lowered well-being. Data shows that 48% of employees in Sub-Saharan Africa say they experienced a lot of stress “yesterday,” which is higher than global averages.

That’s not just a morale issue, it’s a business challenge. Low engagement and high stress are linked to reduced productivity, increased turnover, and disengagement across teams. 

One simple, effective way to inject positivity into work life is humour. Sharing a “joke of the day” in internal communications such as Perkflow, Slack channels, team meetings, and newsletters. This can foster connection, relieve tension, and bring a moment of levity to a busy workday.

Here’s a curated collection of more than 120 clean, work-friendly jokes (roughly 90% universally safe, with about 10% mildly cheeky but still professional), plus tips on how team leaders can use humour strategically. These jokes of the day for work are perfect for HR, engagement programs, or just making your team smile.

Why Humor Matters at Work

• Reduces stress. Laughter triggers the release of feel-good hormones (endorphins) and calms stress responses.
• Builds connection. Shared laughter can help team members bond, even in remote or hybrid setups.
• Boosts morale. A funny line in a meeting or message can make work feel more human.
• Encourages open communication. When humour is safe, people feel more comfortable speaking up.
• Supports engagement. In regions like Sub-Saharan Africa, where many workers report high stress and lower engagement, humor can be a powerful, low-cost lever to improve well-being and belonging.

Research even suggests digital humour helps reduce work-linked stress.

Clean “Joke of the Day for Work” — ~100+ Jokes

Here are 100+ clean, safe-for-work jokes you can rotate daily, share in chats, or drop into newsletters to brighten your team’s day.

1. Why don’t skeletons fight each other? They don’t have the guts.
2. I used to play piano by ear… now I use my hands.
3. Why don’t scientists trust atoms? Because they make up everything.
4. Why did the scarecrow get promoted? He was outstanding in his field.
5. I’m reading a book about anti-gravity. It’s impossible to put down.
6. Why did the computer go to therapy? It had too many tabs open.
7. Why did the employee bring a ladder to work? Because the job called for “high performance.”
8. I told my computer I needed a break… and it said, “You seem stressed. Shall I restart?”
9. What do you call fake spaghetti? An impasta.
10. Why don’t eggs tell jokes? They’d crack each other up.
11. Why was the math book sad? It had too many problems.
12. Why don’t calendars get tired? They have too many dates.
13. How do you organize a space party? You planet.
14. Why did the employee sit on the printer? To get a hard copy.
15. Why do bicycles fall over? They’re two-tired.
16. Why was the belt arrested? For holding up a pair of pants.
17. What do you call a bear with no teeth? A gummy bear.
18. Why did the tomato blush? It saw the salad dressing.
19. What do you call a sleeping bull? A bulldozer.
20. What do you call a pile of cats? A meow-ntain.
21. Parallel lines have so much in common. It’s a shame they’ll never meet.
22. I’m great at multitasking — I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at once.
23. Why are elevator jokes so good? They work on many levels.
24. What do you call an alligator in a vest? An investigator.
25. Why did the cookie go to the doctor? It felt crumby.
26. Why did the coffee file a police report? It got mugged.
27. How do you make holy water? You boil the hell out of it.
28. Why did the scarecrow win Employee of the Month? Because he was “outstanding in his field.”
29. Why don’t programmers like nature? It has too many bugs.
30. Why did the smartphone need glasses? It lost all its contacts.
31. Why did the orange stop? It ran out of juice.
32. What do you call cheese that isn’t yours? Nacho cheese.
33. Why was the broom late? It swept in.
34. Why do seagulls fly over the sea? Because if they flew over the bay, they’d be bagels.
35. Why was six afraid of seven? Because seven eight (ate) nine.
36. Why don’t oysters give to charity? Because they are shellfish.
37. What do you call a fish wearing a crown? King Neptune.
38. Why did the bicycle fall over? Because it was two-tired.
39. Why did the golfer bring two pairs of pants? In case he got a hole in one.
40. What do you call a sleeping cow? A bulldozer.
41. Why was the computer cold? It left its Windows open.
42. Why did the scarecrow join a band? He had the drum-sticks.
43. Why don’t some couples go to the gym? Because some relationships don’t work out.
44. Why did the math teacher go to the beach? Because she needed a tan-gent.
45. What’s a pirate’s favorite letter? You might think it's “R,” but his first love is the “C.”
46. What did the zero say to the eight? Nice belt!
47. Why did the physics teacher break up with the biology teacher? There was no chemistry.
48. Why did the banker switch careers? She lost interest.
49. Why don’t koalas count as bears? They don’t have the right koalafications.
50. What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta.
51. Why did the stadium get hot after the game? Because all the fans left.
52. Why are ghosts bad liars? Because you can see right through them.
53. What do you call a snowman in summer? A puddle.
54. Why did the tomato turn red? Because it saw the salad dressing.
55. What’s orange and sounds like a parrot? A carrot.
56. Why was the broom late for the meeting? It overswept.
57. Why don’t you ever see elephants hiding in trees? Because they’re really good at it.
58. How do cows stay up to date with current events? They read the moos-paper.
59. Why did the chicken join a band? Because it had the drumsticks.
60. Why did the cookie cry? Because its mom was a wafer too long.
61. Why don’t sharks like fast food? Because they can’t catch it.
62. Why do cows wear bells? Because their horns don’t work.
63. Why was the cat sitting on the computer? To keep an eye on the mouse.
64. Why did the scarecrow become a motivational speaker? He had a lot of “field” experience.
65. What do you call a can opener that doesn’t work? A can’t opener.
66. Why did the bicycle need a nap? It was two-tired.
67. Why did the bank teller quit? She lost interest.
68. Why couldn’t the bicycle stand up by itself? It was two-tired.
69. What do you call a bear caught in the rain? A drizzly bear.
70. Why did the picture go to jail? Because it was framed.
71. What do you call a dinosaur with an extensive vocabulary? A thesaurus.
72. Why do ducks have feathers? To cover their butt quacks.
73. Why did the scarecrow go to school? To be outstanding in his field.
74. Why was the math test so hard? The teacher marked it down.
75. Why did the coffee file for divorce? It felt mugged.
76. Why don’t skeletons fight? They don’t have the guts.
77. Why did the student eat his homework? Because the teacher said it was a piece of cake.
78. Why did the letter A always get in trouble? Because it was too “plain.”
79. What do you call a fake stone in Ireland? A sham-rock.
80. Why do bees have sticky hair? Because they use honeycombs.
81. Why did the policeman go to the baseball game? He heard someone stole a base.
82. Why couldn’t the leopard play hide and seek? Because he was always spotted.
83. Why was the broom so powerful? It swept the place.
84. Why do hamburgers go to the gym? To get their buns in shape.
85. What do you call someone who tells bad jokes? A pun-dit.
86. Why don’t programmers like nature? It has too many bugs.
87. Why did the computer go to sleep? It had too many tabs open.
88. Why don’t some fish like school? Because they’re already schooling.
89. Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field.
90. Why don’t ninjas like clowns? Because they have too many punch lines.
91. What’s a cat’s favorite color? Purr-ple.
92. Why did the student bring a ladder to school? Because she wanted to go to high school.
93. Why did the coffee file a complaint? It was getting mugged every break.
94. Why did the phone go to school? Because it had too many “contacts.”
95. What do you call a cow with no legs? Ground beef.
96. Why don’t eggs tell jokes in public? They’d crack up.
97. What do you call a dog magician? A labracadabrador.
98. Why was the calendar popular? It had a lot of dates.
99. Why did the scarecrow stay calm? He knew how to keep his “field” cool.
100. What do you call a sheep with no legs? A cloud.

(You can cycle these daily or weekly, depending on how often you share.)

Slightly Cheeky but Still Safe (About 12 Jokes)

These are still professional-enough for most workplaces, but with a little edge:

1. My job is secure… no one else wants it.
2. I told my boss I needed a raise. He said, “Why?” I said, “Because of inflation.”
3. I’m on a whiskey diet… I’ve lost three days already.
4. My wallet is like an onion, opening it makes me cry.
5. I love my job… most days… okay fine, some days… well, rarely… alright, I’ll be honest, I like lunchtime.
6. My boss said “Have a good day”  so I went home.
7. I have a great joke about construction… but I’m still working on it.
8. I asked my coworker for help… they replied, “I can’t. I left my motivation at home.”
9. I told HR I needed a mental health day. They said “Same.”
10. My computer beat me at chess… but it was no match for me at kickboxing.
11. I scheduled a meeting with my boss… in my dreams.
12. I don’t always follow the schedule… but when I do, I still join 5 minutes late.

Work-Related Jokes Teams Love

Here are jokes that play on common workplace realities; great for meetings, Slack, or internal morale programs:

1. Why did the employee bring a broom to the meeting? To sweep the issues under the rug.
2. Why did the project manager break up with the Gantt chart? Too many dependencies.
3. What’s an accountant’s favorite book? “50 Shades of the Grey Area.”
4. Why do marketers love trampolines? Bounce rates.
5. Why did the IT guy bring a wrench? To fix a hardware problem.
6. Why did the HR manager bring a ladder? For high-level recruitment.
7. Why did the developer go broke? Because he used up all his cache.
8. Why do salespeople love jelly? Because they always close with “jam it home.”
9. Why do customer support agents have great stamina? Because they’re always on call.
10. Why did the meeting last two hours? Because no one needed a decision — they just needed to catch up.

Short & Snappy One-Liner Jokes

These are tiny but powerful. Perfect for Slack status messages, meeting openers, or quick smile moments.

1. I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.
2. My password is “incorrect,” so when I forget it, the computer tells me.
3. I’m not late; I run on “boss is not around” time.
4. My job is mostly dealing with people’s problems… and by people, I mean my computer.
5. I used to think I was indecisive… but now I’m not too sure.
6. The rotation schedule and I are in a complicated cycle.
7. I’m multitasking: I can listen, ignore, and forget at the same time.

African Workplace Humor (Clean & Relatable)

Here are jokes that have a local flavour but remain respectful, clean, and team-friendly:

1. “I’ll be there in 5 minutes” — African workplace edition: see you in 25 minutes.
2. When NEPA (PHCN) blinks, half the office takes an involuntary break — bonus work hush.
3. “We have a quick meeting”... suddenly becomes a 20-person department huddle.
4. Office fridge rule: whoever left that jollof rice last week… it’s time to come claim it.
5. The way colleagues say “I’m on my way” from home, but Zoom immediately detects the lighting in the bedroom.
6. When the generator (DG) comes back on: choir of sighs… we’re back to work.
7. Requesting leave: “I need off to solve an urgent issue.” — Translation: market day.

How Team Leaders Can Use Humor the Right Way

Jokes are powerful, but used wrongly, they can backfire or feel tone-deaf. Here’s advice for leaders and HR.

Do:

• Encourage inclusive, clean humour that respects cultural and personality differences.
• Use jokes to lighten routine communications (e.g., Slack, newsletters, standups).
• Rotate jokes so they don’t become stale or forced.
• Pair jokes with recognition: celebrate team members who helped solve a problem, then throw in a funny line.
• Encourage peer-to-peer sharing of jokes.

Don’t:

• Use jokes to belittle or embarrass someone.
• Make humour the only method of engagement — it must be paired with real recognition, feedback, and trust.
• Use sarcasm or overly edgy humour that could alienate or offend.
• Force humour during serious discussions — use it with tact and sensitivity.

Final Thoughts

Humour isn’t just fluff, it’s a strategic engagement tool. A small, well-placed joke can relieve stress, improve connection, and even boost productivity. Sharing a “joke of the day” needn’t take much time, but its effects can ripple through your team culture.

If you're using PerkFlow, this is a natural addition to your engagement program: combine daily jokes with recognition, gifts, or award moments. Laughter + recognition = meaningful morale.

Use this list as a resource, adapt it to your culture, and let the laughter roll. After all, a happy team is a productive team.