Is the Future of Work Funny?

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A stand-up comedian and workplace culture expert answers the burning question: Is the future of work funny?

David Horning is the principal of Water Cooler Comedy. He works closely with organizations to inject humor into the workplace, to help them build strong, positive, and enduring cultures.

As a young child, David discovered that he could make family, friends, and teachers laugh. Later on, he found inspiration listening to Monty Python, George Carlin, Jim Gaffigan and others to do his own stand-up comedy sets.

In describing his process for improving workplace culture, David offers this insight:

“Humor makes problems [in the workplace] seem smaller. If we can laugh about it then we can do something about it.”

Full interview starts at 3:14

In an episode that covers a lot of ground, David:

• Describes Water Cooler Comedy and his mission to improve workplace cultures. Starts at 4:14
• Digs into his funny origin story and comedic influences. Starts at 5:50
• Explains how comedy and humor can improve the workplace experience of professional talent. Starts at 7:58
• Provides insight into how expressing humor can improve the talent recruitment process. Starts at 15:15
• Offers his thoughts on how humor in the workplace can be expressed in ways that don’t hurt people. Starts at 24:49
• Discusses the comedians who influence his stand-up comedy. Starts at 33:38
• Answers the burning question: is the future of work funny? Starts at 36:14

Is the future of work funny? We’ll offer this: David Horning believes that comedy and humor can bring people together in the workplace. That way, they thrive and the organization succeeds.