Back to in-person work? Classics professor offers tips on office humor

Classics

By | Staff , Cornellians

Classics professor Mike Fontaine has penned several entries in Princeton University Press’s “Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers” series, which shares advice from the classical world on a variety of topics relevant to life today.

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

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

On the University’s LinkedIn account, Fontaine shared his advice on fostering humor as a key part of a positive workplace—as long as it’s done correctly.

Read his five tips on the Cornellians website. 

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