If you’ve ever been personally victimized by one too many bad jokes from a boss while standing around the water cooler, you’re not the only one—and now there’s research to substantiate that a boss who’s trying too hard to be funny is no laughing matter.

The finding that poor attempts at humor from a higher-up might actually affect job satisfaction, and not in a good way, comes from a new study published in the Academy of Management Journal and conducted by a team of researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and the London School of Economics and Political Science. Over the course of several different sessions, the researchers found that leaders who went overboard on puns and jokes drained their employees’ emotional energy, leading to reduced job satisfaction.

The results are clear: When it comes to keeping up rapport at the office, it’s probably best to........

© Fast Company