What in the world?Can't people take a joke?

Question

Ok my spouse works night shift. Over 4th of July weekend he took a four day weekend. When he got back he found taped to his computer cute little pictures of kitties, duckies, and a hamster. Each of these syrupy cute characters had speech bubbles giving rise to a plot to "kill" my spouse. To me this sounds like nothing more than joke. My husband took it as a joke. But HR has confiscated the pictures and has launched an investigation? So who should be worried about their job? Is this really that serious?

Answer 1

My guess is that the HR office HAS to take it seriously.  The incident threatens violence in the workplace, even if only as a joke.  If some sort of violence actually happened, and they had not investigated it, they would be liable for millions in damages, and hours of bad press on national TV.  Depending on the size of the company, it could ruin the business.  

I think they are taking the smart way out by investigating.  Hopefully they will find that it was all a joke, everyone will laugh, a general warning will go out to say that, while it was funny, it could have been taken the wrong way, and that people will think twice before they do something like this again.  And then it will die away.

I think that your husband should cooperate with the investigation, but stress that he was not offended, that he took it as humor, and that he doesn't think that anyone really wants to do him in - assuming that this is all true, of course.

Answer 2

People might take it serious because some people might actually think people might try to worn to kill someone that way! If it has a plot of course the police is going to get involved!

Good Luck

Answer 3

I would assume what is written in the little bubbles is what caight someones attention.  Some work places are mroe relaxed than others.  At my job people prank each other ALL the time.  A coworker (friend) of mine and another coworker (her friend) came in early one day and put sticky notes (post its) all over our asst managers desk, chair, computer.  All over.  They came in very early to do this.  The asst manager wasn't due in til the afternoon (about 1 p.m.).  Everyone saw this, even my managers bos, and laughed.  No one cared.  It was a joke and everyone saw it as such.Our HR person didn't care either.  She didn't think it was anything to take serious.  

Others have prainked eachother such as putting ranch dressing on someones phone.  That's just gross, cuz even if you wipe it away it still might smell.  

I don't see why your husband would have anything to worry about.  he didn't place the notes and pics on his own comp and wasn't even there when it happened.  The most I would think the HR people would do is reprimand the ones that did pull the joke, if they can even find out who did it.  It doesn't sound serious to me but like I said- some work places are a little more strict and some are more relaxed.  It just really depends. I think they are taking it way too far in going into an "investigation" about it.  What a waste of time.  

Answer 4

You never know how someone can react to a situation, any situation for that matter. Just write a statement if you have to, explain to them what happened and if they have a problem with you having a joke with your husband then complain, they cannot do anything as much as they'd like to. Pretty pathetic really.

Anyone answer my latest question please?

thanks :) xo

Answer 5

unfortunately, yes. your husband may help the situation better if he can go to HR and inform them that it is nothing more than a joke between friends but he might need to go with the people who posted it.

there are just too many crazy things happening.