When people use humor at work, and this doesn’t even have to be good humor, just not inappropriate humor, the bar is very low, they are 23% more respected by their colleagues. If you are going to use humor publicly, you have to have people who are going to tell it to you straight and be really honest about whether your humor is working or whether it’s not working. ALISON BEARD: That’s Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas, co-authors of Humor, Seriously: Why Humor is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life.