4 Humorous Remote Work Moments for When You Need a Break

By now, many talent professionals have been working remotely for almost six months. But even if you’ve successfully adjusted to the “new normal,” working from home can be lonely and stressful at times. On the bright side, it can also be funny. 

From tech mishaps to misbehaving pets, there are aspects of remote work that often produce some lighthearted fun. So, if you need a humor break, here are four work-from-home moments that will give you a chuckle.

1. A boss accidentally turned herself into a potato during a virtual meeting

For many people, the shift to remote work involved many new discoveries — including the fact that you can change your background in virtual meetings to anything you want. Suddenly, coworkers were dialing in from outer space, the bottom of the ocean, and the Golden Gate Bridge. 

One option that’s perhaps best left for virtual happy hour is a filter that allows you to turn yourself into a potato. This was evidenced by Lizet Ocampo, the department head at nonprofit People For the American Way, who made headlines when she accidentally potato-fied herself during a work meeting — and couldn’t reverse the process.

“My boss turned herself into a potato,” tweeted an employee, along with a screengrab of the amusing call. “[She] can’t figure out how to turn the setting off, so she was just stuck like this the entire meeting.”

“I yam potato boss,” Lizet tweeted after her starchy snafu caught the internet’s attention. “I yam glad this is making folks laugh at this time. Please stay planted at home and safe!”

2. A fluffy coworker can be more cute than helpful

For pets around the world, seeing more of their humans must seem like a dream come true. But as this video from The Dodo proves, furry friends don’t necessarily make for the best coworkers. 

Whether they’re sprawling over the keyboard, knocking the mouse out of their owner’s hand, or trying to eat their headphones, some pets need to learn proper office etiquette before we’d offer them a permanent role.

But everyone has room for improvement! And as this video of Key the husky shows, even pooches who make a few mistakes early into the job can learn and be promoted to supervisor: 

3. A child tried to decorate her mom’s office in the middle of a video interview

Recruiting from home as a working parent often involves surprise cameos from children on team meetings and even interviews. Luckily, these interruptions tend to make people smile, rather than annoy them. Just look at the reaction that Dr. Clare Wenham, an assistant professor in global health policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science, got when her young daughter Scarlett crashed a live interview with the BBC:

Noticing that her mother’s background looked a little bland, Scarlett helpfully tried to zhoosh it up by adding a framed picture of a unicorn. When she couldn’t decide where the picture would look best, she asked her mother and BBC journalist Christian Fraser for help. 

“Scarlett, I think it looks better on the lower shelf,” Christian told the junior interior designer. “And it’s a lovely unicorn.”

“This is the most informative interview I’ve done all day,” he added.

4. A correspondent angled his camera wrong and revealed he wasn’t wearing pants

While experts say that getting dressed for work each morning can improve productivity, we’ve all had at least one pajama or sweatpants day (probably more). The secret is to wear something snappy above the waist if you know you’re going to be on video. 

But as one correspondent for ABC News discovered the hard way, the angle of your webcam can make all the difference.

As Twitter users were quick to point out, Will Reeve, the correspondent in question, didn’t appear to be wearing any pants beneath his suit jacket. Joking about the incident later, Will swore he wasn’t sitting in his office in his underwear.

“They’re shorts I promise,” he tweeted along with a facepalm emoji.

A little humor can go a long way

While remote work isn’t always easy, funny moments like these can make it pretty enjoyable. 

If a friend or coworker is having a bad day, take the opportunity to send them one of these videos or tweets to lift their spirits. And if all else fails, remember that you can always turn yourself into a potato (here’s how).

*Photo from @PeggyClegg

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