Dirty joking at work

I was just in the kitchen when one of our engineers came in. He was carrying a piece of equipment with joysticks on it. I said 'Hey there. New toy?' and he answered 'Es ist das neueste in der Befriedigungstechnik die Frauen! Willst du probieren?' - or roughly 'It's the latest high-tech dildo! You want to test it?' waving it at me. 'Definitely!' I answered. 'Let me know when it's ready for the field observation study!'

We joke like this all the time and I enjoy it, but it occurred to me that back home there could be some women who would file a sexual harassment complaint about banter like this at work. I know it would stop if the joking reached a level I was uncomfortable with, and I know there's no disrespect meant. He's just flirting.

What do you think of this sort of joking at work? Should it be discouraged?

I reckon it's all ok as long as everyone is happy with it.

That doesn't bother me, but not much does and I've got a mouth of a sailor. Then again, most people at work wouldn't joke around like that with me because I'm fairly quiet at ye old buro. Now get back to work you horny biotch.

very true, Timmeh. Totally agree.

The problem is judging when people are ok with such banter. One person might find it acceptable and understand the joking nature whilst another might misinterpret this. It is hard to define where the border is. I guess you just have to know the person well enough before you can venture into such banter. This could be a potential problem for a new person entering the environment.

as Timmeh says, ok if everyone happy with it (although that can be hard to judge so I would generally say its best not to do it, initially at least). Not the sort of joke I would make to be honest


not very good at it is he

Personally I don't think jokes are an issue but the problem is always where do you draw the line?

The concept of sexual harassment seems almost non-existent here. My ex-boss used to make semi-flattering/semi-lewd comments to me constantly, he asked me out and put his arm around me on a regular basis. On one occasion he reached between my legs to grab something that was on a shelf I was standing in front of and had the gall to rub his hand up the inside of my thigh on it's way back.

The guy was actually a pretty nice boss so I generally just made jokes about his behaviour but I know that had anything like that occured in Canada the man would be out of a job immediately.

It could be handled during the interview process.

Q1: Are you familiar with property law in Germany?
Q2: Will you be willing to work some hours at the weekend when necessary?
Q3: Where do you stand on dildo jokes?

that would piss me off

Well of course. That is because you can probably sue your employers for spelling your name incorrectly in the States...

As long as we're talking about dirty jokes n'stuff here, and not touching or getting intimate, I think it's 100% fine.
And I think it's up to the people who are bothered by it to make it clear they are bothered, not up to regular folk who can handle common-tabby work place jokes etc to have to watch everything they say just in case it's not PC.

@ Kat: Only if he can take it as well as dish it out. You should have said you'd try it out only if he'd washed it after his trial shove.


Alternative 1: Step on his hand on the way out
Alternative 2: Pretend to lose your balance and drop a book on his head
Alternative 3: Pee on him
That was a definite no-no.

If just the two of you are in the room, and you're both OK with it, then I don't see a problem.

But I would be very careful if a third person was in the room (whose attitude to such jokes you didn't know). Even if the joke/comment is not aimed at them, they could become quite uncomfortable by it. In that case I would think it is inappropriate.

Why didn't I think of that? Next time, I promise.

Will you pee on me if I am sexually suggestive?

I have this strange feeling you'd enjoy it

EDIT: I really like how you turned a thread about dirty joking into a dirty joke. Very clever.

I just dont bother, when it is people i know i say what comes to me head first whether there is a third person around or not. if the third person is "normal" he/she smiles with us else i have one more person ignoring me, who cares!

No, don't. Some people really like that and would see it as a definite come-back-to-my-place-so-we-can-do-some-more-kinky-stuff kind of action.

He may try crapping on you next time as the 'next stage' of his wooing

Ha, great name Bird-Or-Bloke?!

Here's one for ya. It's not at work, but from the cheeky bleeder over at the tankstelle who, just because he can say a few lines in English always seems to want to wind me up whenever I (used to) go in for fags. He'd get this glint in his eye and ask, "You want some condoms, yes?". "Not tonight" I would always reply... until the last time, when he chuckles out "Condoms for Sir?". "No," says me, "I have to get mine imported from England. These German one's are far too small". I think he worked out what I'd implied as I walked out to the forecourt.

"Alternative 3: Pee on him"
Never pee on a German, they like this sort of thing and may take this as an invitation to other thingies.
Whoops! someone said that already.

@ Sin
Scottish ones are like oil-rig sized and have to be brought in by special freighter, they are not available in German petrol stations.

You Northern Taffy's are well weird, I tell ya. We ONLY wear the things over our dicks, and NOT our whole bodies. And while we're on the weirdness of the blue-arsed highland porridge-thingies. You can call it a kilt all you want. We KNOW it's a dress. Now bugger off and toss yer caber.

Not specific to just dirty jokes, but the sheer amount of salacious material in the workplace bothers me a bit. Dirty jokes, toilet humor, joke and soft-porn emails, posters, etc. When I first came to Germany for a consulting gig at a very large multi-national - my jaw nearly hit the floor. Everywhere I looked seemed like a case for a sexual harassment lawsuit. I've since become inured to a lot of it - but I wonder if I go back to the states, will I seem uncouth after so many years? I'll probably have to grow a bushy mustache, put on bell-bottoms, and pretend I've recently awoken from a coma started in 1972 to explain the regressive behavior.

Ohh Sin, I love men in skirts (kilts), think they are bloody sexy!

Harassment - grew up with German parents - thought joking about sex was normal, I don't have any problem with it...am often the person to start it !

Well, I'm not uptight, either THL. I can easily joke with friends; I just expect more out of my work environment than learning that Otto down the hall has an anal /bondage fixation after years of such jokes/clippings/emails.

Perhaps they just misunderstood you when you first introduced yourself by saying "Hi, I'm randy"?