Is Dilbert Bad For My Employees' Morale?

We all are familiar with Dilbert cartoons, and even as a boss you probably think that a lot of the cartoons are pretty darn funny. After all, these cartoons are not making fun of you, right? But then again, it is easy to second-guess this sentiment when you start to see Dilbert cartoons tacked up on the cubicle walls of your employees. Even though it might seem silly or paranoid to consider that Dilbert has any effect on morale, it is also difficult to push from your mind those articles you read that, you know, said that Dilbert actually does have a negative impact on employee morale. And so, you finally face the question yourself: Are these cartoons negatively affecting employee morale?

First off all, one must remember that humor and laughter is good for morale. Certainly, the fact that these strips caused your employees to laugh is a positive sign.

But the issue, of course, is the fact that most of these laughs are induced by taking jabs at corporate culture. And it is difficult to keep your own self out of the specifics of this discussion when you see a cartoon on an employee's wall that makes fun of the boss. But before you jump to conclusions and ban these cartoons from the walls of cubicles, consider whether the solution is so simple. After all, it is unlikely that banning these strips would have any effect except to make employees think that you are out of touch with the way they feel.

A better form of action is to look at the strips yourself instead of ordering that they all be taken down from walls in the office. Many of these strips are funny because they poke fun at the way businesses are run; if your employees think that these strips are applicable enough to be tacked on their cubicle wall, the problem might not be with the strip itself. The problem might be with the way your company itself is run!

Many businesses actually have banned Dilbert from cubicle walls, which turns this into a serious discussion even if it seems trivial on the surface. Every boss wants to improve morale around the office, but instead of banning humor and hoping it will do anything but alienate employees, you should aim to improve employee morale by improving all the ways in which your business itself is run!