Workplace memes often touch on things like the dreaded small talk after the weekend, spending 40+ hours a week in a place that drains you, and meetings that could’ve been an email. Some might see them as expression of dissatisfaction, but to others, they are a lighthearted distraction that connects the workforce, provides a break, and reduces stress

The creator of the Instagram account “Work Memes Official" has taken it upon himself to share these memes with people to make their day that much more bearable. He also agreed to have a quick chat about it, which you can find by scrolling.

As the content Joseph posts is intertwined with work, Bored Panda was curious to know about his own occupation. He surprisingly told us that his background comes from real estate and finance.

 “I used to work for a real estate investment trust doing acquisitions, then a private equity firm as an asset manager.  I then went to USC to get my MBA and then worked as a finance and strategy consultant for Fortune 500 companies.  I recently left my consulting role to focus on social media full time.” Having experience in various positions, Joseph knows how hard it can be to get through the workday.

This successful Instagram account was created in 2018 and now has almost 160K followers and over 3K posts. It’s not the first of Joseph’s rodeos, as he has also created a number of other meme pages, such as “The Tinder Blog,” with 4 million followers, and “Memes By Joe,” with 301K followers. There, he also shares various funny and relatable jokes to brighten up our day. 

When asked what inspired him to start an account about work memes, he said, “I realized there was a niche that I wanted to start where I can share my experiences in the workplace and the struggles of working for a company with bad culture, management or underappreciating their employees in a comedic way.”

Indeed, humor is a great way to deal with work-induced stress and can bring the relief you need. Research shows that when people are distressed or anxious, they become calmer and more at ease after enjoying a good joke. 

The creator of the account noticed something that really resonates with the followers are posts about work besties. Especially “when they quit or don't show up, and how much of a difference it makes for your work experience.”

They are the ones who tell you all the news, but don’t give away your secrets. The ones with whom we share our coffee break and who help us sort out our mess. Your work best friend is an essential part of your support system at your job. And when they’re not there, the day becomes grey and sad. You may feel lonely, lost, or even stressed. And it appears that one great way to cope with that is through memes.

Joseph also shared his previous work experience, which helped in creating content for the page. He said, “In college I worked for Nordstrom selling shoes, and having worked in retail with higher end customers as my store sold designer shoes, gucci, prada, dolce, etc., it led to more entitled customers.  Having to deal with "karens" before it was a thing, helped with a lot of the content creation on the page.”