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While it would be easy to kick off this entire listicle by quoting that one Blink 182 song, we’re instead gonna preface it by saying that not all work is horrible. It’s a necessary evil, but one that we can easily overcome because we always have at least a few other options in life.

One of these options is escapism by scrolling through a sea of memes related to work, as per this dedicated Facebook page appropriately called Work Memes For The Soul. Enjoy!

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    #2

    Man relaxing with popcorn while the world burns, capturing workplace meme humor.

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    Realistic Optimist
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    1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Unfortunately, you are also likely the one who needs to put out the fire too. I work in IT and for some reason a business consultant was put in charge of implementing a large data move. I asked the exec who signed off why, and was told don't worry about it. The guy ended up copying and pasting over a terabyte of locally stored data into the cloud, and if that wasn't enough he just hit "Yes to all" with conflicts/issues. I quit that job because of how horrible cleaning this up was. Sometimes, the internal I told you so is worth it, but now I just run as fast as possible from the issue and document f***ing everything.

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    #3

    SpongeBob sharing a humorous workplace meme about quiet coworkers on a classroom chalkboard.

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    sbj
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I'm nice and quiet and we've got big vats of acid where I work, less messy than a shredder

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    So, Work Memes For The Soul is a page and community found in the bowels of Facebook. As you might have understood already, it shares memes about the struggles, joys, pains and gains of the necessary evil that is work.

    The page was created in August of 2019 and has since then garnered a modest following of around 11,000 people.

    #5

    Chaotic workplace meme with two people in front of a burning car, one grabbing a cactus, depicting busy dayshift mayhem.

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    sbj
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I need that cactus, don't quite know what for, but it looks effective

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    The themes and topics of the memes follow a pretty straightforward trajectory: it’s about the nuances of jobs, seemingly mostly ones with poor management, poor strategy, poor culture or poor anything, really.

    It takes a jab at managers being overly obnoxious with their corporate rhetoric and demands, employee-centered situations like training newcomers, breaking something or breakdowns (not the car ones), as well as all of the external factors like bad clientele, exhaustion, poor wages and just not feeling it. It’s got it all.

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    Turns out, memes and work have some positive inter-correlations. While memes have become a new mode of communication in modern-day society, it has also expanded into being an effective tool for boosting workplace morale and improving corporate culture.

    In a study on humor at the workplace, 4 out of 5 employees said that a fun work environment would do wonders in making employees productive, with 9 out of 10 pointing out that laughing reduces the work-related stress they experience.

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    It doesn’t stop there as memes, being a form of communication, do have the power to foster a sense of belonging among employees due to their relatability. To top it all off, memes are a sort of universal language that is easy to use and understand. They allow for easy bonding among employees, and culture or personality isn’t an obstacle here. All while everyone having a good laugh adds the fun factor to the workplace.

    #13

    Funny workplace meme featuring a small dog with a forced smile, symbolizing hidden rage while acting nice at work.

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    Suck it Trebek
    Community Member
    1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Whenever I get stressed at work I pull my hair into a pony tail. If someone stopped to talk to me I would point to my pony tail and say do you not see the stress in level indicator that is my hair? Then it got to the point where I could just point to it. Finally the minute people approached and saw it they would just turn around and walk away.

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    Memes aren’t the only way to make a work environment fun, though. Indeed suggests several dozen options to choose from: office sports teams, game rooms, office space décor, book clubs, office bands and other extracurriculars, talent shows, holiday observation and celebrations or even work traditions, pets in the office, volunteering, and travel retreats, among many other things.

    Much like memes, these two have similar or equivalent benefits to the workplace and its employees. It has great potential for boosting morale, diminishing workplace burnout, all the while fostering creativity, interpersonal relationships and promoting collaborations. Think of it as a certain kind of team building with a more human element in it.

    #18

    Text-based workplace meme about enjoying free cake at work birthday parties.

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    Vasana Phong
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Reminds of when my son was in elementary school, when he got home we’ll ask him what he learned or did at school today, alls he talked about was lunchtime and what he ate

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    #20

    Meme of a smiling plane flying away from a chaotic workplace scene, capturing workplace humor and responsibilities.

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    I'm.Just.A.Girl
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That's why management makes the big money. I don't make enough to put out fires too 🧑‍🚒

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    Now, if management does mess up by doing a poor job planning, designing, and executing team building, that can lead to some very disastrous things in terms of corporate culture. This can mean anything from lack of trust, resentment, demotivation, exclusion, an increase in conflict, emotional distress, loss of productivity and high turnover. Ultimately, all of this translates into a bad fiscal year, all because you couldn’t put aside a day to make things right.

    #23

    Workplace meme with a character accepting a sacrifice while schools and events are closed, but not their job.

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    Xitxarel•lo Panda
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I was never in the quarantine, that 2 years was driving a frigo truck for supermarkets food, so in my case that was totally true. On the other hand was amazing drive almost alone in highways and we, truck drivers that suplir you of food or other goods still are waiting for a ty from citizens or government.......at least I felt like almostt a hero for one time and was gratifying, so I don't complain . :)

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    Anywho, back to memes. Studies have shown that memes can be good for people’s mental health. While the study focused on the effect of mental health memes on people with mental health issues, 47% of participants reported that it did alleviate their symptoms.

    Contextual humor and dark and self-deprecating meme relatability allowed them to laugh at their own problems and alleviated the tension that these struggles cause. All the while, they allowed folks to form bonds with others in the same situation.

    #27

    Two men behind a counter with a workplace meme about employees wanting better pay, and bosses offering pizza instead.

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    Realistic Optimist
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    And platitudes like, "we're a family here" or my favorite, "You need to be a team player".

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    But the same could possibly apply to work too. Sure, you can’t equate deep, psychological struggles with that of work. But as a coping mechanism, why can’t it translate and transcend into a variety of problems? Even more so if those problems are legitimate struggles.

    The relatability and social connection works all the same regardless. So, why shouldn’t memes about work not serve as a catharsis for those working in retail, hospitality… really, any taxing jobs?

    #28

    A shocked employer meme reacting to an employee using PTO, with text highlighting workplace humor.

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    Skip62
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "You get to take a vacation any time you want."😡 You're the boss. Who's stopping you from going?

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    #30

    Spider-Man meme about workplace responsibilities with "Me, trying to remember the 'correct' way" and "My trainee" text overlay.

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    ShaZam
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    thinking ... do I tell them the right way or the way we actually do it 🤔

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    And we hope this listicle brought you relief, laughs, and provided a platform to share it all with other folks in the same corporate boat as everyone else. And why not express it in the form of your thoughts and stories in the comment section below!

    And if this list has you craving for more, you can jump into this Bored Panda work meme rabbit hole, or you can go and check out the Facebook group behind this list, Work Memes For The Soul.

    #32

    Relatable-Soul-Healing-Work-Memes

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    RandomEpiBioPerson
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I don't do this so much in my current job, but I've been in previous jobs where I've known something was about to happen, but it was my lunch time, so I went on break and just sat there watching the mess through the breakroom window.

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    #33

    Baby Yoda meme about coworkers saying "just be yourself," highlighting humor in workplace responsibilities.

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    Show thyself
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I am myself. My workself. You don't want me to be my homeself when answering customer-calls/mails

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    #37

    Big yellow bird meme humor about workplace safety contradictions in storms.

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    A B C the Third
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Oh wow. BP went through the trouble of cropping and re-writing this meme. Here's the original. Please BP, pull that stick out your árse, it's already starting to grow roots. 151703101_...1194d7.jpg 151703101_447356183287100_1064386921161049540_n-655753c1194d7.jpg

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    #38

    Smiling man in glasses with text: "I almost didn’t come in today." Humorous workplace meme.

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    sbj
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I always wish I didn't but Management get funny with me when I don't

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    #41

    Flipped car on road in rain, with person standing beside it, illustrating a humorous workplace meme scenario.

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    Surenu
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Attempting to do something meaningless and unproductive with a person of my choice, while clocked in? And I don't have to deal with customers while I'm at it? On it, boss!

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    #45

    Workplace meme featuring an UNO card with humorous choice: "Stay late or draw 25," man holding cards at table.

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    Sam Juan
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I'd draw the entire deck, then go out and buy the expansion pack if I have to.

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    #48

    Child making a funny face in a workplace meme about candid photos at lunch.

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    Surenu
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If my boss takes pictures of me without my consent my boss has a problem and that problem is my lawyer.

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    #49

    Skeleton meme humor highlighting workplace responsibilities, text reads "RATTLED" as managers are questioned directly.

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    Royer Potts
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    “Oh, well… on the other hand, if you consider taking into account the variables we can’t control, we can shift some paradigms and re-sigma some sixes! Does that answer your question?”

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    #50

    Cartoon meme depicting workplace humor with animals labeled as "Me" and "Bad management."

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    Mike Fitzpatrick
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    🎶...the bear necessities, the simple bear necessities, forget about your worries and your strife... 🎶

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    #52

    Relatable-Soul-Healing-Work-Memes

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    Tabitha
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I have had jobs that I hated to go to because they stressed me so much I would literally throw up while getting ready to go to work. That would be the time I would be updating my resume and sending it to any company with an opening for a job I was qualified for.

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    #53

    Relatable-Soul-Healing-Work-Memes

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    #54

    Relatable-Soul-Healing-Work-Memes

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    Tabitha
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Even if I work from Ho-oh oh oh home, but my bosses act like Big Brother tracking my every move. (Husband started his own company, so I’m running the office. We will NEVER treat our employees like that. WE will be ethical. We will strive to be considered good people to work for. We will NEVER become the s****y bosses we both always hated.)

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    #55

    Relatable-Soul-Healing-Work-Memes

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    ShaZam
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    We would get tax incentive to hire ex cons ... my boss would ask ... what felony would you NOT want to work with and rate the felonies in a list worst to best .... Well, off the top of my head, murder seems bad 🙄

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    #57

    Relatable-Soul-Healing-Work-Memes

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    Mike Fitzpatrick
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I opened a custodial closet to grab a broom (in a high school) and caught 2 janitors about to do the hot monkey dance. They were in their 60s, I was a teenager, I was traumatized.

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