Humor is a fundamental aspect of human communication and interaction in life and at work. We suggest that norms play an essential role in influencing the frequency and manner of the use of humor and are an integral part of organizational communication. Despite the comprehensive body of research regarding humor, the formal and informal norms regarding workplace humor have not been sufficiently studied, in general, and in empirical research, specifically. Therefore, this study aimed to identify, and analyze the norms of humor expression and appreciation in organizations and to develop and validate a measurement tool that can be used to identify organizational differences in humor behaviors. As indicated by the research results (N = 1,376), the WHNQ consists of five subscales: management humor (MH), responses to inappropriate humor (RIH), upward humor (UH), ethical humor (EH), and humor in times of change and crisis (HC), based on 16 items. Evidence of internal consistency and convergent and discriminant validity of the WHNQ was observed. The WHNQ was found to be a significant predictor of humor behavior and organizational aspects, and it accounted for significant variance in organizational creativity beyond individuals' humor styles and organizational humor climate. We suggest that regulation of humor expression and appreciation could eliminate it altogether, so norms play a central role in the “fun culture” that has become an increasingly dominant aspect of organizations in the last decade. Implications for the study of humor in organizations arising from the development of the WHNQ, and suggestions for future research using this new measure are suggested.
