There should be a light-hearted side to business, but if you're the office joker, too much comedy and banter could harm your career prospects.
There should be a 'fun' element to business, and having a sense of humour is important in the workplace. You need to take the work seriously and also be able to show a light-hearted side, but you can have too much of a good thing. If you've become the 'office joker', be careful you're not being too much of a clown or people will stop believing you're capable and committed.
Your colleagues will of course appreciate a sense of humour, but too much of it and it will start to grate. If you crack a bad joke, wheel out a pun or pull a prank at any opportunity, you might find you're making more enemies than friends. People might not always express it in front of you, but they may well be venting their frustration behind the scenes.
The problem with becoming the office joker is that it can start to detract from an air of professionalism. Ultimately, we go to work - to work. If people think you're not taking the job seriously enough, they might start to doubt your capabilities. Once that doubt sets in, those in more senior positions will probably not consider you a serious contender for promotions or pay rise.
Yes, there should be banter and people will appreciate the fun, but there is a limit. There's only so much colleagues will tolerate, and even less your supervisor will stand for. If the fun is eating into the real work, it's time to think about toning it down a bit. Listen to feedback and try to curb your clowning nature if you want to progress.
A sense of humour is good, within reason
Too much clowning detracts from professionalism
Managers might not consider you for promotion
Colleagues and managers may tire of your antics
