We really thought Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner was doing okay again. After months and months in which he literally looked like he wanted to die right on the spot, Geithner has regularly been spotted smiling, even laughing. You read that right: Laughing. Your Gaggler personally saw Geithner getting his chuckle on with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the G-20 meetings this past spring. Truth be told, it was like a rainbow in the sky. After all, no one, not even Tim Geithner, should look so sad all the time. It’s just too depressing.
But, alas, maybe it was all a front. Hat tip to New York Magazine, we've learned the Treasury Department is looking to hire someone to come in and teach people over there how to laugh again. No joke. Here’s the job blurb, via the Federal Business Opportunities site:
The Contractor shall conduct two, 3-hour, Humor in the Workplace programs that will discuss the power of humor in the workplace, the close relationship between humor and stress, and why humor is one of the most important ways that we communicate in business and office life. Participants shall experience demonstrations of cartoons being created on the spot. The contractor shall have the ability to create cartoons on the spot about BPD jobs. The presenter shall refrain from using any foul language during the presentation. This is a business environment and we need the presenter to address a business audience.
You get that: They don’t want some Eddie Murphy Raw business going down. They want something safe, something like, oh, Dilbert. Afterwards, they want Treasury employees to be able to get the “importance and power” of humor in the workplace and understand how joking around—that is, responsible joking around—can alleviate stress and improve relationships with co-workers. We can only imagine how that’s going to go down: “Larry, you can’t be so sensitive about those jokes about you falling asleep on the job. Laugh, Larry. Laugh!” It sounds like the makings of a great episode of The Office. But if it’s what it takes to keep a smile on Geithner’s face, it’s clearly a must-do. We’ll say this: the ad alone made your Gaggler laugh. So that’s a good start.
UPDATE: Looks like they don't want to laugh after all. According to an updated version of the ad, Treasury "has determined that it no longer has a need for this requirement." Bummer.
