7 Comic Strips for Hump Day at the Office

Everyone who’s ever worked in an office has at least one hilarious, ridiculous and downright ludicrous work story that sometimes makes office life seem like a sitcom. When it comes to drawing a clear picture of workplace shenanigans, comics capture just how, well, comical it can get in the office. Here are some cartoon strips about office life that can give your workday some much-needed comic relief.

Dilbert by Scott Adams

Dilbert is a brilliant but socially awkward engineer in Silicon Valley, whose best friend is Dogbert—his pet dog who is probably even smarter than his owner. Though not exactly a headturner and definitely not a social butterfly, Dilbert is a competent employee who is often unrecognized by his bosses. Not surprisingly, he also struggles with his lovelife. If all these sound familiar to you, don’t worry. There’s a Dilbert in all of us.

Cathy by Cathy Guisewite

Cathy is a modern woman who struggles with the “four basic guilt groups” of life—food, love, family, and work. The strip ran for an amazing 34 years, probably because so many women were a Cathy too. Besides balancing her career and her social life, Cathy also has to contend with her well-meaning mother’s constant nagging to get married. When life becomes too much to handle, Cathy does what anyone in her shoes would: go shoe-shopping and eat chocolates for her feels.

Working Daze by John Zakour and Scott Roberts

Working Daze revolves around the comical interactions of the geeks at MacroMicroMedia, a giant, software company. The characters Jay the everyman programmer, Dana the overworked office admin, Rita the evil manager, and Ed the lazy veteran – are as fun (and annoying) as the co-workers you would typically meet in the office. Except that some of them have magic powers you probably wish you had, like Roy the computer expert who has mastered the Vulcan nerve pinch and Jedi Mind Trick!

xkcd by Randall Munroe

“xkcd” doesn’t really stand for anything – its creator Munroe says it’s just a word with no phonetic. Though not strictly set in the office, this “webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language” pokes fun at scientists, engineers, mathematicians, university teachers and students, and that thing that science can’t fully explain: love. It’s witty and geeky to the highest rocket science level.

Toothpaste for Dinner by Drew

Toothpaste for Dinner deals with social commentary, cynicism, and schadenfreude at the workplace, but the comic strip is at its best when taking a funny look at the mundane concerns of office life: making presentations, Googling, and malfunctioning computers, among others.

Baltic & Co. by Roni Santiago

From the creator of local hit comics Planet op di Eyps and Kuyug, this office-based cartoon revolves around a quick-tempered boss and his crazy bunch of employees. Besides workplace comedy, the comics also tackle married life, socio-political issues, and other uniquely Pinoy worker concerns such as riding the bus or train to work, flooding, or even our country’s crazy summer heat.

News Hardcore by Manix Abrera

This comic strip may revolve around writers, reporters, graphic designers, freelancers, and anyone working in the media. Its on-point depiction of life as an employee gives it a distinctly Pinoy flavor and universal appeal to anyone who has ever worked, no matter what field they may be from.

Just like TV and movies, comics make the colorful episodes of our daily grind seem even funnier. If you can, why not laugh about it? Even the most serious workplace has some room for humor.

Sign up on Kalibrr today and find the right job for you. You can also subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get Kalibrr Career Advice straight from your inbox.