Why Carlos Danger is No Danger to the Workplace

By now you’ve likely heard the name “Carlos Danger” – the less-than-discreet pseudonym taken on by NYC mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner to continue his online antics. If you’re a manager or business owner, you’ve most certainly overheard folks in the office talking about Mr. Danger – probably in lewd and graphic terms, too. Perhaps you also are concerned by the rabble this has caused around the water cooler, reducing productivity and lowering the bar for what you consider to be appropriate workplace discourse.

While maintaining a nonpartisan tone here and not wishing to engage in a political debate, as a NYC team building professional with lots of experience as an outside observer on office dynamics, I think this whole Carlos Danger thing – while bad for some, particularly Anthony Weiner – is actually quite good for workplace morale in general.

One of the keys to maintaining a strong team spirit and fostering loyalty are positive shared experiences. What’s so great about pop culture – be it in the form of our trivia team building events or widely-reported news stories such as Carlos Danger – is that it constitutes shared experiences which don’t need to be experienced directly (ie: everyone in the office may have watched the super bowl last night, but not everyone went to that happy hour where the boss sang karaoke). It’s these shared experiences that get people talking, allowing staff to not only learn about and feel more comfortable with both you and each other, but to feel that they are part of something – forming bonds which carry over beyond the water cooler, and directly into the work team.

If people are spending a lot of time in the office lately talking about Carlos Danger, they’re most likely doing it with a smirk on their faces and laughter in their voices. Your team is enjoying something together in the workplace, as well as each others’ company.

How can that be a bad thing?