"Oh great, another meeting that could have been an email." Everyone laughs. Except the person who just opened their calendar to check which meeting was rescheduled. Sarcasm is so embedded in workplace culture that most people do not even notice it. But for a significant number of professionals, sarcasm is not clever. It is confusing, exclusionary, and sometimes hurtful.

How Sarcasm Works in the Brain

Sarcasm requires the listener to detect that the literal meaning of a statement is the opposite of its intended meaning. This involves multiple cognitive steps happening almost simultaneously.

•  Recognise the literal content of the statement

•  Detect tonal or contextual cues that signal the speaker means the opposite

•  Override the literal interpretation and substitute the intended one

•  Respond appropriately to the intended meaning rather than the spoken words

For neurotypical brains, this process is largely automatic. For many neurodivergent brains, particularly autistic individuals, one or more of these steps requires conscious effort or does not happen at all.

The Workplace Problem

Sarcasm in professional settings creates real issues beyond awkward moments.

•  Instructions delivered sarcastically can be taken literally, leading to genuine mistakes

•  Sarcastic feedback masks the actual message, leaving the recipient unsure what to improve

•  Sarcasm-heavy cultures signal to literal communicators that they do not belong

•  People who miss sarcasm are often mocked or labeled as lacking social skills rather than simply processing language differently

It Is Not a Deficit

Processing language literally is not a failure. It is a different cognitive style with real advantages.

•  Literal processors are excellent at following precise instructions

•  They catch ambiguities in documentation that others gloss over

•  They ask clarifying questions that improve outcomes for the entire team

•  They communicate with a precision that reduces misunderstandings

What Teams Can Do

•  Reduce sarcasm in written communication where tonal cues are absent

•  Use explicit language when giving instructions or feedback

•  If you use sarcasm, add a brief clarification for important messages

•  Include communication preferences in team profiles so people know who prefers literal language

•  Treat sarcasm comprehension as a style difference rather than a competence issue

Rethinking Workplace Humour

Nobody is saying workplaces should ban humour. Laughter and levity are essential for team bonding. But the best teams find humour that includes everyone rather than humour that requires a specific cognitive wiring to decode. When you build communication norms that work for literal processors, you build clarity that benefits the entire team.

The person who takes your sarcasm literally is not missing something. Your communication style just has a dependency that not every brain ships with. And that is completely OK.