Agency Celebrates Second Anniversary of Banning Humor

(Rockville, MD) — It would be hard to find another instance of five simple words changing the culture of a Federal agency. Yet, just two years ago, the 25 characters making up these five words clamped down on any frivolity and jocularity experienced at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), making it an agency driven more by micromanagement, fear, yelling and retribution.

August 5, 2009 saw the issuance of the "Enough with the Jokes Already" edict (NUREG-ED-20090805), the first "ED" (Edict Directive) released by the agency. With its release came a change in corporate culture.

"It definitely added more seriousness to our work," said an NRC employee, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Look at the past two years. We've had the Japan disaster. Our chairman has been under fire. The OWFN [One White Flint North] lobby's temporary wall collapsed. And what has been the constant? Threats and yelling, that's what. Can you imagine if humor were involved? How could we cope day-to-day with that?"

The success of the agency's first ED means that more are in the pipeline. "We're developing one that provides instructions on how and who can use the agency's restrooms," said a NRC spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity. "And there are plenty more in the works. Pretty soon, we think, the public will see edicts flying left and right. And thanks to the first one, there will be nothing funny about them."