Purpose: The present study aims to conduct an in-depth examination of the phenomenon of negative humor in workplace environments and to identify its dimensions and consequences at the individual, organizational and societal levels within organizations in the city of Shiraz.

Method: This study was conducted using a qualitative approach and a phenomenographic methodology. The participants consisted of 31 deputy directors, managers and experts from public and private organizations in Shiraz, who were selected through purposive sampling with maximum variation. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews and analyzed using the seven-stage model of McCasor.

Findings: Data analysis led to the identification of seven descriptive categories across three levels. At the individual level, negative humor functions as a mechanism of emotional victimization, serves as a precursor of verbal aggression, and acts as a source of trauma and psychological exclusion. At the societal level, negative humor operates as a mechanism for reproducing social inequalities, a warning signal of a pathological discourse, a manifestation of fractures in cultural capital and a reflection of intergenerational divides.

Conclusion: Negative humor in Iranian organizations constitutes a multidimensional phenomenon, deeply embedded in cultural contexts, which has evolved into an instrument for the exercise of power and the institutionalization of inequality. Its effective management necessitates context-specific, culturally grounded interventions at the individual, organizational, and macro-societal levels.