This paper aims to investigate the impact of lead for humor on the perception of work values, and job performance among employees in Shandong private enterprises. Employing a quantitative cross-sectional survey research technique, the study looks at the two kinds of humor, affiliative and aggressive, and their effects on several employees’ outcomes. Affiliative humor is posited to contribute positively to relational quality in that it promotes trust, psychological safety, and communication satisfaction, which in turn would moderate the effects of affiliative humor on job satisfaction, perceived work value, and performance. However, aggressive humor shows a negative impact which discredits personal trust and impairs team cohesiveness. The study then situates these results within the cultural context of Shandong province which is collectivistic and high on power distance. Communication satisfaction appears as a crucial moderator in affiliative humor, as it increases the effectiveness of using humor to enhance employee outcomes. These insights are supported by data attained from 120 participants working in various private sector organizations and illustrate the interaction between humor style and cross-cultural, organizational behaviors. The study enhances the theory on humor-based leadership in culturally appropriate environments that is lacking in the majority of theories from the Western world. Practical consideration stresses the importance of leadership training programs that enable the selection of higher levels of affiliative humor but disallow aggressive humor. Possible limitations of the study and directions for future research pave the way for more extended cross-sectional research.