“Cant’t take a joke” is a terrible excuse for making people uncomfortable.
People are sensitive, impostor syndrome is extremely common. The people who work for you are always going to be worried about their job at some level. Don’t take advantage of your power to make a joke that is, at best, not funny and at worst incredibly anxiety-inducing.
That's exactly what I said. Sensitive people or people with impostor syndrome are problematic. I think those people are the problem, and not jokey managers. But we can disagree, that's okay. :)
Or people with autism spectrum disorders, or other issues (just being tired, say), who might find the nuance of your joke impossible to gauge?
Your job as a manager, with "sensitive" reportees is not to be a dick and make things uncomfortable for them, it's to help them do the work they're employed for.
People are sensitive, impostor syndrome is extremely common. The people who work for you are always going to be worried about their job at some level. Don’t take advantage of your power to make a joke that is, at best, not funny and at worst incredibly anxiety-inducing.