The Fibromyalgia Experiment

With April Fools day still in the air, it may seem like a good idea to pull an office prank. I really like to celebrate April Fools in June, no one expects it. I was surprised to read that 91% of business executives surveyed find humor to be an important factor in career advancement. Reading through some of the pranks, such as frosting a cookie with toothpaste & then giving it to a coworker, or wrapping someone’s cubicle with plastic wrap, I had to wonder how many of those people still have their jobs. Here’s a list of why I don’t think that it is a good idea.

1.Yes, humor in the workplace sets you apart, but so does being fired because someone got sick from eating toothpaste frosting. Companies have so many liabilities that I just don’t think that office pranks in any form are appropriate.

2.  For one thing, if you change all the keys on someone’s keyboard, it can take up a lot of work time. Such elaborate pranks hurt both the prankster & the prankee.  Last time I check people went to work to work, not to relive high school. I think such pranks are ok if you are starring in NBC’s "The Office", but otherwise I think they can hurt you in the long run.

3. It singles out someone & makes them look foolish & like the whole office is against them.  Maybe they are like Dwight from "The Office", but it’s best not to make enemies at work.

If you absolutely must pull a prank, make it cute & related to someone’s Birthday, like filling their office or car full of balloons.  Otherwise save the pranks for your friends & family. What do you think, are office pranks dead?

Filed under: Home Business on April 19th, 2007