It may start out as fun and games, but there's always the occasional prank that goes a bit too far, resulting in a firing or maybe even a lawsuit. It's important to remember that there's a balance to having some fun with your fellow employees and crossing moral and ethical boundaries. People need to be very careful about office pranks. While there are undeniable benefits of humor and laughter in the workplace, people should really think about what they're doing before they do it.
Here are some basic guidelines everyone should keep in mind when pulling a prank:
Here are some basic guidelines everyone should keep in mind when pulling a prank:
- Make sure it doesn't embarrass someone or cause disruption in the workplace.
- Make sure it doesn't cause any harm to people or their property.
- Know you office and IT policies and rules and operate with-in them.
- Think through all possible consequences of the joke. Don't create fire hazards, block exits, or otherwise endanger peoples safety.
- Do not interfere with peoples food; food allergies or medication reactions can be extremely dangerous.
- Don't use April Fools' Day or any other reason as an opportunity to "get back" at someone you don't like.
- What's OK to say and/or do at home with family or friends may not be appropriate for the workplace.
- If your boss is the subject of your prank, be extremely careful. You need to know them extremely well, understand their sense of humor and never do anything that would diminish your boss's authority.
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