It’s that time of the year again when you find your mouse malfunctioning, only to find your co-worker put Scotch tape and paper over the mouse sensor.
Or keyboard cress (Photo credit: wetwebwork)
Yes, April sweet is coming and the feast of fools is beginning in a few days time. Prepare to prank and be pranked by your officemates, your employees, or your boss.
But before you start putting any toothpaste into Oreos or staplers into jello, you should consider some of these DOs and DONTs of having April Fools Day pranks in the office.
1. DO prepare a few days beforehand.
The best April Fools Day pranks are the elaborate ones. And these need quite a lot of prep time beforehand. Plan ahead, depending on your prank. Two weeks of research, material purchase and conniving with your partners-in-prank is optimal.
2. DON’T be a bad sport.
It’s just a day. Come on. Don’t be April’s Scrooge. Those who get pissed off will always be a loser. Laugh with the prankster, or keep a straight face. Then plan your sweet revenge in your head.
Photo credit: nvivo.es, 5gig
3. DO use technology to your advantage.
Browsing the subreddit /r/talesfromtechsupport would give you the conclusion that some of your office workers are prime targets for tech-based pranks. If you’re one of those tech-savvy people, or a member of the IT department, use your victim’s fear of technology to your advantage.
There are numerous scripts in the internet such as The Haunted CD-ROM Drive that you can utilize, or even create some scripts yourself. Be creative.
4. DON’T let a prank carry on for too long.
Pranks should be relatively harmless and should not disrupt the work flow in the office. Know when you’ve gone too far. Your prank will eventually come to a point where it’s not funny anymore.
5. DO choose your victim wisely.
I guess it goes without saying that it’s not advisable to prank your boss if they don’t have a good sense of humor. Only prank the people you are close with, and only those who can appreciate a good prank. You wouldn’t want a trip to the HR again.
6. DON’T use potentially hazardous materials.
Knives. Chemicals. Weapons-grade plutonium. You know what I mean. You’re not supposed to bring them to the office anyway, so as much as possible, refrain from using materials that could harm your officemates physically.
Try to use stuff commonly seen in the office. Aside from them being easy to acquire, they would be essentially camouflaged and invisible to the unsuspecting eye.
Photo credit: Ginamarr / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND
7. DO team up with your officemates.
The more the merrier. Strength in numbers. You name it. Letting some of your officemates on your plans would make your prank more effective, especially if they are game. Plus, they have to be in on the joke if you want to hear a hearty laugh afterwards.
8. DON’T do things against company policy.
This is still your work place. Thus, you are still subject to that list of company rules you signed before your employment. So don’t change your officemate’s wallpaper into a pornographic image or send some link to a shock site you got from that hacker 4chan.
9. DO have fun.
The point of April Fools Day is to enjoy you and your officemates pranking each other. It shouldn’t be a day of insult, petty revenge, or damage to someone’s property. Having fun should not be at the expense of you or your office reputation.
Well, good luck on your April Fools Day prank. I hope you don’t get fired, you sly devil, you.
Any plans for April Fools Day? Comment below!