Sometimes the stress of the workday just gets to you and you have to do something to lighten things up around the office. I like to do some harmless office pranks to keep the days from feeling too long.
The key to office pranking is either hiding it very well or knowing they will get you back – so remember to not do anything too harmful or frustrating. Keep it nice. Otherwise you will just end up making someone miserable.
A few ideas to get you started:
- Use remote desktop to log into someone’s computer while they are using it. Bonus points if you can reorganize their open windows before they get control of the machine back.
- Turn off Auto-Arrange of icons on the desktop (and Align to Grid in Windows Vista) and stack them all on top of each other.
- If your office has metal door frame, place a small magnet in a position to keep the door from closing all the way. Experiment with different positions to change how it affects the door and how visible the magnet is.
- Fill a water bottle with a clear soda. Shake it to make sure it’s flat so the carbonation doesn’t give it away.
- Another use of magnets is to attach things to anything metal. Altoids tins are great for this. Stick them all over an AC vent or something.
- If a co-worker has a habit of leaving his or her cell phone at their desk when they get up, quickly change the ring tone to something loud and obnoxious.
- Switch their optical mouse with an older ball mouse.
- If they use two monitors then reversing the layout of them is a great way to confuse someone who is still waiting on their morning coffee.
- On the topic of coffee… make decaf (this might be considered a serious offense in some offices).
- Another dangerous maneuver – buy the stale cookies that grocery stores put on clearance and leave them in the break room. Randomly bring in some fresh ones to keep them guessing. This is really great if you can do it without getting caught.
