5 of the Best Office Pranks to Pull on Your Coworkers

Office pranks can be a terrific way to get the tedium out of everyday work and have some fun along the way. No matter how tense the situation, everyone can benefit from a few minutes of laughter.

Below are some nifty ideas to pull on your coworkers:

1. Pick a few coworkers who typically come into work at about the same time in the morning and take off about the same time in the evening. When your coworkers leave for the day, leave them a voice mail on each of their machines, stating that there is an urgent meeting in the conference room the next day. Make sure the “meeting time” is set within a few minutes of their arrival time, without giving them too much time to settle in for the day. Leave each message as if it is from the next coworker. Watch the fun as they start moving towards the conference room for the meeting, or confront each other about the messages.

2. Pick a coworker who uses a desktop computer, or has a printer or other electrical office products plugged to a power strip in his or her cube. Set the switch on the power strip to the off position, unplug the computer or the electrical device plugged into it, and plug in a mini-radio or a CD player instead. Make sure the radio or the CD player stays hidden and is not easily visible in the desk clutter, and set the volume to the maximum level. When your coworker gets in and figures out that their computer or the electrical equipment is not turning on, the first thing they will probably check is the power strip. When they notice the switch in the off position and flip it on, you can enjoy the big bang for your efforts.

3. If your company uses the white Styrofoam cups for coffee or water, then here is an enjoyable break room prank that almost always works. Add a touch of fine-grained salt in each of those cups, and place them vertically one inside the other. It is not very likely that anyone will notice the addition. Whether the cups are used for coffee or drinking water, you can sit back, and enjoy the fun as your colleagues fill it up and take a sip.

4. Being the good Samaritan that you are, how about getting in a bit early in the morning and leaving a couple of candies on everyone’s desk? Except that for a few of your “victim” coworkers, what is wrapped inside the candy wrapping is not candy, but carefully shaped crayon or a painted eraser. This can also be a good time to use the prank candy that dyes the inside of the mouth bright colors. Watch their expression when they distractedly stick it in their mouth.

5. Most people like to put a picture of their loved one or that of a pet on their desks. A neat little trick would be to get in early, and exchange different people’s photo frames or photographs. Better yet, replace someone’s family photo with that of another person’s pet photo. Watch their eyes widen when they notice it for the first time.

Eliza Mason is a contributing writer for Viking.com, an online discount office supply site which has a multitude of office products for home and corporate office environments. She is also a self proclaimed jokester and enjoys playing pranks at any chance she gets.

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