If you spend at least eight hours a day working in an office, it’s only a matter of time before you start getting antsy and need a distraction to relax your brain a bit. While you could spend some time catching up on your serious solitaire skills or shopping online, wouldn’t it be a more fulfilling experience to plan the ultimate office prank on your co-workers or boss? In the more casual work environments, office pranks are used as an initiation of sorts for new employees, or to get revenge on co-workers who are just getting back from a long-winded vacation to the tropics. Here is list of simple and more extraordinary office practical jokes that you can practice at your own work place. Welcome to Part 2 of The Best Office Pranks.

Simple office pranks to take advantage of:

A little Google language switch-a-roo—When your co-worker leaves their desk for a few minutes, go into their Google search page, click on the “Preferences” link and change the interface language to something unique, such as Klingon on Pirate. If your co-worker isn’t the most technologically savvy, they may have some problems the next time they are feeling lucky.

It’s a jerk in a box—Get a box that is big enough for you to fit in and place the box is a heavily trafficked place, such as near someone’s cubicle or in the break room. Get in the box, jump out and scare passing victims. Crazy masks are a plus here.

A little J-E-L-L-O love—Take one of your co-worker’s most used items that can be replaced, such as a mouse or calculator and bring it home with you. In a large bowl, mix a few boxes of Jell-O and place the item in the bowl and let it sit over night. Bring the Jell-O mold back to work and replace it where it was the day before. Your co-worker will have a great time figuring out how to get their item out of this delicious dessert.

The finished product!

More intensive office pranks that you may need some time to plan:

“I swear that wasn’t my computer!”—There are certain computer programs, such as EZ Macro amen5a, that you can download to a colleague’s computer that allows you to set up various applications to run when certain specifications are met. For example, the desk top can open up a few dozen windows all at the same time, forcing your coworker to try and close all of the unnecessary programs. You could run an application where awkward sounds come from their computers when certain words are typed. Choose an application that adds funny words automatically after they type in predetermined words. Or, find a program that opens NSFW images every few minutes.

Recycle, Reduce, Reuse—This prank is pretty time consuming so get some assistance from friends. Get a bunch of cardboard and recreate everything in your co-worker’s office, ranging from their computer and desk, to portraits of their family and staplers. Install a video in their office so you can capture their face when they realize their office was built for a hobo. If you are looking for a less time-consuming office prank, wrap their whole office in newspaper.

Another funny office prank idea!

Tips for pulling off an office prank with the safest parameters:

• Make sure to notify higher management if you will be attempting to pull off more detailed pranks. Don’t hurt anyone’s feelings or break any property. You do want your job the next day, right?
• If the victim suspects that an office prank may be happening soon—say it’s close to April Fool’s Day—try doing the prank a few days before or after April 1st or when they get back from vacation to keep them on their toes.
• Take lots of pictures and video to document people’s stunned faces. Don’t forget to share these pictures and they may even end up on the monthly company newsletter.
• Ask co-workers to help you out. If the process is extensive, you’ll need more bodies to distract the victim and follow through with the scheme.

Office pranks are a popular past time for any imaginative co-worker, but make sure the prank is safe and won’t upset anyone in the office. Get your creative juices flowing and keep the integrity of office humor alive.

Tags: office pranks

This entry was posted on Monday, November 10th, 2008 at 3:50 pm and is filed under Office Humor. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.