Office Pranks
Cord Confusion
Switch the phone cords of two co-workers who work in close proximity. Even better, switch
their mouse cords so they control each others’ keyboards.
Krazy Keyboard
Even better, switch your own keyboard with your co-worker’s and start typing crazy things.
Play It Loud
While your co-worker is away from his or her computer, turn up the speaker volume.
Of Mice and Men
Stick or tape something over the sensor on a co-worker’s optimal mouse so it seems like it doesn’t work. For a ball-type mouse, pop the bottom open and remove the ball.
Click Change
Go into your co-worker’s computer’s control panel and speed up the double-click so his mouse goes crazy. You can also speed up the mouse itself.
Caller, Are You There?
Switch up the labels on your coworker’s phone. If you want to be really mean, actually go in and change the speed dial settings.
Water You Doing?
Puncture little holes in all of the disposable cups by the water cooler.
Key Player
Carefully switch around the keys on your co-worker’s computer keyboard.
Rain, Rain Go Away
During the rainy season, fill a coworkers umbrella with confetti, packing peanuts or something else safe but messy. Be sure to watch while he or she opens it.
Peanut Gallery
Fill your coworker’s filing cabinet drawers with packing peanuts.
Party Posers
Next time an office party is planned, post fliers or send out e-mails announcing a dress-up “theme” such as Hawaiian Luau or Costume Party. The practical joke is that everyone except for one unfortunate target employee will be in on the secret that no one else is planning to dress up. The victim shows up for the festivities looking pretty silly.
Post Haste
Cover your supervisor’s office in PostIt notes.
Roll Tape
Tape everything to someone’s desk using double-sided tape.
Foiled Again
Wrap everything on your coworker’s desk in aluminum foil. Key word: Everything.
Potty Talk
Have one of those annoying plush animals or holiday figure that’s motion-sensitive and “sings” when someone walks by? Try putting it out of sight behind the toilet in the office restroom. There will be some jumping, some shrieking, maybe even some spraying.
Who’s Got the Button?
Tape down the button on your co-worker’s phone so he or she can’t answer calls.
Calling All Snacks
On the TV show The Office, one prank was to put a cell phone in the ceiling panel and start calling. Another option: Put it in the office snack machine. Works best with co-worker who has annoying ringtone.
Retro Office
Take all the furniture out of your coworker/boss’s office and replace it with an old 1980s computer, rotary phone and so on.
Kiddie Office
Take all the furniture out of your coworker/boss’s office and replace it with kid-sized desk, chair, play phone, etc.
Pop Stop
If your coworker has a rolling office chair with one of those plastic mats under it, put bubble wrap under the mat.
Name Game
If your office has cubicles with workers’ names on them, just switch around the names. See how long it takes people to figure out what happened, and who did it. You could do the same with office doors.
Picture This
Switch around or cover up the personal pictures on people’s desk with shots of corny movie stars, politicians and so on.
Staple Caper
Routinely remove all but a couple of staples from your coworker’s stapler.
Roof with a View
If your office is positioned by a flat room, move your coworker’s chair, files, etc. out there and position them just as they would be in the “real” office.
Never Gets Old
For your co-worker’s birthday, decorate his or her office with tons of balloons and streamers announcing “Lordy, Lordy, Look Who’s 40,” or “Nifty Fifty.” The prank here is, your co-worker is actually turning 30, 35, etc.
Get the New Guy
Send the “new guy” to go get something from the basement—only your office doesn’t have a basement.
Get the New Guy Again
Send the new employee out for something that doesn’t exist. For example, someone in a mechanical role could be sent out for a “sky hook.” Send someone in the airline industry out for “prop wash.” If you’re in fast food, get underlings to drive around to the competition asking to borrow the “bun puller.” At a hospital, ask someone to get a new box of fallopian tubes. The new receptionist could be sent out for “dial tone.”
Light Show
If your office strings Christmas lights during the holidays, move them around to form funny words or patterns.
Unmasked
Use a photo of the boss or targeted coworker to make face masks depicting that person. Cut out eye holes and go around wearing the masks.
Living Dead
If you work in a hospital, initiate a new employee by asking him or her to take a gurney with a corpse down to the morgue. Only, the “corpse” is another employee, who jumps up to scare the life out of the person.
Dead Zone
When a coworker goes on vacation, “decorate” their locker, desk or office with signs of the absence of activity, such as rubber rats, fake rat droppings, spider webs, etc.
Book It
Sneak into someone’s office and turn all their books around so the spines are facing inward. This is most impressive in a lawyer’s office, or with someone else who has a lot of well-organized, professional books.
Oh, That Smell
Get one of those automatic air fresheners and set it to “go off” every few minutes under someone’s desk.
Note: Please check our Computer Pranks page for more office prank ideas.