April Fools’ Pranks for the Office

As of next week, this blog will no longer be updated… April Fools’!

Bad jokes aside, if you’re around prank-minded people today, this may only be one of many practical jokes you encounter today. The history surrounding April Fools’ Day is a bit murky, but it’s thought to be an annual tradition that has roots dating back to Renaissance Europe. In the modern era, it’s used as an excuse to prank friends and family and share a laugh together.

If you have a good relationship with your coworkers, April Fools’ Day can be a chance to extend the fun, show off your ingenuity, and laugh. But some pranks are more appropriate than others, and you don’t want your prank to land you in HR. Luckily, we’ve rounded up a list of the top squeaky-clean office pranks that are guaranteed to get a laugh… and won’t cause your coworkers to uninvite you to the next company lunch outing.

1. Hidden Figures

Supplies Needed: Printout(s) of a meme or photos of a celebrity (Nicolas Cage, anyone?)

Method: Turn your coworker’s desk or the break room into a game of “I Spy” and cleverly hide the printed memes or photos where they aren’t super obvious, but easy enough to spot. A couple of ideas: under their mouse or keyboard, on their chair, behind the coffee creamer, or in the corner of their cubicle. Bonus points for creativity of memes/photos and hiding multiple photos in the same area. Just when your victim thinks they’ve gotten all the hidden memes… surprise!

2. Wrap it Up

Supplies Needed: Saran Wrap

Method: This is a fun prank to play on your fellow employee (provided they have both a good sense of humor and an office with an unattended chair). Wrap your coworker’s chair in saran wrap and watch as they attempt to free the chair from its wrapped prison. After you have a good laugh, offering to help clean up would be a nice next course of action.

3. You’ve Been Framed

Supplies Needed: Printed photos of your target or random stock images and picture frames

Method: Do you have a coworker or supervisor with a desk full of framed photos? Stealthily swap out the faces of their friends and family with their own portrait, or better yet, the same silly stock image. See how long it takes them to notice their decorations have been replaced! No frames to swap? Bring your own frames and place photos of them all over their desk, showing off to the entire office that they’re definitely their own biggest fan!

4. A Sticky Situation

Supplies Needed: Tons of sticky notes

Method: This is an easy one, but it might be a bit time-consuming to both set up and clean after. Once your coworker leaves for the day, or before they get into the office, grab a couple of packs of sticky notes and cover their desk, chair, computer, and whatever else you can get your hands on in colorful notes. Bonus points (if you have the time) for writing silly messages on some of the notes. Of course, after you film their bewildered expression when they come back to find their desk hidden in sticky notes, you should politely offer to help them clean up the mess so they can find the legitimate sticky note they left on their desk the day before.

5. Office Fashion Show

Supplies Needed: Multiple changes of clothes (2-3 is ideal)

Method: This prank will allow you to claim multiple victims throughout the day if you’re willing to flex your acting chops. Bring a few different outfits to the office with you and then change frequently before you see specific coworkers. For example, do you have a morning meeting with your entire team and then a one-on-one with your supervisor after lunch? Swap outfits between meetings, and when your supervisor makes a comment about your attire, furrow your brow in confusion and insist you’ve been wearing your second outfit all day long. You could even go for the gold and change back to the first outfit of the day before you bid your supervisor goodbye… if you can keep a straight face that long.

6. Zoom Meetings are Ruff

Supplies Needed: A furry friend and your webcam

Method: If you work remotely or on a hybrid schedule, you can still get in on the April Fools’ Day fun! If you have a video meeting scheduled for this week, surprise your team by turning on your camera only to reveal your pooch or feline companion in your place. Be on your headset or wireless headphones out of frame and continue to speak like nothing is wrong, even when the laughter inevitably starts. If your pet is amenable to wearing clothes, you can even dress them up like you for an extra giggle or two.

7. Mistaken Identity

Supplies Needed: Headshots of you and your coworkers and access to your chat app usernames/profile photos

Method: If your organization allows you to change your profile picture and username on your chat app of choice (Teams, Slack, etc.), you can team up with coworkers to pull a virtual fast one on your supervisor or the rest of your team. Simply swap profile pictures and/or names with your co-conspirators, or better yet, all of you adopt the same identity and let the confusion fly when you all inevitably send messages within seconds of each other. Sell the bit by acting like nothing is out of the ordinary, and you might even fool IT for a second before they figure out what happened.

8. Stay Hydrated?

Supplies Needed: An obvious container that isn’t associated with something drinkable (like a ketchup bottle or clean spray bottle)

Method: This prank might hit on the gross-out factor, but the looks on your coworkers’ faces will be priceless. Swap out your usual water bottle or coffee cup for something a little more unconventional, like a ketchup bottle, a clean spray bottle, or a cleaned-out opaque pickle jar. Take a lengthy sip from your ‘not’ water bottle and watch the eyes of your fellow employees bulge out in surprise and disgust.

9. Ransom Note

Supplies Needed: An unsuspecting item from your coworker’s desk and a ransom note

Method: Does your cubicle buddy have a beloved plant? Not anymore! Borrow a random object from your neighbor’s desk, and, in its place, leave a ransom note detailing an absurd (but not completely disruptive) condition that they have to meet to get their item back. You can request a piece of candy, a pack of gum, or another silly piece of collateral and ask them to meet you in a conference room or in the café at a certain time to complete the exchange. At which point you can share a laugh and give their precious item back unscathed.

10. Pass the Coloring Pages

Supplies Needed: Several packages of colored pencils/crayons

Method: You may need to get a little crafty for this one… If you have bins of pens and pencils lying around the conference room or your shared office space, stealthily swap them out for nothing but colored pencils and/or crayons. Watch and giggle as anyone who wants to take notes will be forced to do so with ‘Tickle Me Pink’ or ‘Robin’s Egg Blue.’

Have Fun at Work All Year Long

While it may be better to keep silly office pranks to April Fools’ Day, there are plenty of other ways to have fun at work all year long… take it from us—whether it’s hosting video game tournaments, bake-offs, scavenger hunts, or our annual company Olympics, at LCS, we take both work and play very seriously. If you’re interested in a company that invests in a good time as well as your professional growth, check out our open positions and apply to join us today.