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Looking for the perfect way to get back at your office prankster this April Fools’ Day? (We’ve been waiting months to get back at the boss for last year!) April Fools’ Day could be your free ticket to have some Friday office fun. Regardless if you are back at the office or still working from the comfort of your home, with a little creativity, you can still participate! Many use this holiday to provide a little office laughter or as a way to recharge from time spent on serious business.
BUT… it could also be a free trip to the HR department (or in some cases a dreaded zoom call).
Pulling off the perfect prank can create hilarious memories between you and your coworkers, but sometimes simply yelling “April Fools’!” after a prank doesn’t get you off the hook for your shenanigans. So, how do you know if your prank plans are crossing a line? What makes a joke workplace appropriate? Why do we even have April Fools’ Day?
To help you out we made this guide to celebrating April Fools' Day in the office even if that means weekly team calls. Keep reading to learn some quick facts, get a grasp of some good ground rules, and be inspired! We’ve included 5 simple yet out-of-the-box office pranks that are impactful AND workplace appropriate whether you are working in a hybrid workplace or strictly in the office.
A Quick History
Historians think that the beginnings of what we call April Fools' Day could date as far back as 1582. Before the world was as established as it is today there was an abundance of different calendars used by multiple countries and cultures. Holidays would be celebrated at different times around the world under many names and traditions. So, when France switched to the Gregorian calendar - the one we still use to this day - from the Julian calendar, there was mass confusion.
Under the Julian calendar, the new year would begin with the spring equinox - a.k.a. April first - but the Gregorian Calendar would shift the new year to the first of January. Back in those days, it could take months for information to travel, even if it was an announcement from the reigning government. Many people slow to hear the news or accept the change became the butt of jokes. They would have paper fish placed on their person as pranks or be called “April Fools” and “Poisson D’Avril,” meaning “April Fish.”
Why Fish? Young fish were considered easily caught or gullible, and April was the peak growing season for a fish's life cycle at the time.
April Fools' Day has also been linked to other celebrated events in history, such as:
- The festival of Hilaria (meaning joyful in Latin) in Ancient Rome. At the end of March, citizens would dress up in disguises and mock one another. This included powerful figures like magistrates who were not usually fond of being ridiculed by the public.
- The Vernal Equinox. This is also known as the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. It is thought to be called April Fools' Day due to Mother Nature tricking people with constantly changing and unpredictable weather. This weather pattern still continues to this day and, believe me, we are sick of it.
- The spring festival of Holi. On this day the usual social status is reversed. Wild language and behaviour are rampant in the streets and participants throw coloured powders at one another. To this day it is celebrated throughout North India on the full-moon day between February and March.
How did April Fools' Day become such a celebrated occasion?
The holiday’s popularity spread throughout Britain during the 18th century. Scotland even went so far as to make it a two-day event. People would be sent on fake tasks throughout day one, and on day two they would pin phony tails and funny signs to people’s behinds.
April Fools' Day was quickly spread throughout many lands due to the British Empire’s large size. As the settlements broke away from the Monarchy they held onto the calendar, keeping many of the holidays.
That leads us to the modern April Fools' Day. With advances in technology, people have gone to great lengths for elaborate April Fools' Day pranks. Some of the most well-known are fake corporate announcements such as Cottonelle announcing left-handed toilet paper, the BBC’s spaghetti harvest prank, and that time YouTube Rickrolled all their users.
Office Prank Rules
Now it’s time to lay down the ground rules! Most of these are pretty basic at the surface (and we doubt any of you would do any of these things), but it’s worth it to consider them. Getting carried away is easy. Always having these rules at the top of your mind while brainstorming your pranks can help you balance being annoyingly creative with not breaking the law.
- Avoid Property Destruction via Prank
Whether it’s a coworker's property, company property, or even your personal property, do not destroy ANYTHING. Whatever you decide to do should be easily reversible. Ruining paint (especially on cars! Yikes!), breaking equipment, or damaging any belongings is off the table. “Pranks” like that can not only get you in trouble with your boss but are straight-up vandalism.
You also don’t want to be stuck with a docked pay-cheque because you thought encasing someone's work phone in Jello would go over as well as when Jim did it to Dwight’s stapler. (If you’ve seen episode one of The Office, you know what I mean).
- No Major Business Harming Disruptions
While pranks in the office might cause a few heads to turn they should not inhibit anyone's ability to do their job. Take this warning with extra caution if you work in a serious environment, such as a hospital or lawyer's office. The best pranks are surprising and hilarious. Doing things like pulling fire alarms, setting off stink bombs, or taking down the work wifi are not okay. The best way to avoid this? Play a prank on a specific coworker that’s close to you and use a prank that would cater to their humour.
You should also keep pranks within the confines of the office. The more out of sight of customers the better. You don’t want a customer misconstruing a situation or thinking your company is unprofessional.
- Choose the Target Wisely
You may want to think long and hard about who you want to prank in your office. Some people find pranks more annoying than funny, while others just don’t have a sense of humour. The victim of your April Fools' Day prank needs to see the hilarity in the situation. If you are planning to prank an entire room or group zoom call, make sure it’s something simple that everyone can pick up on. Interrupting a large meeting to prank only Brenda from accounting will not go over well.
In the same vein, you need to use good judgment with your plans. Humour that pokes fun at race, ethnicity, religion, gender, or sexual orientation is never okay in the workplace, or any place for that matter. Pranks like those are in poor taste and can be misconstrued as harassment even if your intent is not malicious.
Now that you have been taught some facts and know the major rules to keep in mind during April Fools' Day, it’s time to get inspired! Below we have included 5 amazing pranks that are both creative and workplace appropriate (and 2 that are zoom call friendly!).
5 Pranks to Inspire you!
- Prank #1: Nicolas Cage is EVERYWHERE
Looking for a unique and creative way to drive your boss crazy? Depending on your workplace you may need IT’s permission for this one, but it’s totally worth it if your target surfs the web all day.
There’s a simple chrome extension that you can download called “Ncage” which replaces every image on every web page with a different photo of Nicolas Cage.
It will create the perfect storm of confusion for anyone that surfs the web and is easily removed by deleting the extension (note: make sure you know how to undo your deed before you do it!).
Bonus points if the target HATES Nicolas Cage.
- Prank #2: Toilet Paper Spider
There’s always that one person in the office that hates creepy crawlies. Find out which one they hate the most, or go with the classic spider, and grab the following supplies: A thin-tipped black fountain pen, and a roll of toilet paper.
Carefully draw a big black bug on one of the squares of toilet paper and place the toilet paper on the roll, turning it slightly so they won’t notice the drawing until they start pulling (You may need an accomplice for this part to sneak your roll into an opposite gendered bathroom).
Await the terrified scream of the next person to walk into the bathroom!
- Prank #3: Nasty Cake
The title of this one says it all.
Do something nice for your coworkers by baking them some delicious homemade sweets and then make them completely conflicted about eating them. Using icing, write something disconcerting about your dessert.
If you made cupcakes, write the special ingredient on top, anything gross you can think up. Toenail, hair, dryer lint, paperclip. The weirder and more likely the better.
You can really make this your own by changing up the dessert and what's written on top.
There’s just something unnerving about an obviously homemade cake that says “Find the Toenail” on it in icing…
Working from home or in a hybrid role? We’ve hatched these last two pranks just for you! Pranks #4 and #5 are perfect for your next meeting or one-on-one zoom call.
- Prank #4: Not on Mute
Have an informal meeting or one-on-one zoom call this April Fools' Day? Get them good with some personal information they rather not know about.
For this prank, you are going to need an off-screen accomplice. During your meeting, have your accomplice enter the room and ask to speak to you privately, and make sure to make the information seem super important and super personal. Pretend to mute yourself, and make sure your accomplice breaks the news loud and clear.
The “news” that they tell you should be something embarrassing or completely outrageous. Your goal is to see how long your coworkers listen in horror before alerting you to the fact that you are most definitely NOT on mute.
- Prank #5: Stolen Identity
This one is best done in a large group chat. Gather everyone in the chat except one person and convince the others to all change their names and profile photos to match the chosen victim.
Once everyone's identity matches the victims, start sending messages as normal. When the victim sends their confused replies, have everyone start to claim that they are the real person and everyone else is an imposter.
Let the confusion go on for a few minutes before having everyone in the chat message “April Fools!” and change their information back.
You are now prepared for pulling off the perfect April Fools' Day prank! Do it right and not only will you put a smile on everyone’s face but you will help company morale. Pranks are extremely beneficial to morale and overall company culture. It is healthy for employees to break up their day with laughs and light-hearted bonding.
Looking for ways to create a positive company culture? Raise morale by creating a Perception Plan that all employees can agree on!
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