25 Office Prank Ideas to Boost Company Morale

office prank ideas company moraleCould your office use some laughs? Are you having a hard time getting to know your coworkers? Team togetherness can be as simple as a fun office prank! Here are a few silly — and work-appropriate — ideas. 

  1. Iced Coffee - The night before your prank, fill the coffee pot and stick it in the freezer. The next day, simply set the frozen pot back out. Your coworkers will have a hilariously hard time pouring their cup of joe — just make sure to have an alternate caffeine fix for them on hand.
  2. Funny Mugs - Sneak into the office mug cabinet after work and tape funny notes to the bottom of each mug. The person drinking won’t see it — but the people nearby sure will!
  3. Looking In - If the windows in your office open, open one and tape a picture of a person (it could be a celebrity or even a coworker) on the outside. When your colleague sits down at her desk, she’ll be in for a shock.
  4. Email Signature - If you can get your co-worker away from their desk for a second, set their email signature to be something funny. Just make sure it’s not too embarrassing, in case they send an email to a client!
  5. Rival Antics - Have a coworker who’s a die-hard fan? Replace office supplies with memorabilia from a rival team — logoed pens, pencil cup, Post-its, etc. You could even change the screensaver!

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  1. Bumper Sticker Silliness - Buy a few funny magnetic (to ensure they’re easily removable) bumper stickers and put them on your coworkers’ cars. See who notices first. Bonus points if they find another coworker to trick next.
  2. Stuck in The Cup - This prank is easy. Simply place straws into cups and then fill the cups with Jell-O. Set them out on the counter at work advertised as a famous family punch recipe. Your coworkers may be frustrated at first, but they’ll laugh when they get to eat some.
  3. Fake Bug - Buy a plastic cockroach or other creepy-crawly insect, and hide it somewhere on a coworker’s desk. They’ll be sure to jump when they find it. Bonus points if they pass it on to someone else!
  4. I See You - Buy some sticky google eyes and arrive at work before everyone else. Then, put two eyes on each item in the office fridge. You’ll give your colleagues a shock when they open the door!
  5. Mouse Mischief - Tape a sticky note to the bottom of your coworker’s mouse with a silly note. They won’t be able to get it to work for a few minutes until they turn it over and see the note you’ve left them!
  6. The Not-Soap Soap - Take a bar of soap and cover it in clear nail polish. When your coworkers go to use the soap, the nail polish will keep it from working. Still … just to keep the office hygienic, leave a clue to where you hid the real soap nearby.
  7. You’ve Got Mail - If you have boxes or small mailboxes where people at your office pick up memos, leave a silly surprise, like a toy snake or funny picture, inside.
  8. Veggie Surprise - Buy a dozen doughnuts, but take the doughnuts out! Instead, put a veggie tray inside — your coworkers will get a big surprise. Put a note in the box indicating a hidden location where the doughnuts are — the fun can keep going when other unsuspecting workers see their colleagues walking around with doughnuts.
  9. Fake Parking Ticket - Print some fake parking tickets and leave them on the windshields of your coworkers’ cars. Just make sure the last sentence lets them know it’s all a prank!
  10. Post-it Note Mania - A classic hilarious office prank is to cover a co-worker’s car with Post-it notes. If you have extras already from your office stash, well then, it’s just downright practical!
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  1. Ring Ring Rubber Bands - Stretch rubber bands in different directions all over your coworker’s phone so they can’t pick up the receiver without some serious puzzle-solving.
  2. That’s Rich - Cut a dollar bill into four pieces and tuck them under various things in the office, like the coffeepot or a computer. When people go to snag the dollar, they’ll find only a piece of it — and a funny little note, from you!
  3. Alarm Clock - Tape an air horn the underside of an office chair so that it will blow when the person sits down. They (along with everyone else in the office) will be in for a big surprise!
  4. Brownies - Place a pan covered in aluminum foil on the counter, with a note advertising free brownies. And technically, they are: construction paper-made, brown, capital letter E’s! Although you should maybe leave a real pan in the fridge to fend off hungry, angry coworkers.
  5. What’s That Smell? - Find the funniest, weirdest smelling cologne you can, and then cover the label of the spray can with a Febreze label. One spray and your office will be shocked! The only downside to this prank? You’ve got to smell it, too.

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  1. Keep It Poppin’ - Cover the area underneath your co-worker’s desk with bubble wrap. They’ll have a hard time sitting down or even removing the wrap without making a good amount of noise.
  2. Cups of Water - Place empty cups all around a colleague’s desk, then fill the cups to the brim with water from a pitcher. They’ll have a hilariously hard time trying to remove the cups without spilling! Just make sure the water is far from any kind of electronics.
  3. Where’s That Mouse? - Leave clues around the office to create a treasure hunt for your coworker’s mouse. Just be prepared for them to do the same to you when they finally find it!
  4. Replaced - Replace the photos in the frames on a coworker’s desk to pictures of well-known celebrities, or better yet, to funny pictures of you! See how long it takes them to notice. (And keep the originals in a safe place.)
  5. Sponge Cake - Buy a large sponge (the ones for car washing) and cover with icing and sprinkles. Leave out in the office kitchen with a cake knife. No one will be able to cut a piece, and you’ll be in stitches.
Any one of these pranks is sure to have your office in stitches in no time. Our only request is that you prank responsibly! 

Kayla Rutledge is a college student who spends most of her time writing, singing for her church and eating quesadillas.