I hate practical jokes. I think they're generally a way to cause psychological harm without societal repercussions, and the victim gets told, "Oh, you're just a poor sport." Someone once tried to enlist me in a scam to convince some poor nebbish that his car had been impounded and he had to go to the cops to get it, and I said, "Not only will I not cooperate, I'm about to go tell him what you're planning." I smiled genially and nodded when called a party-pooper.

I know they are pulling one on a coworker. Except this time, it is to do nothing.

Probably wise, since the last prank (moving all his stuff including furniture into a computer room) pissed him off so much he went home and DARED his manager to make him charge it against his leave. Manager demurred. It was a dumbass prank. Given it was layoff season, I don't know how anyone could think it would be "funny."

But I work with some morons.

I've participated in practical jokes maybe twice. Once was malice finding itself an early April outlet, and the other ... well, if she hadn't been snooping through other people's stuff, she never would have read the planted information, so, really, she was asking for it.

As a result, I'm not a big goofy April Fool's person. It can happen around me, just not to me.

I've helped with one workplace prank, which involved re-decorating someone's office with Barney party decorations. I carefully placed napkins with Barney's face on them inside CD cases. Every couple of months, someone would sneak back into the person's office, and put more Barney napkins in more CD cases. It went on for over two years.

I hate practical jokes. I think they're generally a way to cause psychological harm without societal repercussions, and the victim gets told, "Oh, you're just a poor sport."

I don't know if all practical jokes are that, but for many jokes I'd agree.

Someone once tried to enlist me in a scam to convince some poor nebbish that his car had been impounded and he had to go to the cops to get it, and I said, "Not only will I not cooperate, I'm about to go tell him what you're planning." I smiled genially and nodded when called a party-pooper.

This one definitely is wrong. It sounds cruel - it's possible the potential victim would have suffered a few hours of heavy emotional distress.

It seems some practical-joke-players are quite sadistic.

I've helped with one workplace prank, which involved re-decorating someone's office with Barney party decorations. I carefully placed napkins with Barney's face on them inside CD cases. Every couple of months, someone would sneak back into the person's office, and put more Barney napkins in more CD cases. It went on for over two years.

OK, that's funny - and exactly the sort of prank that I'd pull. Resulting in slight annoyance and a 'wtf' feeling....

I desperately want to fill my co-workers cube with packing peanuts.

I've helped with one workplace prank, which involved re-decorating someone's office with Barney party decorations. I carefully placed napkins with Barney's face on them inside CD cases. Every couple of months, someone would sneak back into the person's office, and put more Barney napkins in more CD cases. It went on for over two years.

This sort of thing happens every time someone in my office takes a vacation. If it's pulled off well, people end up finding tic-tacs in odd places for months.

At the same office as the "you're car's gone" prank, the upper management thought it would be funny to tell a long-time employee she was fired, complete with solemn interview and exit paperwork. The sobbing hysterics let them know they'd gone too far

Those kind of pranks are mean mean mean. I like pranks, but not mean ones.