Have you pulled any great pranks? A fun office culture is a must-have.
Questions asked and answered for my daughters
When it comes to pranks in the context of this question, I think of practical jokes that are funny and safe. They make the person involved on the other side of the joke laugh too, and when the prank is pulled off successfully, everyone laughs together. Most importantly for a good prank… when the prank topic comes up in future conversation, everyone laughs again!
What immediately comes to mind is my time working at COSI, the science center in Columbus, Ohio. Just by the name of the organization, it sounds like a fun place to work, and it really was. A lot of my work ethic and idea of a good, productive work culture comes from my time there.
Part of what made the work fun was serving a great mission of helping others experience hands-on science, but I also learned that fun is driven from being extremely productive and having friendly banter with co-workers, while getting things done.
One of my current work mantras is…
if you’re not having fun at work, you should not be here!
The Set Up
I worked on the third floor of the building where there was a “cubicle farm” — an entire floor of small, carpet-walled work spaces for administrative staff. In my division of Marketing and Development, we worked close together. When I say we worked close… I could literally hear both sides of a conversation over the walls when two people talked to each other on the phone.
Over time, we learned to laugh together, so when someone would go on vacation for a week, it was an opportunity to give them something to look forward to when they returned.
The Gift-wrapped Office
There are a hundreds (maybe thousands) of ways to prank someone who works in an office and leverage a fun office culture. One of those… extreme office space gift wrapping! This took a lot of time, but seeing reactions was priceless. I took this picture in April 2007:
Everything in the cubicle space was wrapped in gold wrapping paper. EVERYTHING, which made it all the more impressive.
Going to this level of detail took a lot of time, and the level of shock and awe for the person’s desk was amazing!
If I remember right, some desk items were left wrapped for a while after, like the stapler, just to remember the thoughtfulness and camaraderie of the team. Pranks when done right can show how much you care for another person and how much you think of and value them as a colleague and friend.
Look for a place to work that values and encourages a fun work culture that embraces gift wrapping office spaces.
If you find yourself working at a place that frowns upon this type of care, thoughtfulness, and atmosphere, get out and find a place that encourages it, because embracing organizations are going to be more productive and more successful, and you will enjoy life so much more.
