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A little laughter can go a long way in easing tension—if it’s thoughtful, inclusive, and harmless. Clear guidelines and knowing your audience are key to making sure it’s fun for everyone, not just the person pulling the prank.
I gave up on April Fool's jokes years ago after seeing how things could get out of control. Obviously joke emails were forwarded around and some people took them seriously and hilarity definitely did not ensue. In a way, email ruins April's Fools Day, people will forward harmless jokes until they reach people who don't get it and things get awkward, at best.
I've never really needed to set boundaries, all our employees understand that work is not an episode of The Office. I wouldn't have a problem with friendly colleagues pranking each other as long as it wasn't disruptive. Messing with keyboards like that would definitely be crossing a line for me.
No pranks in my team. Very clear message from my side every year.
From what I have seen, pranks usually end up making someone uncomfortable and should be avoided as much as possible as we want the office atmosphere to be conducive and inclusive. People are sensitive so avoid pranks unless you are in your close friend circle and the prank is not obstructive.
Generally my teams don't do it (half the time we forget because we are so focused on deadlines), but I try and do something simple/fun so I just hide fake cockroachs on keyboards when someone walks away, etc. Usually gets a fun chuckle after people realize it's fake. Low stakes but something to 'celebrate' the day, haha