Survival Guide
Manual for office pranksTextless keyboards. Bottomless paper clip holders. Sticky notes blanketing the entire cubicle. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS |
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Most who've worked in an office can say they've either terrorized their colleagues with office pranks or been the victim of at least one hoax. Now, all the Dwights in the corporate world can get their revenge.
John Austin, a former toy designer, has written a manual of sorts for tricksters called Cubicle Warfare with instructions and illustrations for practical jokes.
The tools required for some traps include Velcro, fishing line and inflatable dolls.
"The office prank is like a gift -- sometimes you receive them and sometimes you give them," Austin says.
"As long as they are lighthearted and not malicious -- and you don't try them on people that are up the ladder -- it can take the edge off of work a tad to bring in a little bit of the playground and some horsing around."
To avoid becoming a target, Austin says, employees should avoid letting co-workers know if they have "a case of the Mondays," and keep personal items on their desks to a minimum.
Austin's favourite prank?
"There's an episode of The Office where Dwight's wallet is stolen, and he has to buy it back from the vending machine," he says of the NBC television show. "But of course he had to borrow a dollar from someone first."
SUPER TUESDAY
Thank goodness it's ... Tuesday?
A recent telephone survey found that 57% of executives found Tuesday to be the most productive day of the week for employees. Monday was the second most popular answer, but only 12% said so compared with 26% in 2006.
The survey of 150 senior executives including those from human resources, finance and marketing departments also found that only 3% said Friday was the most productive day of the week.
Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps and author of Managing Your Career for Dummies, says that Tuesday often serves as a catch-up day.
"Many view Tuesday as an opportunity to focus their efforts and establish momentum for the rest of the week," Messmer says.
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