I thought this prank was cold.
Many colleagues pulled fun pranks on me in the workplace. I've had supplies hung from the ceiling, office space invaded by holiday decoration, and an entire cubicle moved into a staff restroom. However, this prank involving my office chair was an odd one.
An Odd Prank
Most of my colleagues were getting new office chairs. I don't recall the plan for the old office chairs, but I knew I was keeping my old chair. It was comfortable and I didn't see the need to change it.
One day when I returned to the office, I turned the corner to see several old office chairs stacked and blocking my door. I immediately knew I waged war with some colleagues after some pranks I pulled days before.
After I reunited the office chairs with their rightful owners, I pushed my way into my office. I was impressed to see the prankster blocked my door from the inside when there was no other way into the office.
I knew the stacked chairs and blocked door wasn't the only prank pulled. I searched my office for one last prank. Because of my office reputation as the resident prankster, I checked for the following:
Computer peripherals were plugged in.
Desktop telephone handset wasn't glued or taped onto the base.
Family photos weren't replaced with stock photos or photos of colleagues.
Small office supplies weren't glued or taped onto the desktop.
Figurines, like Funko Pop! figures, were still in place.
Fake insects or reptiles weren't resting in drawers.
A ransom note with instructions on how to embarrass myself wasn't on my desk.
When I realized the typically novice pranks weren't pulled on me, I went to sit on my chair and noticed it was lopsided.
Someone removed the caster wheels from my chair!
I've pulled many pranks and had many unique pranks pulled on me, but this was the oddest by far! I couldn't search for my casters right away because I was awaiting a teleconference meeting.
I sat on my desk during my teleconference. As soon as I had a moment to walk away from my desk a couple hours later, I searched for my casters.
The prankster came forward and gave me hints. Of course, he harassed me about my weak prank skills, but I'm certain he was simply jealous and envied my mischievous skills.
Another colleague stumbled across my casters in the freezer of all places! A sticky note with my name on it made it easy for my colleague to identify the bucket's contents as mine.
The prankster removed my caster wheels, placed the caster wheels in Ziplock bags, placed the Ziplock bags in a bucket of water, and then placed the bucket a freezer.
I was impressed by the prankster's creativity, but I was never going to admit that to him.
I didn't know how to defrost the caster wheels or chip away at the ice. I wasn't allowed to use the office toolkit without permission because I was deemed "accident prone." I was also told once that I was the reason there were multiple first aid kits in the break room.
Since nobody was willing to help me with my dilemma, I left the bucket in my office to defrost during the day. It seemed like there was a glimmer of hope after a few hours, but I had to leave my office for a meeting.
When I returned after an hour-long meeting, I noticed the bucket was gone. The prankster placed it back into the freezer!
I went a full workday without a comfortable chair. The ice melted overnight. I was able to remove the caster wheels from the Ziplock bags and attached them to my office chair the next morning.
My Thoughts
Having office chair caster wheels frozen was an odd prank, but I give it an A+ for creativity! While I couldn't sit comfortably that day because the entire office was against me, this prank didn't prevent me from a productive workday.
If anything, this prank reminded me how much I adored my colleagues. We worked well as a team, teased one another like siblings, and benefited from a morale boost because the Director allowed us to be goofy at times.
I think if colleagues get along, have a great working relationship, and a prank doesn't impede one's ability to work, pranks in moderation could be healthy for members of a workplace.
What's Next?
Since I'm not working in an office with other colleagues, I won't be pulling a fun office prank any time soon. However, I'd be happy to provide prank consultations to anyone interested.
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Thanks, and have a great day!
Simply Jelly Jam
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