A positive workplace culture is essential for every organization. Not only can it attract talent and enhance performance, but it can also increase employee engagement by as much as four times and make employees 43% less likely to look for another job.
Often, employees see pranks and humor as a part of a healthy and positive culture. Pranks can introduce laughter and fun into a stressful environment and help your team build camaraderie — as long as they don’t cross the line in violating workplace policies or laws.
When they do, HR leaders must address it immediately by assessing the situation, talking to those involved, mediating conflict, and setting clear expectations and policies for moving forward.
Here’s how to ensure that your workplace’s humor doesn’t interfere with professionalism or create an unsafe environment.
Walking the Fine Line in Workplace Humor
Harmless pranks can help employees de-stress, strengthen bonds, and create psychological safety. For example, you might prank a co-worker by “rick-rolling” them with a link to Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” disguised as an important document they’ve requested.
You could tape a piece of paper over your teammate’s mouse sensor and sit back as they desperately try to find the cursor. Your virtual team can prank your manager during your next meeting by using stuffed animals as stand-ins on your video feed and seeing how long it takes them to notice.
Pranks that elicit laughter without harming anyone are the way to go when it comes to workplace humor. It’s important to avoid those that:
- Destroy personal or company property
- Cause major disruptions to work and productivity
- Cause bodily injury
- Become offensive or discriminatory to others
It’s okay for employees to welcome a little lighthearted fun, but things can easily cross the line when you tolerate behavior that leads to destruction, disruption, or an unsafe or hostile work environment.
Examples of Not-So-Harmless Pranks
If you’re not sure where the line is between fun and forbidden territory, here are a few examples of what your employees should avoid:
- Pulling a fire alarm
- Unleashing a stink bomb
- Poking fun at someone’s religious traditions by imitating their actions or dress
- Ignoring or excluding a group of people based on a protected trait
- Hiding or removing someone’s safety gear
- Giving a 60-year-old colleague a cane as a birthday gift
- Faking a crime, such as a robbery
These types of pranks can violate workplace policies and create discomfort, ultimately jeopardizing your compliance and culture.
Steps HR Should Take After an Inappropriate Prank
It isn’t a good idea to downplay inappropriate pranks. Consider the following tips to deal with these situations effectively.
Assessing the Situation
If you witness or receive a complaint about an inappropriate prank, you should launch a full investigation into the situation. Interview all involved parties, including the complainant, the alleged pranksters, and any witnesses. Make sure to document everything, including all interviews, evidence, and actions taken.
Having the Hard Conversations
Before your conversation, gather the facts from your investigation and choose an appropriate time when everyone is free of distractions. Take some time to anticipate replies and prepare calm responses to possible defensiveness.
Give the employees involved a chance to tell their side of the story, but be clear about why the prank was inappropriate based on company policy and federal laws. Focus on corrective actions, both now and for future incidents, which can help you remain fair in your approach and foster a sense of accountability.
Mediating Conflict
To keep conflict low, HR professionals must learn to manage their own emotions about the situation and avoid any appearance of “taking sides” in any conversation. Facilitate a dialogue where each party can understand each other’s perspectives and motivations and keep the conversation focused on core issues and concrete solutions.
Document any agreements made and check in periodically to ensure those solutions are implemented effectively.
Taking a Proactive Approach to Behavioral Expectations
Though you should be prepared to handle unexpected incidents, the best way to deal with inappropriate pranks is to do what you can to prevent them in the first place.
Establishing Prank Policies
Having a policy that governs what is and is not acceptable for workplace pranks helps set clear expectations for employee behavior. Additionally, you should ensure all employees are clear about what constitutes sexual harassment and discrimination so they understand how to evaluate their plans for a prank before it is carried out.
Fostering a Culture of Respect and Inclusivity
Your prank policies should be one component of a culture that respects and includes all employees. Encourage teamwork, open communication, and diverse perspectives daily. Avoid laughing or minimizing inappropriate pranks. Take all concerns seriously, even if others don’t believe it was a big deal.
Encouraging Lighthearted Fun
To encourage lighthearted fun without crossing boundaries, consider modeling what appropriate jokes and pranks look and sound like by carrying out a few of your own. For example, you may tell your team to anticipate a special guest at the virtual meeting and then arrange for a farm animal to make a surprise appearance.
Additionally, set up guidelines for acceptable office pranks so employees know what they can do instead of focusing on restrictions.
Balance Culture and Compliance in Your Workplace
Responding well to inappropriate pranking helps you build a solid employer brand culture of respect. However, it also ensures you remain compliant with regulations surrounding discrimination and harassment in the workplace.
Whether you’re looking to build compliant prank policies or simply want to know how the law applies to a unique situation at work, VirgilHR puts real-time, automated labor law guidance at your fingertips. Schedule a demo today to see how our platform can help you strike the right balance between legal compliance and a positive workplace culture.
Sources:
1. https://www.gallup.com/471521/indicator-organizational-culture.aspx
