Need A Few Post-Its Around The Office? 393
An anonymous reader writes "Like every company, we have an office prankster. So, whenever anything goes wrong -- say, your chair starts making unusual noises or your CD tray starts popping out for no reason, invariably you'll look up and see Dave, our esteemed leader, grinning foolishly at his handywork. So really, Damon shouldn't have been surprised when he came into the office one otherwise-normal Monday morning to find this. Nor should James have been surprised when he showed up early one morning to this birthday surprise. It certainly keeps us on our toes." Ah, the joys of not telecommuting ...
No wonder... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:No wonder... (Score:5, Funny)
Quite well is the answer here.
Re:No wonder... (Score:3, Insightful)
I thought more likely "anonymously sumbit a story linking to your corporate site selling web software and get loads of free publicity".
You Bastard (Score:5, Insightful)
I must confess that when I visited my American colleagues I was, to put it mildly, nonplussed by their relaxed attitude to actually doing any f'ing work at all while at the office. They have a nice canteen, great Internet access, big cubicles, we had to book ahead for lunch at the local restaurants... AND
No wonder we get the contracts. And six weeks off a year.
Re:You Bastard (Score:5, Insightful)
So you are that boring bastard that no one talks to at the Christmas party
lighten up!!!
On a more serious side of things this kind of activity (if not taken to far) actually brings the employees closer together so that when it comes crunch time (IE dead line approaching or server dieing in the ass) they work far better together and are less likely to kill each other. It also makes managers more approachable thus allowing incouraging the flow of good ideas that otherwise would not have made it.
Re:You Bastard (Score:5, Insightful)
Look, if you're like most people, you spend the majority of your waking hours on work or work-related activities (e.g. your commute). Are you really comfortable with just completely turning off the social, playful side of your being for all of that time? I have plenty of social activity outside of work, but that doesn't mean I don't care to be friends with my coworkers or occasionally have some fun with them, as well.
If you think you "play hard", chances are you don't really play at all. Invariably I've found that people who engage in macho posturing about "playing hard" to not understand the point of play at all. It's supposed to be fun. You're not supposed to take it so seriously.
Re:You Bastard (Score:5, Insightful)
Why do you go on living? Seriously. A man is not measured by the hours he works, or the deadlines he meets, or by the money he makes, but by the relationships he forms and the affect he has on the people around him. When you're dying and thinking about your life, what will you say? I'm glad I hit that deadline! That makes it ok that my children ignore me and I have no friends!
Competitive culture (Score:5, Insightful)
You get time outside of work?
Seriously though.
Here in the US, I'd say I've never seen this prankster phenomenon except in places characterized by many if not all of the following factors:
(1) Predominance of bright creative people.
(2) Creativity is a core value; breaking expected norms is an expected norm.
(3) Egalitarian businss culture emphasizing and things done over managerial hierarchy and perogatives.
(4) Main hierarchy is not managerial, but brainpower pecking order with intense competition to establish superiority.
(5) High intensity, pressure cooker atmosphere with long hours; people need to blow of steam.
In other words if I heard these kinds of hijinks were going on at a competitor, I'd take them very seriously rather than dismissing them as a bunch of goof offs. If you go head to head with them, you just might be facing a bunch of hard driving high IQ workaholics who think outside the box, and have both team cohesiveness and the flexibility to self-organize in novel ways to solve problems. In other words a competitive nightmare. Since in programming work (for example) there is easily a ten fold if not greater difference between the best teams and the mediocre ones, having a three or fourfold difference in compensation might not be enough to avoid getting squashed like a bug.
Then again, they might just be a bunch of immature goof offs with managers who are asleep at the switch. Paging Dr. Von Neumann: which assumption miminizes our maximum loss?
Culturally speaking, there's different ways to get things done. Having a little fun doesn't hurt.
Re:Competitive culture (Score:5, Interesting)
With a surprising number of these pranks, the "expected norm" seems to be "fill mark's office with a megazillion of some funny object", be it packing peanuts, post-its, balloons, rubber ducks, bouncy balls, chad, you name it. The only thing creative about it seems the particular choice of "funny object" du jour, but apart from that it looks like the same old joke over and over again... Hey pranksters, next time try breaking this "expected norm", and come up with some truly novel prank, hehe ;)
Re:Competitive culture (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:No wonder... (Score:5, Insightful)
"I have 10 employees, all of them very capable and qualified, hard working, loyal. Many have been with me 10 years. None of them has tried to start their own company, although I would say at least 3 of them are capable of doing so, and perhaps even out-competing me in the marketplace."
They don't do that. Why not?
I am willing to bet that in your country, you spend part of your 6 weeks off planning how you will branch out on your own -- and those who can probably will eventually.
There is more to work than a paycheck, for many, many people. Given good options (like a fun, supportive and professional environment -- pranks and all), not everyone is looking for the next great opportunity.
Treat your colleagues with dignity, respect, and genuine friendship, and you may be surprised how fulfilling it is to work together year after year.
Re:1999 called (Score:3, Funny)
I anticipate an increase in demand for Post-Its.
First Post-It! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:First Post-It! (Score:5, Funny)
Peanuts are better!!! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Peanuts are better!!! (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Peanuts are better!!! (Score:2)
Is that a penguin standing ther in the "sand" cube (Score:3, Funny)
The boss.... (Score:5, Funny)
again..?
Dave:
Boss :
The Third and Final Prank (Score:5, Funny)
*Simulated employee name
Re:The Third and Final Prank (Score:5, Funny)
Is there a big red button in the server room, labeled "BREAK GLASS IN CASE OF SLASHDOT" or something?
Re:The Third and Final Prank (Score:3, Funny)
Re:The Third and Final Prank (Score:2)
Post-its everywhere (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Post-its everywhere (Score:4, Funny)
People have tooo much time on their hands.. (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:People have tooo much time on their hands.. (Score:2)
And that's not to say working for yourself is a safe bet at all.
Re:People have tooo much time on their hands.. (Score:5, Insightful)
Uh-hu.
Re:People have tooo much time on their hands.. (Score:4, Interesting)
Monday morning he came in a foul mood (usually he was a really great guy) - which kind of ruined it for us. Walking into his office with a pin was a lot of fun though :-)
payback (Score:4, Funny)
Seems like he chose
Darn (Score:2, Funny)
I remember someone like that (Score:5, Funny)
It was really funny when he went through the window, landed, and went whizzing down the road.
Re:I remember someone like that (Score:4, Funny)
This the next joke? (Score:2, Funny)
Payback Part 2 (Score:4, Funny)
Another David Brent (Score:2, Insightful)
Building morale is one thing, annoying others for your own entertainment is another.
Re:Another David Brent (Score:5, Insightful)
I vote yes.
For a colleagues farewell I once had all 6 external auditors blowing balloons to fill his office to the roof. We then over-decorated the entire floor. Sure we was embarrassed (marginally) but the entire staff had a great time and the target was flattered we went to the effort.
Unfortunately I had to work all weekend to meet board schedules!
Repeat after me, harmless office pranks build teams! - They also build relationships
Re:Another David Brent (Score:2)
Slashdot Personals:
The 5 things I can't live without: my whoopie cushion, my finger buzzer, my seltzer bottle, my copy of "Practical Jokes ON Dummies", and my pile of fake barf.
Bruce Almighty (Score:5, Interesting)
Hehehe (Score:5, Informative)
Um yeah here is a mirror if the wrath of
http://catsdorule.torpedobird.com/slash/da
http://catsdorule.torpedobird.com/slash/jam
Re:Hehehe (Score:3, Funny)
Here's a link to some photos... second one down:
http://www.meetluke.com/NxAlbumList.asp
Refreshing change. (Score:5, Insightful)
This is one of those drinks, well story, that puts a smile on your face.
With all the cr*p that goes on in the world, it is great to see that there are people who get the job done but also have a good laugh doing so. People are too serious. It's good to have practical jokes and people that appreciate them for there good clean simply fun
Good choice on story.
New business plan? (Score:5, Funny)
We shared our story with 3M, the makers of post-its, and they must have got a kick out of it because they sent us 3 cases of post-its "for future decorating".
Aha! The missing step revealed:
1. Decorate office with products from Corporation X
2. Take pictures of said decorations
3. ??? = Send story and pictures to Corporation X
4. Profit! (as Corporation X sends you free product)
I suspect in a few months we'll hear a new story. Damon gets revenge on Dave by stapling a yoga mattress to every surface of his office. They share the story and ACME Yoga Mattress Co. responds by sending three trucks filled with yoga mattresses. Dave quits his job, sells all of them, and becomes the newest dot-calm millionaire. (Oh, you knew the punchline would be bad!)
It's easier than that. (Score:2, Funny)
Then there was the story of the guy who bought a bag of M&M's and squished them together eating the ones that broke, and sent the last one back to Mars (I think) as it was the champion and to be used in M&M breeding or something random.
If you actually generate a kind of good publicity for a company that sells a high margine product, like oh soft drinks or post-its, they'll
Re:New business plan? (Score:2)
Do you think that would work with high-end electronics?
google caches (Score:3, Informative)
Friends wrap Chris Kirk's apartment in foil (Score:5, Funny)
A great tradition continues. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:A great tradition continues. (Score:3, Funny)
Re:A great tradition continues. (Score:3, Funny)
A little later I heard the boss shout "Fred, why have I just received an e-mail from Fred 'Efficiency' Bloggs?". Cue my grinning mug appearing around the door...
At that time we were all using Pine and he didn't know much about computers. He was a fast learner.
It broke the ice quickly, and we worked pretty darn
Did Something Similar once (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Did Something Similar once (Score:3, Funny)
Of course you are aware of the dictionary meaning [reference.com] of the word "drawers" ?
Re:Did Something Similar once (Score:2, Funny)
So on a nightshift we put about fifty+ post it notes on his desk with "the $WHOEVER called", "he called again" "Are you EVER gonna call this guy back?".
I came in a bit late to see his reaction, but by all accounts mission successful.
The REAL storyline: (Score:5, Funny)
Boss: Hey, Dave, what's the capacity of our website software?
Dave: What do you mean?
Boss: Well, a client asked me how much traffic load it can handle.
Dave: I dunnow, we never REALLY stress-tested the thing. Want me to find out?
Boss: Yes, please do!
Dave: OK, I'll need 400 post-it note pads, 650 balloons and a digital camera.
Boss: Huh?
Re:The REAL storyline: (Score:4, Informative)
Call me Cynical (Score:5, Funny)
On the other hand, I've mentioned 3M twice in this short reply so perhaps *I'm* the viral marketer.
Sweet Revenge (Score:4, Funny)
Another time is was unintentional. I emailed him one of those stupid little flash games where you shoot up your desktop with a noisy uzi. Right in the middle of shredding his desktop, in walks the VP of the company. At the time we were seated with our backs to the entrance so it took my friend a minute that the room had gone pretty much silent. What really added to this was the fact that he was the most paranoid about using his computer only for company business - and the one time he decides to screw off....
Re:Sweet Revenge (Score:5, Funny)
Newspapers (Score:4, Funny)
Careful -- This one might land you in court ... (Score:5, Funny)
Back in the mid 1980s, I was working for a division of a large multinational. Some of the employees had quite a creative sense of humour (including, fortunately as will soon become apparent, the department manager).
At the time, there was a lot of hiring going on. On the manager's birthday, he was conducting job interviews most of the morning. His last applicant of the morning was a plant! You need to understand that, while blessed with a good sense of humour, he was happily married and quite conservative. The "applicant" was an attractive 24 year old redhead, very well endowed, and as sexually dressed as was consistent with a possible job applicant. The interview started normally, but gradually the young lady started making more and more pointed hints that she really wanted the job and would be willing to be very grateful if hired. Eventually, she was draping herself all over our leader who was desperately trying to ease her out of his office and looking as if he was about to suffer a coronary. [We had arranged to catch everything on video tape for checking out later.] When he finally managed to get the young lady across his office and open the door, the whole department was outside ready to wish him Happy Birthday. That was his first intimation that it was a setup!
Re:Careful -- This one might land you in court ... (Score:3, Funny)
My first thought: Deciduous or Coniferous?
The "applicant" was an attractive 24 year old redhead
My second though: what the *hell* are you talk...oh, a "plant".
A similar experience... (Score:4, Funny)
We received about one hundred Russ brand stuffed bears, to be sold "as a deal" with film processing. As you can imagine, it didn't really take off, and in April I still have 70 odd bears lying around my store.
We had been playing games with each other involving the bears but for several months it was fairly quiet.
Until I took several days off following Easter.
I walked in on Thursday to start my week, and upon opening the door to the back room, discovered a curtain of bears in my way. The two girls at work used kite string to bind the bears about the neck and waist to suspend them, and tied all of their paws together so that they all faced the door. There was a sign in the center that said "Supplies!" (Referencing UHF)
On the white board on the door, there was this note:
"
24 Russ bears: $599.76
Kite String: $4.99
The look on your face right now: Priceless (We hope)
******* Camera, it's everywhere you want to be.
"
Somedays my job isn't so bad...
This guy Dave... (Score:2, Funny)
Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)
Re:BSOD screensaver (Score:4, Funny)
Re:BSOD screensaver (Score:5, Funny)
Mirror (Score:3, Informative)
Priceless... (Score:5, Insightful)
Case of Post-It notes to plaster office: $74 [officedepot.com]
650 Ballons for birthday prank: $55 [e-latexballoons.com]
1 air pump: $20/day rental [balloonlady.co.uk]
Advertising one last fun place to work to a million potential candidates on
Seriously though, it great to see that there are cool places to work still. One more sign of the IT recovery @!
Well, some people don't mind practical jokes.... (Score:5, Insightful)
Maybe I'm the only guy on slashdot to feel this way but shit like that would just annoy me.
I've had a few jobs where there was strong office comraderie like that, but in general, I think I prefer a slightly more conservative set of relationships in the workplace even if it comes at the expense of office morale.
I'm not suggesting that things should be sterile. I do, however, think one's workspace should be respected.
Mr Party Pooper
Engineering pranks (Score:5, Funny)
I should point out that my victims always get me back, usually by spraying anti-static cleaner through the back of my desk fan when I'm not expecting it (instant winter wonderland), or by stamping "REFERENCE COPY ONLY" across my forehead with the drawing office stamp (permanent).
A friend and I (Score:4, Insightful)
Book on depression in the library, no problem. We took a post-it with a smily, wrote under it don't worry be happy, and stuffed it somewhere in the middle.
Hell, I'm sure there are still post-its from us in some of the books that were covered under and inch of dust when we got there, let alone now.
Yes, the devious things you can do with post-its when you're bored.
Cage arround an office... (Score:3, Funny)
http://www.klod.net/stuff/yannis_trap.jpg
It also had a door that could lock, the door closing would be triggered by pulling the chair when the guy got inside the cage.
More pranks than work (Score:4, Funny)
Seal a vacationing manager's door shut with industrial strength plastic wrap and tape 2x4s across it like you'd see nailed across a broken window.
Fill the company president's office with 1300 balloons, some helium and some regular air, for her 40th birthday. She almost had a heart attack when she opened the door the next morning and a wall of balloons fell out.
TP the comapny founder's office on a day when he wasn't in. Housekeeping cleaned it up before he saw it!
There was a roof leak over the development area so we put up a makeshift roof with 2x4s and tarps to protect the computers. My supervisor asked me to help her take them down after the leak was fixed. We were carrying everything back to the warehouse when I noticed the guy in the next cubicle wasn't around, so I dumped everything in there, rather than carry it the additional twenty feet.
We had foam rubber computer mice with the company logo, url, etc. that were supossed to be given out at trade shows. They usually ended up being used as missiles by the founder. The wars never lasted more than a few minutes, because the company president (also his wife) would hear the noise and confiscate our arsenal, and tell him to get back in his cage.
It's not surprising how often pranks were played at that company. My second interview (with every manager at the same time) degenerated to the founder and I insulting each other within ten minutes. He said I'd fit in well.
Times are changing (Score:5, Interesting)
Last year our group moved from a satellite office into the corporate building. Gone are the parking lot BBQs, etc.
Last month our manager turned 40. We spent 3 hours after work decorating her office with black balloons, streamers, static stickers with over the hill slogans, a walker... You know the drill.
The next morning we were all called into human resources and for 45 minutes admonished for what they perceived as "age discrimination".
Yep... Isn't corporate fun?
And when the webserver crashes... (Score:3, Funny)
Google Cache (Score:3)
Balloons [66.102.7.104]
A good one..... (Score:3, Interesting)
Well, one day, we wallpapered a hall, and left out magic markers, and told people "Go nuts" - it was the graffiti wall. Took up about 2 cases of paper. We took the OTHER 30 or so cases down to recyling
Phone Forwarding (Score:5, Funny)
I went on a week vacation and the regional secretary who relied on my technical support made sure that I knew she'd call me at home if there was anything she needed.
I never got personal calls at home during working hours. So, on my first day of vacation, I forwarded my phone to her.
She tried all week to get a hold of me. When she called me her line two would start ringing. Waiting and waiting finally she'd hang up and answer line two but no body was there.
She'd try again and line two would start ringing. She'd try putting me on hold to answer the other line. No one was there, so she'd hang up and come back to me, but because she had answered and disconnected, the line she was calling me on was now a dial tone. She figured I had probably answered and hung up.
Apparently this went on all week. Every time she'd call me her other line would ring and then all the stuff with disconnects and no one on the other line... She never figured it out and by the end of the week was very frustrated.
When I got back she went on and on about how she tried to call me. Then all the stories about how every time she did the other line would ring and then the disconnects.
I fessed up and told her what I did. Everyone in the office was laughing their ass off, except for her. She was stunned. I could see her thinking back and then putting two and two together. She finely got over it, probably after spitting in my coffee for a week or something to get even.
Office Prank Poll (Score:3, Funny)
He was shocked but took it well. Some others there stated they would have resigned on the first day if that had happened to them. I'm curious as to how many people feel that way.
Office Pranks (Score:4, Funny)
As patternmakers, my colleagues and I had to make...um...patterns. This involved a lot of measuring and marking out with steel rules. One day I guillotined the first 10mm off of my mate's steel rule - it's not the end you look at very often. He marked out half a dozen pieces that would have formed a box shape and proceeded to cut them out... The laughing started when his pieces wouldn't fit together properly as they were all 10mm short. It slowing turned into howling as he marked out the pieces again and proceeded to cut them for a second time. We were all clutching our sides when both sets of pieces were sat side by side - they were identical. He never found out it was me.
We played around with plaster from time to time too. The favourite was to fill a plastic coffee cup with plaster and attach a self-tapping screw to it. When set, we would screw the cup to the floor upsidedown... Everyone who walked passed would kick the cup in their best David Beckham style and fall flat on their faces. Oh the joy. They didn't see that coming.
Rubbing people's pencil down the crack of your arse was a favourite too. Some people, mainly the smokers, could not go for more than a few minutes without having a good chew on the end. The smell hits you second. Hmm tasty.
Filling people's gloves with grease was always good for a laugh too.
Holes for washers, long weights (waits) and left handed screwdrivers were a favourite with the apprentices. Each year September was the best.
It’s a wonder how we ever made any money. Oh wait, we didn't and that's why I now work in an office...
Navy pranks (Score:3, Funny)
We sent one guy from the engine room down to the corpsman's office for 10 feet of Fallopian tube. There was also sending them up to see the bos'ns for buckets of prop wash. Or ordering steam blankets from supply (for those who may not know, a steam blanket is actually the process of laying up an offline boiler with steam from another source - prevents corrosion). Or getting batteries for the sound powered
Office prankster (Score:3, Interesting)
Eventually they let me go but kept him, he was the boss' favorite friend. Favoritism, you got to love it!
Yep, office pranks are good... (Score:3, Interesting)
Of course, we had much more elaborate plans...
We took several bungee cords from one guy's truck and attached them to the doorknob on the back of his door. The other ends were attached to a large file cabinet behind the door and the cords were stretched to the limit (and I mean it) as the door was shut and latched. Between the door and the cabinet, we placed two large, hardware-grade, garbage bags. The bags' openings were taped to a series of 15-20 cardboard tubes, cut and joined to create several angles, with the openings pointed at the doorway. The tubes were filled with the balls, the bags inflated, and the openings were lightly taped.
When he opened the door, there was an ungodly bang and a volley of ping pong balls went flying everywhere. It was over before he even had a chance to react. He said that the extra resistance in the doorknob didn't tip him off until it was too late.
The kicker... when he unlocked the door, his keys were on a small chain to his belt. If the keychain hadn't broke, it could have only been better had his pants been ripped off in the process.
Re:Time on your hands (Score:5, Insightful)
2) A good manager sees the value of good clean fun, and knows that it can be a morale booster in moderation. Happy workers == productive workers.
Re:Time on your hands (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Time on your hands (Score:2)
Re:Time on your hands (Score:3, Insightful)
I find that the ol' gun to the head makes my employees much more productive
Hey! Do you work for AT&T [theregister.co.uk] as well?
Re:Time on your hands (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Time on your hands (Score:2, Funny)
build a long Telephone line, and I can spend 2-3 hours outside for lunch if I get lucky enough.
Re:Time on your hands (Score:2, Funny)
My suggestion: be very creative with superglue.
There's nothing superglue can't solve
Re:Time on your hands (Score:2)
So you're telling me superglue is like perl? OK then... fair enuff...!
Re:Time on your hands (Score:5, Funny)
So you're telling me superglue is like perl?
Hell yeah it is. Nobody understands it, everybody screams about how great it is, promises to work forever but in reality only works for about three hours.
Hell yeah superglue is just like perl.
Re:Time on your hands (Score:5, Insightful)
Bosses who don't allow it usually find themselves with companies that fail. Sure, workers should be productive, but if you as an employer try and make the workplace into something too rigid and constraining, your employees will be demoralized and will not function as well as in a more relaxed enviroment. I know that you might be thinking of a company which is at the other end of the spectrum - where very little work is done, and it's true that that is not a desirable situation. The truth is, though, that the optimum level lies somewhere inbetween.
You have to allow a certain amount of goofing around, you have to arrange company braais (BBQs for you American folks), go-karting, bowling, golf, horse-riding, etc. What you want is for your employees to get along with you and with eachother. If you don't allow that to happen, your employees will either not care about what they are supposed to be doing, or try in vain to do what they are supposed to be doing in an enviroment that they hate. Noone wins.
Now a whole lot of people will say: "But the employer has the power! They can outsource! Your job is not safe! As an employee you have no right to complain!". That's true, to a certain extent. But remember: If an employer was thinking of outsourcing, it probably wouldn't make a difference how well you were or were not performing, the key factor to companies that outsource is saving money and increasing profit margins at all costs. They will learn in time that quality products do make a difference, however, and will be back at square one. I've dealt with outsourcing first hand, and there are pros and cons to it, like with anything. In reality, what most companies will probably end up doing is outsourcing things that make sense to outsource, and bring things that make little sense to outsource back to the physical office. So that "but you'll be outsourced" argument goes out the window.
As for people having no right to complain and being forced to be happy that they have a job at all, this might be true for a lot of people in the current economy, but it still doesn't mean that slave-driving will produce good results. You'll end up with an employee-base that really hates working at the company, and every time you fire someone and get someone new in, the same thing will happen. They will start detesting their working conditions and perhaps even deliberately go on go-slows or worse.
Both employers and employees have to find a balance in the work enviroment. Employees must understand that they can't party at work and goof off for 6 hours a day, and employers must understand that trying to impose draconian rules and policies will not benefit them in the long run.
Re:Time on your hands (Score:5, Interesting)
Where I worked a few years ago, we had something called a 'friday meeting' the 1st friday of every month. A colleague of mine got severely ridiculed because he thought it wise to bring a pen and some paper for his first attendance --- which was about playing hockey in one of the empty studios. On other occasions we've been out go-carting, and even to a grand casino (complete with free pool-side buffet).
Sure this costs the company money, but they do get return value for it.
Re:Time on your hands (Score:5, Informative)
No one has mention that there are downsides: if someone is hurt in a workplace practical joke, then the employer is liable. So it's good to have fun, but be sensible and play it safe
The two pranks listed in this article are fine, but you need to be aware of the danger.
Generally, (a) keep the pranks and humour safe and non-dangerous, watch out for anything that could be considered offensive, (b) if it's a large scale prank, make sure you have some "informal" chat with people (say, your supervisor) before hand just to get a verbal indication that it won't cause any problems. Your supervisor may tell you that the global CEO is going to be in the office that day so you might want to try your prank the next day
Some pranks I have experienced that don't work well: (a) giving people supposedly "funny" birthday presents (a vibrator), taken the wrong way and employee was really quite offended, (b) publishing prank photographs on internet newsgroup that also included a couple of shots that a person considered offensive. I don't think there were any legal issues in these cases, but it quickly turned from fun into a problem.
Re:Time on your hands (Score:5, Funny)
Indeed. A vibrator taken the wrong way can bring tears to the eyes, I am sure.
The Daily Stress Reducer (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Time on your hands (Score:3, Interesting)
Prime example of bad balance and bad morale (Score:5, Insightful)
We got a memo with weirdly over-specific instructions for how to live in our offices several weeks back. It included several bullet points like this:
And so on. This memo's content was completely ignored by everyone, but it's had its bad effect anyway. After we got it, people sat around talking incredulously about the thing, spending untold hours of company time just bellyaching about it. The thought of those on high in this massive company spending time writing and approving stuff like that is just utterly despiriting.
Re:Cheap (Score:2, Funny)
Yeah... They could have at least gone down to accounts and stamped 'Received' on them all
Reminds me of a suprise 40th Birthday party we had for a friend of mine... He was suprised, because it was held in October and his birthday wasn't until March... He was more suprised because he was only 34...
:-)