April Fool’s Day (April 1) is traditionally a day to play pranks on your family, friends, and co-workers. And, while an office prank won’t directly affect your bottom line, humor is a great way to energize your employees.April Fool's Day provides a great opportunity for some fun team-building activities!

Pulling off a successful April Fool’s prank can be an exercise in team-building and leadership. The key to pulling off an April Fool’s prank that engages, rather than alienates, employees, is to have a few ground rules to follow.

Rule #1: Know your target.

A prank isn’t funny if the subject of the prank doesn’t find it funny. Some people can take a lot of good-natured teasing, while other, more introverted souls, may find such an experience mortifying and traumatic. And while including shy teammates in the plot can be an inclusive experience that encourages team-building, targeting those employees as the object of the joke can be interpreted as cruel and alienating.

(Need I say that a co-worker who doesn’t quite “fit in” should never be the butt of a practical joke? No? Good.)

Rule #2: Plan your plot. Plot your plan.

Memorable April Fool’s pranks require significant planning to pull off. The basics of creating any successful plan apply here: decide on a goal, set objectives, assign tasks, evaluate the outcome. The more elaborate your plan, the more planning it will require.

Rule #3: Engage your team.

Office pranks are best when they involve a large number of co-conspirators. Devising one of these types of pranks require the co-operation of co-workers. This can be an excellent, low-key, and fun way to build teams and provide a bonding experience for employees.

Rule #4: Remember: the Internet never forgets.

Before you make your boss or co-worker look like an idiot, or place them in a compromising position, consider the power of the Internet and social media.

These days, that scantily-dressed stripper you hired to sprawl on your boss’s desk, or the fake email from a one-night stand (that just “happens” to get forwarded to the entire office) can resurface to hurt that person much, much later.

Don’t do anything that your target (or you) will regret in the future.

Keeping those rules in mind, get your creative juices flowing! And if you can’t think of anything, here are a few tried-and-true winning office pranks:

Blue screen of death: Replace your target’s regular screensaver with this image. Give them a few minutes to freak out, and then pop in and wish them a happy April Fool’s Day.

Overflowing office drawers: Fill your target’s desk drawers with ping pong balls or Styrofoam pellets. Don’t do this before an important meeting.

Foil the office: Get lots of aluminum foil and some masking tape. Cover everything in the target’s office space with foil.

Balloon the office: Wait until your target goes out to lunch. Then fill the office with balloons. If your office consists of cubicles with walls that don’t reach all the way to the ceiling, seal off the entrance to a coworker’s cube with plastic sheeting. Once that’s done, drop balloons in the cube, filling it up from the top, like you would a swimming pool.

Office Sick Day: This is a good one for a department to play on their department manager. Everyone in the department calls in “sick” that morning and leaves voicemail for the manager. Before he or she gets too upset, everyone shows up together. (Obviously, this prank only works if everyone does it).

If your office has a good sense of humor and you’re looking for a bit of light-hearted, harmless fun this April 1, feel free to use our ideas. And please share your own favorite pranks in the comments box below.

Serious office fun can be found at the NRI Facebook page today!