Know The Limits Of Workplace Practical Jokes

Now more than ever, food truck owners need humor at work to lift our spirits and to keep the creative juices flowing. Anyone who has watched an episode of The Office knows the value (and danger) of workplace practical jokes. Before you place that dollop of fryer grease into a co-workers clog, follow these parameters to keep the workplace practical jokes in your food truck fun and harmless.

How To Evaluate Workplace Practical Jokes

Choose your target. Make sure it’s someone who is in a secure position and has a good sense of humor. Don’t pick anyone too sensitive or overly earnest.
Know your audience. If your target is the one who normally plans workplace practical jokes, and gags are common in your truck, you’re less likely to be met with resistance, and your prank may be well received.
Keep the joke to a day. No one should go home without being “in on the joke.”
Avoid anything mean-spirited. Keep the joke light and fun.
Don’t be a bully. Picking on someone known to be an outsider puts you on the same level of the grade-school bully who takes lunches from weaker kids on the bus.
Avoid gags that could be considered offensive. Stay away from anything that could be interpreted as targeted at any group or could be considered harassment. Making fun of people based on their race, religion or sexual orientation is never appropriate.
Consider social media’s potential to extend (or ruin) your harmless prank. Be aware of the ramifications of what you do and how a single photo posted on Facebook can affect someone’s career/life.

The Bottom Line

The use of humor in your food truck can boost collaboration and provide a much-needed break from workplace stress. However, targets of pranks or workplace practical jokes may not find them particularly funny. Vendors should promptly discipline any offensive or improper conduct on the part of employee pranksters. Regardless of whether you sanctioned the conduct, it may face greater liability risks or negligence claims.

Do you have any fun kitchen pranks you’d like to share with our readers? Feel free to add them in the comment section below or on social media. Facebook | Twitter

About the Author: Richard Myrick

Richard Myrick is an architect by degree (Lawrence Technological University, Southfield, Michigan) who began his career in real estate development and architectural planning. In September of 2010 he created Mobile Cuisine Magazine to fill an information void he found when he began researching how to start a mobile hotdog cart in Chicago. Richard found that there was no central repository of mobile street food information anywhere on the internet, and with that, the idea for MCM was born. Richard also wrote the "Running a Food Truck for Dummies" available in bookstores everywhere and Amazon. You can reach out to Richard by email at: [email protected].