Are you fooled?
 
Office pranks² are good for morale³ and could even help reduce stress, a new report has claimed.

Playing a practical joke on a colleague could encourage creativity and improve team-working, according to jobsite TheLadders.co.uk.

That's good news for office jokers everywhere on this April Fool's Day.

Some of the most popular pranks include unplugging a keyboard and moving the contents of a desk to another part of the office, the report said.

Wrongly telling a colleague it's 'Hawaiian shirt day' was another favourite which could cause hilarity⁴ in the workplace.

"April Fool's Day is the most light-hearted day of the year," said Sarah Drew, general manager of TheLadders.co.uk.

"It's a day when anything goes and strict protocol⁵ takes a back seat.

"When people come together to create a prank¹, it encourages creativity, teamwork and gives the office a shared experience outside of the workload⁶."

But a Canadian survey done ahead of April Fool's Day also showed that pranks taken too far can damage careers, even though almost half of Canadians believe jokes are accepted in the workplace and that humor is a good way to relieve the pressure and stress of their jobs.

If a prank ends up costing the company in terms of money, injuries or a staff member's dismissal then it has gone too far.

 
一项最新报告称，办公室恶作剧能够提高工作积极性，甚至有助于减轻工作压力。

TheLadders.co.uk在线求职网站的调查表明，搞办公室恶作剧能够激发创造力，增强团队合作。

今天是“愚人节”，这个结果对于爱捉弄同事的“整人能手”们来说无疑是个好消息。

据报告称，最常见的办公室“整人”手段包括拔键盘和藏东西等。

“通知”同事今天是“便服日”也是一大惯用伎俩，这个消息倒是会引来办公室里的一片欢呼。

TheLadders.co.uk网站总经理莎拉•德鲁说：“愚人节是一年中最轻松的日子。”

“在这一天，大家可以随心所欲，忘记那些框框条条。”

“员工共同策划恶作剧能够激发创造力、增强团队合作，而且还能共同分享除工作外的一次经历。”

但加拿大在今年愚人节之前开展的一项调查显示，恶作剧玩得太过头会毁掉工作。不过近一半的加拿大人认为办公室恶作剧可以接受，而且幽默有助于缓解工作压力。

如果恶作剧给公司造成了经济损失、导致人员受伤或同事被解雇，那就太离谱了。

 
Vocabulary: 

practical joke:恶作剧

Hawaiian shirt day: slang term for a business casual day（便服日；例如：Hey, don't forget, we don't have to wear ties tomorrow. It's Hawaiian shirt day.）

anything goes:万事皆可