Office Pranks

scoops

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Dec 6, 2005
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Toronto, Canada
bmunroe.roestudios.com
I'm not 100% certain, but I believe I've just been the victim of an office prank. I work in a cubicle, and I get it early (7:30). The people who work near me come in much later, between 9 and 9:30, or even later than that, except for one guy, who sits behind me, who comes in at 7:15. For some reason, this guy doesn't like me. He's older, and he pretends he's deaf when I'm trying to talk to him, steps on my feet in the copy room "without noticing", passes me in narrow corridors without giving an inch, forcing me to press myself against the wall to avoid being knocked down, that sort of thing.

I can think of nothing I've done to piss this guy off (and my manager even said he's weird like that, he just chooses people to dislike, and then is systemically rude to them).

Anyway, I usually eat breakfast at around 9, and on Fridays, I get it from the cafeteria, cause they do eggs and bacon and all that jazz.

When I got back from the cafe with my breakfast in hand (I'd been gone all of 5 or 10 minutes) my chair was soaking wet. Nothing else was wet, really, apart from a few droplets on the floor, and my jacket, which is hung on the back of my chair, was bone dry. It really looks like somebody deliberately poured water on my chair.

It's not outside the realm of possibility that someone was at my cube, looking for something they needed and accidentally spilled their water, but it certainly doesn't look that way. I'm pretty paranoid right now.

You have to understand -- I work with a bunch of socially awkward editors. It's not in any way like a boys' club or a dorm or anything. The atmosphere that promotes friendly pranking is simply not here. If someone pranked, someone did so out of malice. And I have no enemies (except apparently that guy behind me).
 
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Kill him...take action -- a pre-emptive strike!

Seriously, that is some odd stuff. I imagine you checked around for other sources of water like the ceiling and around your cubicle area. Judging by the description of the guy who sits behind you, it appears you suspect him, but it doesn't seem like he's done anything overt in terms of his treatment of you.

I suggest, at this point, start recording any incident that involves this individual in a sort of journal. This may seem a bit anal retentive, but it is an acceptable way of creating a paper trail regarding your problems with him. If he is as malicious as you say, at some point he may cross the line and do something outwardly hostile. At that point, you will perhaps have a long record of possible abuses that will take on a brand new look once he crosses the line.

If you have an HR department (I know that many places don't really have one), it is something they should be notified of once you get your incident journal going. Your manager should not condone this guy's behavior either..."just weird like that" is not a defense for invading other people's personal space and possibly pulling malicious pranks. It's unprofessional and a possible liability issue for the business if someone like that is actively pursuing harrassment tactics.

Of course, I give you the advice I've heard from HR professionals, but if it had been me, I probably would have gotten into a shouting match in the parking lot with this guy by now. I've got a poor handle on my temper sometimes, heh.
 
Well, I've let my manager know about my suspicions, but neither he nor I are really willing to make any accusations. He gave me similar advice, to keep him apprised if anything similar happens.

And yes, the water must have been poured or spilled. There are no leaks in the ceiling (and the tiles are bone dry). And the only water on my desk is bottled and shut tight.
 
I think you need to answer this question. How much bigger is he than you?

If he's a little bigger, then start doing things like spilling your coffee on him and that sort of stuff. If he's alot bigger...just take it or kick him in the stones. If he's the same size or smaller, just fight him. You're in Canada, so they won't send you to jail.
 
You know it's true. And the nut cracker will take anyone down...as you (and all other males) would probably know.
 
I am a consumate prankster and know without being there that it was done deliberately. It might not be malicious, though. It may have been someone just wanting to pull a prank and you were convenient. Being an expert on this type of thing, I suggest this: act like nothing happened. It might be hard to do, but it will bother the person who did it. they will either do something bigger to get you to react or be disappointed and leave you alone.

If the fool makes the mistake of bragging or you find out from a witness, then you have two choices: do the Christian thing and love thy enemy or payback. I admit that I usually follow the second strategy. Malicious or not, people know that pranking me is like playing the stock market. I always pay back with interest and sometimes, the returns are bountiful. Does your office have security cameras? Was there any other incriminating evidence such as an empty bottle in someone's trash can or having been seen with one earlier? Did someone pay you a bit more attention today or scan your chair/pants/desk in an odd way? Did the guy behind you appear a bit more smug?

By the way, how old is this other dude?
 
no cameras in my immediate area. But knowing this guy, his age isn't really a factor in this. I would not put it past him at all.

Anyway, I'm not going to worry about it too much. If something similar happens, I know my manager is behind me, so I'm not all that worried.

Besides, If all goes well, I'll be leaving here by the end of the year.
 
Yeah, but if your suspicions of him rise anymore, you could confront him and ask why he doesnt like you. If there's a legitimate reason, he might tell you. If not, he may just be immature.

And again, good luck with getting the new job.
 
Well, today he crossed the line. While I was trying to get out of his way in a narrow corridor, he intentionally bore down on me and shoulder checked me, then as we passed, kicked me, saying "That was for hitting me." A senior co-worker heard the sound of the kick and his words, and then I told her what had happened. Then I went to my manager and explained the whole history of the situation to him, including this most recent assault.

Apparantly, according to my manager, he almost always has at least one person at the office that he has a problem with. He often talks trash about them to others. Apparantly he has accused me of following him to the bathroom. (He made this accusation roughly one hour before the water on the chair incident last week.)
 
Dang...I don't even know what to say to that...

Obviously your manager doesn't seem to have too much of a problem with it, seeing that he probably hasn't said anything to the guy. Maybe you could suggest anger management classes or something to the manager?
 
Well, in all fairness to my manager he's never had to deal with an out and out assault case before. He actually told me he was going to have to consult HR to see what the next step is. I am totally not comfortable being anywhere near the guy at this stage. I'm seriously considering staying home tomorrow and keeping an open dialogue with my manager about it. Maybe they can move me to another desk while I'm away or something. I don't want to be anywhere near him. According to my manager, he has a rather explosive personality, and if he's getting violent now, well ...
 
it's definitely past time your manager took action. Whether it's to take him aside and have a little chat or take you both aside to work it out. You're there to do a job, not be harrassed. It doesn't matter if the dude wants to hate you from across the room and never speak to you again. If he messes with you or even talks about you, then it needs to be addressed by the manager because it's one small step away from him doing something that requires legal action. Pranks are one thing, this is something else entirely.
 
I stayed home yesterday, and my manager had a chat with him. Also, they moved me to a distant cube. It seems he made some accusations of me, so I'm probably going to have to defend myself against those.

The whole thing is incredibly ridiculous.
 
Do you know what kind of accusations?

This has all the markings of a bad sitcom. Have you checked for a hidden camera crew?
 
I actually toyed with the notion that I was on some kind of reality show.

Not really aware of the specifics of his accusations at this point. I expect to be speaking with my manager about them at some point in the near future.
 
Well if it turns out to be some sort of weird Truman Show, please let us know so we can tune it and watch the old man kick you. I'd pay good money to see that.
 
I think your manager knows what's really going on. From your first posts, it was obvious that this wasn't the first time he's done something like this. You're probably just a nice guy that didn't retaliate, so he took it further. Your manager will still have to go through the motions of talking to you about whatever it is the guy accused you of.