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1. FEATURE STORY:
WORKPLACE LAUGHTER AT WHAT EXPENSE?

April Fool's Day is just around the corner. That means every prankster on site is gearing up for ways to torment unsuspecting co-workers with everything from rubber spiders to whoopie cushions to habanero peppers hidden inside a sandwich.

The majority of these jokesters don't need a special day designated for tricks, though. They embrace jokes year round, whether to welcome a new worker on board, let off a little steam, or build camaraderie within a department.

Left unchecked, these seemingly harmless giggle generators have the potential to create a big legal mess.

Consider, for example, the African-American firefighter whose white co-workers mixed dog food into his spaghetti dinner. Even though he had pulled a few pranks himself, such as smearing mustard and dumping water on restrained colleagues, the employee wasn't laughing this time around. Reason: He believed the prank was motivated by a racial stereotype. The mayor of Los Angeles vetoed the city council's decision to settle the race discrimination complaint for $2.7 million; a trial was set to begin this month.

The answer to keeping your organization out of a similar predicament isn't banning any and all jokes from the workplace. Doing so could actually do more harm than good, if you consider that a blanket ban on pranks is likely to be interpreted by employees as an attack on their team-building efforts or to mean "no fun whatsoever" — even if that's the last thing you intended. Therefore, focus restrictions on pranks that are potentially harmful or offensive, and not on innocent expressions of good-natured fun. Rein in pranksters if their tricks:

• Target individuals because of their race, gender, or other protected characteristic.

• Involve weapons, even toy weapons; threats; or threatening symbols.

• Occur in front of customers or clients.

• Focus on a co-worker's weight, height, or other physical attribute.

• Involve physical contact, whether personal or non-personal (e.g., loosening the bolts on a bathroom fixture so water will spray a co-worker when he/she turns it on).

• Interfere with an individual's ability to perform his/her job or could harm his/her professional reputation.

WC CLAIM: EMPLOYEE “INJURED” DURING THEFT INVESTIGATION

Catching unknown workplace thieves often requires casting a wide investigation net. Chances are, you’re going to wind up investigating some innocent workers...View the full story on our website.

FREE REPORT

Check out the Free Report, "Welcoming A Wellness Program Into Your Workplace," which contains 10 keys to unlocking wellness program implementation success in your organization. Plus, learn how to calculate a return on investment of your wellness dollars and how to stay in step with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act's non-discrimination provisions as they apply to wellness programs.

Kick back, relax, and take a few minutes to check out the new HR Soapbox, "Boys Will Be Boys, Unless They're Guys...Then They Could Be Girls," in which an editor discusses the different ways of addressing different groups of people.