Woman Applauded for Standing Up to 'Office Prankster' Ruining Her Sanity

A woman has vented her frustrations about difficulties in the workplace, but it's not the usual reasons you'd expect.

While many employees might have to deal with an overbearing boss, annoying colleagues or treacherous hours, one Reddit user, u/Treacherous_Wendy, is struggling to deal with an "office prankster."

With a different prank being played on her each day at work, the Redditor finds them tiresome and not remotely funny.

Although pranks may not be intended as malicious, a 2021 poll by YouGov revealed that 47 percent of respondents found them annoying rather than funny.

When the survey categorized participants by age, it showed that only those under the age of 30 find pranks more amusing than annoying, with 50 percent leaning towards funny and 40 percent saying they aren't keen on them.

Being on the receiving end of a prank is less enjoyable however, as 59 percent said they disliked having the prank done to them.

In the now viral Reddit post, u/Treacherous_Wendy explained that the prankster regularly changes the language on her computer to "Russian or Sanskrit," leaving her struggling to amend it. The pranks don't stop there as they also mess with her desk chair, the volume on her speaker and redirect her calls to another phone.

The post reads: "I got in the office this morning and my speaker was touched (volume all the way down) and my chair was wrong...again. I lost it, y'all.

"I started crying. I felt like I was back in 6^th and 7^th grade and being called 'Wendy the whale' while everyone pointed and laughed at what I was wearing. It was just me in the office alone, but I felt so awful. I just wanted to hide."

The user adds that she doesn't want to cause any conflict, but just wants "to be left alone" to work.

"It doesn't make me feel part of the team...it makes me feel picked on for a reaction so someone can laugh at me."

Pranks might have been funny at a younger age, but at work it can be considered harassment, according to Laura Crawshaw. The psychotherapist, executive coach and author considers herself The Boss Whisperer, as she helps people navigate a happier and healthier workplace.

"Playing pranks on others may have been amusing in our youth, but it constitutes harassment at work," Crawshaw told Newsweek.

"Dressed up as humor, these little things are acts of thinly veiled aggression and they're not just tiresome, but they're disruptive, disturbing and ultimately disrespectful."

To resolve issues like this, Crawshaw suggests asking the prankster to stop politely, and if it continues, then reporting it to management to deal with appropriately.

After discussing the situation on Reddit on April 17, it received more than 33,000 votes and over 3,300 comments in just a matter of days. Many people supported the user and suggested she speak to a superior.

Evidently, she took this advice and added an update to say she spoke to her boss about the pranking. It seemingly didn't please the pranker, who she says is "clearly ignoring" her now.

Among the thousands of comments on the Reddit post, one user wrote: "It's interfering with your ability to do your job. You had to tell your boss and HR, if it exists."

Another comment reads: "Pranking should be good natured not frustrating. It's the kinda thing you do once, have a laugh and move on."

Newsweek reached out to u/Treacherous_Wendy for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.

Have you had a workplace dilemma? Let us know via life@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.