Many workplaces don't suffer April Fools gladly

While Saran-wrapping the office toilets may seem hilarious to the trickster, a prank that upsets or inconveniences anyone in the workplace may leave him feeling stupid at the end of the day.

In a recent survey, marketing and advertising executives found that most felt April Fools' Day jokes to be inappropriate at work.

Even creative professionals don't want to find their cars sitting in the middle of a fountain or have a co-worker break into personal e-mail and send their supervisor a fake letter of resignation -- two examples staffing firm Creative Group offered of unusual or extreme pranking.

"If you don't know how it's going to be perceived, then don't do a practical joke," said Megan Slabinski, executive director of Creative Group.

The man who sent in the fake resignation letter caused a big mess -- senior management got involved in the supposed resignation before the issue was resolved, and the prankster was sent a warning that further inappropriate e-mail use could lead to losing his job.

If you must celebrate April Fools', keep pranks light-spirited and poke fun at yourself, rather than others, said Slabinski.

Make sure you're not costing the company money, apologize after, and keep jokes simple to fix.

Creative Group surveyed 250 marketing and advertising executives on the phone in the third quarter of 2007.