Employee plays 'innocent' halloween prank at office; coworker has panic attack. AITA?
When this employee feels guilty about an innocent work prank, they ask Reddit:
"AITA for Halloween Pranking My Coworker And Making Her Cry?"
So, I might have taken an innocent prank way too far, and now I'm wondering if I'm the AH. I work in a small office and my coworker, let's call her Lisa, is absolutely terrified of spiders.
She jumps on her desk at the sight of even the tiniest spider, and everyone in the office knows it. So, of course, with Halloween coming up, I thought it would be hilarious to play a innocent prank on her.
I found some pretty realistic fake spiders online and bought a whole bunch of them. Over the course of last week, I strategically placed them around her desk, in her drawer, on her chair – you name it. At first, she was startled but brushed it off. I thought it was all in good fun.
However, I think I may have gone too far today. So instead of just one of two, I decides to put a whole handful of the spiders in Lisa's desk drawer. I guess this was too much for her, because when she opened the drawer, she screamed, started crying, and had a full-blown panic attack.
I immediately rushed over to explain it was just a prank, but the damage was done. She's genuinely traumatized by the experience, and now she won't even look at me.
My other coworkers say I went too far, and I feel terrible about how scared Lisa got. So, AITA for pranking my coworker with fake spiders and making her cry, even though it was meant to be harmless fun? AITA?
Let's see what readers thought.
wonderfulguest3054 writes:
YTA. One or two was enough, and then it seems like you took it to the extreme. Some people (including myself) have an extreme fear of them. She isn't your friend or family member, she is a co-worker. What you did was cruel, let alone unprofessional.
vodkaqueen1135 writes:
YTA. As someone who hates 8 legged things and has panic attacks about them, you are an enormous AH. A prank is only funny if everyone laughs. Just coz she laughed a 1 sitting, doesnt mean you torture the poor woman by continuing. If I was her I would have you reported for bullying coz that exactly what it is. Grow up.
upstairsbanana41 writes:
Wow, YTA. I'm sorry for her, and I hope you get fired.