'Trick or treat' | The dangers of playing work pranks this Halloween

Once again it is that time of year when thoughts turn to pumpkins, bats and broomsticks in light of Halloween.

While Halloween will likely be a little different this year in light of the pandemic and subsequent social distancing measures, it isn't unusual for some people to want to play tricks on one another – whether this is something like covering the loo in cling film or leaving a scary message for a friend or relative.

As such, some employees may feel tempted to play a prank on colleagues – whether this is carried out in-person or virtually – which could cause several issues for the HR function, particularly if it goes wrong.

Read more from us

April Fool’s | 5 work pranks that quickly turned sour

With that in mind, Simon Bellm, a partner in the employment group at law firm DMH Stallard, told HR Grapevine that although employers won’t want to be “killjoys”, reminding staff about their conduct is key.