Practical joker is no laughing matter to his co-workers
(this article was first published in the LifeStyles section of the October 26, 2009 edition of the Lowell Sun. If you're interested in viewing other articles, click here.)

Stress Unit
By MICHAEL HAYDEN, Sun Correspondent
Lowell Sun

DEAR MIKE: I'm having a huge problem with one of my co-workers and I'm not sure what to do about it. We have been working together for about five years. Up until now, I have managed to put up with his childish pranks and jokes but this time, he has gone too far.

He thinks he is a stand up comic but he's the only one who finds his silly pranks, jokes and comments funny. In the past, he has done things like hiding people's lunches or taking work off their desks and putting it on someone else's. He has even gone so far as to send a phony invitation to a fellow employee, asking him to attend a surprise birthday party for the boss at his home. This poor guy and his wife drove an hour to the boss's home on a Saturday evening, only to knock on the door and have the boss answer in his robe. They were embarrassed beyond belief.

But last week he really went overboard. He had a buddy call another one of our co-workers, pretending to be a doctor, telling the guy that one of his kids had been hurt at school and he needed to come to the hospital right away. Well, when the guy got there and realized it was a joke, he exploded. He returned to the office and immediately went after this guy. The two of them had to be separated and they both were sent home pending an investigation.

My problem is that I am the only one who overheard this guy making the phone call to his buddy to set this up. Other than that, it is one guy's word against another's. My heart tells me I should tell the owner of the business what I overheard. Normally, I would, except this guy happens to be related to the owner. I am angry over this guy's stunt but I am scared that if I turn him in I will cut my own throat at work as far as promotional opportunities go. Do you have any suggestions? This is driving me crazy and my anger over the situation is making me a miserable person to live with at home. -- Peter

DEAR PETER: The anger you are feeling might be at yourself for not doing the right thing, which is to turn this clown in. Think about it: This guy could have caused your fellow employee real harm. What if he had gotten into an accident on the way to the hospital or had a heart attack?

This guy's pranks have gone way beyond practical jokes. They now border on the criminal, if they aren't already. He does not sound like the type who will let this incident stop him from going further, especially if you allow him to get away with it.

As far as worrying about hurting your chances of advancing at your job, I would think the owner would want to know about this -- before one of his relatives pranks leads to a lawuit.

If that's not the case, you might want to ask yourself is this the type of company you really want to work for. Free yourself of that anger and turn this practical joker in. -- Mike

Michael Hayden is a certified anger management counselor who runs Bay State Anger Management and Counseling in Chelmsford. Contact him at stressunit@aol.com or (978) 459-4884.