Starting a new job is already all kinds of stressful without any extra surprises—but in some workplaces, workers will greet the newbies with unofficial hazing rituals that make things even worse. They’re meant as a prank yet they often leave fresh hires feeling quite overwhelmed and that’s not fair! Here are thirteen surprising workplace hazing rituals that have terrified rookies. These might simply be ways to welcome new team members but that doesn’t stop the new hires from wondering what they’ve gotten themselves into.
Featured Image Credit: NewAfrica /Depositphotos.com.
The Impossible Task Assignment
Some new hires are given a task that’s just impossible to complete, along with an unrealistically tight deadline—no one expects them to pull it off and the goal is just to see how they handle the pressure. Colleagues watch as the newbie struggles and wonder if they’ll ask for help or try to tackle it alone. Unfortunately, this kind of trial leaves newbies doubting their skills & questioning their decision to join the company right from the start.
The Phantom Meeting Invite
New employees get an invitation to a meeting that doesn’t exist, set in a conference room that’s nowhere to be found, so the puzzled newcomer wanders the halls as they search for “Conference Room Z.” Meanwhile, the rest of the team laughs while the confusion unfolds because it’s an inside joke for them. Yet it’s not a harmless prank because it leaves the new person feeling both lost and quite a bit embarrassed.
Switching Desk Locations Overnight
Just when a new hire gets settled at their workstation, the team secretly moves all their stuff to a different spot after they leave for the day—the next morning, the confused employee arrives to find their desk has vanished. They start questioning if they’re losing their mind or if something else is going on entirely. A prank like this throws them off while also forcing them to hunt down their belongings before they’re able to start work.
The Fake Executive Introduction
As part of the fake executive ritual, a colleague pretends to be a high-ranking executive & has a serious conversation with the new hire, which might involve grilling them about company policies or their plans for contributing to the team. The act continues until someone can’t keep a straight face anymore and it’s all meant in good fun. But it makes the newcomer feel uneasy since they start second-guessing their responses during the conversation.
The Big Shot Lunch Setup
Similarly, a few workplaces arrange for the newcomer to host a lunch with a so-called VIP, insisting it’s a do-or-die situation for the company & they’ll build up this mystery figure by saying the new hire needs to impress them. When the day comes, the “VIP” either never appears or ends up being just another coworker wearing a cheap disguise and the entire trick is meant to rattle the newbie a bit. Hopefully, they’re able to see the funny side of it!
Sending Them for “Left-Handed Tools”
Any new employees working in a workshop or kitchen often get sent on a wild goose chase for items that don’t exist, like a “left-handed screwdriver” or “blinker fluid.” They’ll go from person to person as they search for this nonexistent tool while everyone else plays along—such a prank never seems to get old for those in on the joke. However, the newbie feels a bit foolish once the truth gets out.
Gibberish Jargon Overload
Colleagues overwhelm the new hire with made-up acronyms & technical jargon to make simple tasks sound overly complex and they might throw around terms like “TPS reports” or “quantum inventory analysis.” Then, they just wait to see how the newbie reacts and the goal is to find out how long they’ll nod along before admitting they’re completely lost. If that happens to you, you should know that it’s probably just a way of testing your willingness to ask questions!
The Elevator Prank
Be careful of what people tell you about the elevators as one prank involves telling new employees that certain elevators are reserved exclusively for executives. The newcomer waits endlessly or chooses to take the stairs—while everyone else uses the elevators without any issue, making them feel confused. It’s a bit of unnecessary exercise for the unsuspecting hire that’s also rather frustrating.
Initiation by Coffee Run
Some offices will ask the new person to get an overly complicated coffee order for the entire team, with specific requests that are difficult to keep straight. For example, one person wants a “no ice, double shot, cinnamon-sprinkled iced coffee at exactly 39°F.” Dealing with such a long list & juggling multiple drinks becomes a test of the new hire’s patience and organizational skills—it’s really just a rite of passage that often results in a few mixed-up orders!
The Surprise Costume Day
Colleagues tell the new employee that there’s an office tradition to dress up on a particular day—even though no such tradition exists and the newbie shows up in full costume. But everyone else is dressed normally and that’s just as embarrassing as you might expect for the newbie! Most of the time, though, they’re able to see the funny side of it later and everyone laughs about it for years to come.
The All-Staff Surprise Presentation
Some colleagues throw the new hires under the bus when a boss or colleague invites them to a meeting and then announces they’re the main presenter. There’s no heads-up or time to rehearse—so they’re stuck stammering through slides they’ve never seen. Everyone in the room tries not to laugh, even though it’s clear the speaker is flustered and the point is to see how quickly they’re able to think on their feet.
The Fake Fire Drill
Higher-ups will tip off the entire staff about a fake fire drill—except they leave the new hire out of the loop and as sirens blare & everyone rushes out, the newbie panics. They might grab their stuff in a frenzy or scramble for the nearest exit, only to realize it’s just a drill that was meant to test their reactions in an emergency. It’s more than a mild scare and they’re left hoping that they reacted in the right way.
The Overblown Birthday Ruse
Many offices trick the newest person into planning a massive celebration for a coworker with the claim that it’s a major birthday, so the newbie pulls together decorations & organizes an entire event. But then they find out that the birthday is months away or the date was completely made up. It makes all their efforts feel like a waste, even though their colleagues may have just been testing the new worker’s organization skills.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
Like our content? Be sure to follow us on MSN.
