Whether you love your job or simply accept it as a necessary but annoying part of life, the prospect of catching up with your colleagues often provides the motivation needed to go to the office every morning.
For most teams, the promise of chatting about your favorite show, complaining about the weather, or using dating apps is as commonplace as some office banter.
And, as these photographs from around the world and compiled by bored panda show, what starts out as fairly mild mockery occasionally escalates into, well, truly entertaining.
It could be a childish prank, like taping a sign that says “Please do not disturb!” to the back of an unsuspecting colleague, leaving them wondering why no one bothers to say “Good morning.”
Or it could be something that seems like a joke but also has the potential to plant a small seed of doubt in the mind of someone who’s going: a cake adorned not with “Thank you” but with “Okay, go.” example.
This worker did not notice the sign that a colleague had taped to his back but, given his concentration, it seems to have worked.
But best of all are the hilarious passive-aggressive notes that colleagues leave each other.
These can be found in communal kitchens, shared bathrooms, and even taped to the wall next to your desk.
Here, FEMAIL has curated a selection of images showing the best kind of office banter… but I can’t think of any ideas.
It’s clearly a joke, but with passive-aggressive undertones, this sign is enough to keep any worker quiet.
If anyone was expecting a big “Thank you” written in icing on the goodbye cake, this fun design may disappoint.
A US worker had told her colleagues she didn’t like big birthday celebrations; they took a very literal approach to wishing her well on her special day.
If you weren’t already feeling a little uncomfortable about leaving, this sign will surely make you feel bad about moving on.
This man celebrated being sober for 24 years; His colleagues congratulated him for staying clean with…cleaning products.
When one of their colleagues passed away, a group of kitchen staff found a creative way to bring her back.
It may seem like “bring your kid to work” day, but the man at the front is actually older.
The people at this company clearly have their own way of making everyone feel safe at work.
Someone thought they would liven things up by attending a corporate meeting in their Halloween costume.
When a worker came across this meeting room, he must have wondered why only some people could have fun
We’ve all wanted to take a nap at work but only one worker went and did it