The Office Playground Blog

Bad Chips and Dip

It's ok to admit that you don't like all of your co-workers. There always seems to be certain people who are geniuses at irritating you. Would you like to learn a surefire way to get them to leave you alone? Serve them bad dip. Here's how it works:

The Preparation
Start with some basic ingredients used for making a tasty dip: sour cream, salsa, plain yogurt, guacamole or cream cheese will do. Next, add some not-so-tasty ingredients like pickle juice, suicidal hot sauce, cod liver oil, grape jelly, etc. At this point, most recipes instruct you to season to taste. Well, you sure as heck aren't going to taste this stuff. So, go heavy on the bad ingredients to be sure the dip tastes really, really horrible.

The Placement
Neatly display the bad dip in your work area along with some chips. The chips don't have to be bad, but using stale chips would be a nice touch. Now, you wait for annoying co-workers to approach.

The Payoff
Those little mooches will soon come around looking for the free food. They always do. They'll slither up, sniffing and eyeballing your snacks. They will ask you for some. With a big smile you nod your head. Don't feel guilty. After all, you didn't offer it to your co-workers. They sought you out. Cherish the precious payoff when they take that huge reckless bite of bad dip.

The Act
As the targeted co-worker begins to chew their first bite, they will recoil from the horrible flavors attacking their taste buds. When they say, "AGH! THAT'S AWFUL," you burst into tears, grab the dip and yell, "That's my grandma's recipe!" Then, run to your car and go home for the day.

The Rewards

1. Your obnoxious co-workers will never come around again.
2. You get a free half-day off work.
   (Maybe you should watch some cooking shows.)
3. You'll never need to make food for the office again.
4. Everyone will be extra nice to you for a while.

Make some bad dip and watch your lame co-workers eat it. It'll make you laugh.

Bad dip making is just one more tool in your corporate survival toolbox.

Sincerely,

Bill Ross
The Office Toy Guy
OfficeToyGuy@OfficePlayground.com

www.OfficePlayground.com
We help you play on company time.

Image courtesy of Megan Soh.

Stealing Food at Work

The purpose of this blog post is not to endorse stealing your co-worker's lunch. We are simply offering advice on how to be successful at it.

Times are tough and your company is cutting back; it's up to you to create your own perks. Stealing your co-worker's lunch is wrong, but you're not likely going to go to jail if you get caught.

Speed – You can't linger around in the kitchen. Get in and get out. The ideal kitchen or break room has two doors. You should enter through one, snatch a free snack, and exit through the other.

Greed – Don't kill the goose that laid the golden egg. Don't steal food every day or from the same person over and over. We understand that certain people have better food than others, but exercise restraint.

Mix it up – If you work in a large company, spread out your efforts across all kitchens, break rooms, conference rooms, reception desks (free fruit or candy), etc. By spreading out, it'll be hard to identify the totality of your work.

Redirects – Once in a while, bring your own lunch and put it in the refrigerator with your name written on the bag. Your co-workers will think "the lunch thief can't be him, he brings his own." Little do they know you're just that hungry that you'll eat yours AND theirs. If the office is on to you, you can secretly eat half of your sandwich and then make a big scene, "HEY, WHO ATE MY SANDWICH!"

Image courtesy of Stacita.

Working with Aliens

Do you work with aliens? How would you know if you did? Finally there's help, here's a simple guide to discovering who among your colleagues are from another planet:

Food – Aliens don't eat normal human food. Look for colleagues who you've never seen eating. Offer them a slice of pizza because nobody from this planet would refuse free pizza.

Performance – Aliens are way smarter than humans and so they are typically successful. Look for those in your company who are high up in the organizational chart. Aliens are looking to run things, not be bossed around. For example, Bill Gates (Microsoft) and Jeff Bezos (Amazon) are aliens.

Social Skills – Aliens are not very good networkers and never play the role of office clown. Look for the ones who don't talk much and have a very difficult time conducting a conversation. Aliens don't have hobbies, they don’t have "good weekends" and they don't say "TGIF".

Office Romance – Aliens don't mate with humans and thus the aliens in your office won't ever get caught up in office romance. That should eliminate many of your colleagues as potential aliens.

Limited Time – Aliens don't just grind away at the corporate rat race. They are at your business for a specific reason, maybe to run a few experiments you would rather not know the details about. If one of your co-workers just vanishes one day, instead of a new job, they may have just returned to their home planet.

Now that you know who the aliens are at your company, you can begin the process of uncovering the robots. Stay tuned...

Bill Ross
CEO
www.OfficePlayground.com

Image courtesy of Steve Jurvetson.

10 Office Faux Pas

In an economic climate where companies are tightening their belts, job security can be shaky. No one wants their name to spring to mind when an employee must be let go. Behavior in the office setting is important. It may be the deciding factor between keeping your job and joining the ranks of the unemployed. Stay clear of the following office faux pas:

1. Do not engage in gossip or badmouth colleagues.
2. Dress appropriately for your position. Clothing that is too casual, too revealing, torn or dirty will make a negative impression.
3. Mind your table manners at a business lunch or group lunch celebration.
4. Do not take food from the community refrigerator or lunchroom that is not yours.
5. Clean up after yourself. Do not leave dirty food containers or half-eaten food on your desk, the lunchroom table or in the community sink.
6. Control your emotions at work. Outbursts of tears, anger or frustration are not acceptable behavior in the office.
7. Do not make personal calls during work hours. Use cell phones for personal calls and only make them during breaks. Show consideration to co-workers by moving to a private location when talking on a cell phone.
8. Music or the radio should not be audible beyond your desk. Wear earphones and keep the volume low so that you can hear others when they speak to you.
9. Keep your shoes on. Never walk around the office barefoot.
10. Never microwave fish in the office lunchroom! Microwaving raw onions isn't a great idea either. (We speak from experience!)

Image courtesy of Wolfrage.

Is the Lunch Break Going Extinct?

Today, it seems that the "lunch hour" is the biggest myth of office life. Many workplace experts suspect that even those workers who are allotted a half hour for lunch, often never leave their desks.

The move to shorter or non-existent lunches is in some cases self-imposed. Many workers remain at their desk and graze throughout the day. Those who do leave the office often dash around doing errands, especially women who must rush from work to pick up children. People are just too busy these days to take a leisurely lunch. They want to finish their work and leave at a reasonable hour so they can have some quality time with family and friends.

Giving up your lunch break could actually diminish your productivity, causing you to end up putting in more hours in the long run. The brain needs a rest in order to maintain concentration. Joe Takash, a business consultant, claims lunch breaks can "help boost creativity and profits."

People need the mid-day break. "They need to eat," demands Kathleen Hall, a stress and work-life balance expert. "Food boosts mental and physical productivity and regulates moods. Certain foods can also fight anxiety, stress and panic, which is good if you're having an especially difficult day."

Popular among younger employees, is lunch break computer games. Available online, these free games offer short, fun, stimulating diversions, but they don't provide a leisurely environment to eat lunch. Remember, the human body needs food, fresh air, exercise and relaxation to perform at its best.

Top image courtesy of Ziv Pugatch. Bottom image courtesy of Matt Seppings.

Nicknames in Business – Best Practices

Are you aware that 60% of all employees in America have a nickname? You shouldn’t be aware of that statistic because we made that up. :-) It grabbed your attention, right?

Do you have nicknames for certain co-workers or customers? Surely, you’ve got one for your boss. Doesn’t it make you feel better that you’ve tagged a secret nickname on a co-worker that drives you crazy? There's nothing better than the feeling of empowerment that nobody can take away from you. Here are some best practices for using nicknames at work:

1. Clones – People who look like others are "clones". Clones are the low hanging fruit of the nickname game. Let’s say your IT manager looks exactly like Bruce Springsteen. It's pretty straightforward—you'd call him "The Boss"!
2. Trust - Only tell others the nickname if you can completely trust they’ll use discretion and not tell the wrong brown-noser about it.
3. Redirects - Always redirect the source of the nickname and blame its creation on somebody else or as common knowledge around the office.
4. Verbal - Don’t ever write a nickname down on paper or, worse, type it into digital communication like an email. Nicknames are for verbal use only.
5. Acronyms - Use acronyms to ensure security levels. For instance, your boss is "Bloated Toad" and so you use "BT" to co-workers so you’ll never get caught. Just have an explanation for BT ready, "oh, that, it means Best Team worker". (Puke!)
6. Know the stakes – If your nickname is really negative and the person attached to it has power in the organization, you could lose your job if caught. If, however, you nail an amazing nickname that sticks, you could become the office hero. Your goal is nailing a nickname that is so perfect the recipient has no choice but to accept it. Go for a nickname slam dunk!
7. Do it right – Your mother always told you that "what’s worth doing is worth doing right". The nickname you create just might stick to that person for the rest of their life. Think this through before making an announcement to your trusted inner circle.

If you want your nicknames to be known for all to hear, follow in the footsteps of Sawyer, from the TV show LOST. He’s known for creating several nicknames for the other characters on the show and uses a nickname for himself. Some of the other characters attempt to use nicknames, but because of Sawyer’s delivery, it’s his nicknames that you’ll remember. He even has his own online nickname generator.

So go out and make up some nicknames; it’ll make your workdays just slightly more enjoyable. If you’re keeping the nickname a secret, just follow our rules above carefully and don’t say we told you do to any of this.

Need some nickname inspiration? Here are a couple nickname generators to get you started:

• Sawyer's Nickname Generator
• Get Nicknames

Bill Ross
Founder & CEO
Office Playground

Image courtesy of Alex Ruiz.

Fun Is Profitable! -- Just Ask Google

Google sets the standard for a happy work environment.

In 2007 and 2008, Fortune Magazine named Google the Number 1 employer in their annual 100 Best Companies to Work for. With a market cap of 120.97B and 12,000 employees in offices throughout the world, Google’s casual dress code and “work hard, play hard” philosophy is a prime example of when people are happy they perform better. It is a company that goes out of its way to ensure staff happiness and contentment. Their staff turnover is low, while job satisfaction is high. Google's playful approach to serious business is echoed in the many variations of their logo they create to honor interesting people and events around the world.

Great ideas start with just one person sowing a seed. You can make your workspace a more enjoyable place by adding colorful items, tactile toys and whimsical office supplies. Create variety by rotating items from your drawer to the desktop. You’ll be happier and your co-workers will be inspired. Watch your idea grow and spread throughout your company.

Office Playground is a provider of a wide variety of affordable products that add fun to any office. We’ve shipped toys and games to Google offices and we can ship them to you. Staff happiness encourages success.

Honoring The Office’s Michael Scott for Office Toy Best Practices

We are huge fans of NBC’s The Office. Michael Scott may not be the type of manager you’d want to work for, but there's one thing he gets, and that’s having fun at work. Next time you watch The Office, notice the office toys Michael has in his office, they include the following items:

Hoberman Mini Sphere

Wall Street Guru Ball

Newton's Cradle 7" Black

In this week’s episode entitled "Two Weeks", Michael is in rare form during his 2 week notice. He uses a Snapper Hand to totally annoy his direct reports. Please view the episode at the 1:44 mark, right as the episode begins, and watch Michael’s mastery of the Snapper Hand. Click here to view the episode.

Michael makes the technique look easy; we wonder how much practice he needed before that scene. He executes a perfect "paper snatch" from his salesman Jim. As the scene progresses, note the snapper hand hanging out of his suit pocket. Did we mention that all this is happening while he drinks a scotch and Splenda, which Michael says, "Tastes like Splenda, gets you drunk like scotch."

So, hats off to The Office and Michael Scott (actor Steve Carell) for the masterful Snapper Hand technique.

Go here to get your own Snapper Hand (you’re on your own for a scotch and Splenda).

April Fools' Jokes in the Office

April Fools' Day is less than a month away and some of us at Office Playground wondered if pranks are appropriate for the workplace. Our research says yes—within reason. Practical jokes add fun and excitement to long, stressful days at work. When there's more work to do and less people to do it, stress relief is essential for keeping sanity. However, be aware of the potential consequences of playing jokes in a professional setting. The target of the prank, and your boss, should have a sense of humor; you wouldn't want to lose your job just for some laughs.

Pamela J. Holland, the COO of BRODY Professional Development, gave Entrepreneur these additional tips for pulling pranks at work:

• Make sure it doesn't embarrass someone or cause disruption in the workplace.
• Think through all possible consequences of the joke.
• Don't use April Fools' Day as an opportunity to "get back" at someone you don't like.
• What's OK to do at home with family or friends may not be appropriate for the workplace.
• If your boss is the subject of your prank, be extremely careful. You need to know this person extremely well, understand their sense of humor and never do anything that would diminish your boss's authority.

Several well-known organizations, including Entrepreneur, Forbes, Monster and MSNBC all have web pages or articles dedicated to office prank ideas and tips.

We found dozens of practical joke ideas out there. Here are some of the most extreme office pranks:

(image credit: baraskit.se)	(image credit: cubejinx)	(image credit: Dan)
(image credit: Daryl Fox)	(image credit: Unknown)	(image credit: Matt Reinbold)

To take practical jokes down a notch, try out some of our ideas. Create an infestation of Wind-Up Mice, Squishimal Spiders or Mutant Flies in your neighbor’s cubicle. A few Stretchy Snakes around the office could do the job as well. Some of us here at the Playground have put several Bozo Bop Bags in front of a co-worker’s cubicle after she left the office for the day; she came back to a wall of giant clowns guarding her desk. For a simple and traditional practical joke, you can’t go wrong with the Self Inflating Whoopee Cushion or the Remote Controlled Whoopee Cushion.

If you’re looking to reduce stress and have some laughs, office pranks can be a fun idea, but only if they are done right. With some careful planning, and perhaps a secret nod of approval from your boss, manager or co-worker you’ll be having fun in the office on April Fools’ Day. Just be sure to use common sense!

I Weally Miss My Widdle Doggie at Work

So you're one of those incurable doggie lovers, but your workplace isn't one where a woof-woof would fit in. What's a canine lover to do? You could howl like a coyote, run in circles, wait at co-workers sides hoping someone will scratch behind your ears or, most intense of all, sit with your tongue hanging out and beg for their food while they eat lunch. Those are all really excellent ideas, however they don't rate very highly on the acceptable-workplace-behavior scale.

A more practical approach to address your longings for your woofy is to roll over to Office Playground's Dogs & Cats page and fetch some of our fun stuff with a canine theme. Maybe you'd like to impress co-workers (and yourself, and Cesar) with your dog training abilities -- in that case Mr. Mutt is your man... errr, dog. Or it could be that you'd like to see your loyal companion sleeping quietly by the side of your desk -- sounds like you need a Sleeping Dog. And when you need to bounce back from the dog-eat-dog environment that today's economy fosters, what could be better than the master of springiness, the Slinky Dog.

Stop being an ordinary paper pusher and use a Dog Stapler to conjure up thoughts of Fido, waiting faithfully at home, chewing up something new and expensive while you're gone. Don't sit and stay miserable! There's no better time than now to chase that doggie separation anxiety away; run over to the Playground and unleash your yearnings!

The Find It Expert

Find It puzzles are one of the most addictive and entertaining games we have here at Office Playground. Some of my co-workers introduced me to the Find It puzzles this past summer. One of the perks of working at Office Playground is that we get to play with sample products. I’ve found most of the hidden objects in all three of our Find It puzzles, so I now consider myself a Find It expert.

I started with the Find It - At The Beach, not even knowing we had other versions of the game. I was immediately hooked. I used a slow twisting and rocking technique to find over half of the hidden objects in less than a day. Most of the objects were easy to find with some time. At the end of my first day searching, I still had to find a few objects my co-workers had never found after their months of searching. It wasn’t long, though, until I found things they had not. The bathing suit, rock, sunshine and penny were some of the most difficult to find. The penny is supposedly the most stubborn of them all. Its weight, shape and size prevents it from appearing on the outer areas. I became rather obsessed with finding the penny and the rest of the objects. I did some research and discovered a special maneuver that uncovers the penny. I tried a few times and ended up finding the rock, which no one in the office had found yet. After some patience and persistence, I finally found the penny! Only a small amount of the penny was visible, since most of it was still covered in the tiny plastics beads, but it was certainly recognizable as a penny.

Later, I learned that there were other Find It games and we had samples of them too! I found the Find It - At The Zoo to be much more challenging than the Find It – At the Beach. It was difficult to decipher which animal I was looking at, especially if its head was still buried in the beads. The shape and the weight of many of the animals made them rather easy to find, but others were made out of unexpected materials or in a unique form. The kangaroo remains hidden.

The Find It - Original contains a diverse combination of objects, but they are very familiar. After experiencing the other Find It games, this one seemed easy. I could find several objects right away. A handful of the objects took longer to find than most, but became visible quickly. The only troublesome ones were the wing nut, popcorn kernel and the bow. I’ve searched for the bow for hours. I have come to the conclusion that the bow isn’t in my particular puzzle.

On my desk, I currently have a Find It tower of all three puzzles stacked on top of each other. It has caught the attention of co-workers passing by my cubicle and it has yet to tip over!

The Barnyard Comes to the Office

A favorite activity for some of us here at Office Playground is our daily barnyard animal sound session. We don't have to leave the safety of our cubicles to engage in this entertaining activity -- we just use the excellent vocal talents of our stock of slingshot flying animals, giving each a slap to make them call out. We sometimes have the same animal call in near unison, creating a delayed, echoing effect across the canyons of the office; other times we have different animals respond to one another in zany fashion. Our stockpile of animals includes the Slingshot Flying Chicken, the Slingshot Flying Cow, the Slingshot Flying Duck and, though they are not found in too many barnyards around the world, the Slingshot Flying Monkey.

Get yourself a set of these vociferous critters and start your own cacophonic tradition! Maybe the chicken leads off with its rooster-like calls in the morning, or maybe the duck helps get things going in that sleepy post-lunch phase by quacking everyone up. When you're up for something intense, go all out and have all four sound off at the same time. Hey, in an uncertain world we all need traditions, right?

Relieve Work Related Stress with Office Toys!

Work is often accompanied by a fair amount of stress. We still have a job to do, so it is important to manage some of this workplace stress and remain focused on our tasks.

Office toys can help you cope and keep you calm. The products available at www.OfficePlayground.com are intended to make you feel good. Silly stress balls, such as Sir-Squeeze A Lot and Monkey Groan Ball make you laugh. Mr. Bill, Magic 8 Ball and Slinky are cool vintage stress relievers that remind you of happy childhood memories. Raking the sand of a Zen Garden or listening to the click-clack of a Newton's Cradle can send you into a mini-meditation. Icky stress relief balls like the Blob Brain or Gurgling Gutz will give you a good gross out. While Tangle Relax Therapy and IsoFlex are therapeutic toys designed to help you release tension. So, don't forget to take a break from all the chaos around you to refocus your mind and do something that makes you smile.

Why is smiling so important? Because a smile can go a long way towards making you optimistic. A smile relieves stress, helps you stay positive, causes other people to smile and makes you feel better. When you start smiling on the outside, pretty soon you will start smiling on the inside.

You don't have to spend a lot to put a smile on your face. Stress toys pack a big punch for a small price. Our office toys have a positive effect on people because they are fun distractions full of stress relieving power.

The folks here at Office Playground, Inc. aren't scientists or psychologists; we just know what makes us happy. We are people like you with every day challenges and pressures. But, we still want to have fun and keep a positive attitude and we believe that a little bit of play can go a long way in helping you make it through the workday.

Office Playground, Inc. was founded in 1999. Since then, we have been focused on bringing you fun new desk toys and stress relievers at affordable prices. We value your business and our Customer Service team is waiting to answer any of your questions. As we head into our 10th year of business, our goal is to get to know you better so we can continue to bring you the best office toys the market has to offer. (TAKE A QUICK SURVEY!)