An Office Prank Led to a Negative Employee Review. How Do We Fix It?

[Root] Access is an advice column for questions about IT issues, career moves, and workplace concerns.

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Dear [Root] Access,

I run a small IT shop with my two best friends. We call ourselves “The Three Stooges,” and it’s a ton of fun. We’re super productive, but we also keep things lively in our small office, which usually involves good-natured pranks.

Recently, we decided to expand our three-person team and hired a fresh college grad, whom we’ll call “Funless Francis.” He appeared excited to join us, and we were happy to bring him on board.

On his first day, we wanted to initiate him into the team, Stooges-style: We surprised Funless Francis with a classic pie-in-the-face prank, topped off with a well-timed bicycle horn. Unfortunately, he didn’t see the humor in it. After a hasty cleanup in the bathroom, he walked out and has ghosted us ever since.

A few days later, I stumbled upon a scathing review of our company on a popular company review site (rhymes with “Class-Bore”), posted right after Funless Francis quit. In the review/rant, he called us “crazy,” “dangerous,” and “an HR nightmare” and urged job seekers to steer clear. I’ve tried everything to get the review taken down to no avail. I keep texting Funless Francis, telling him to remove his broadside, but he won’t respond.

Related:5 Ways to Improve IT Help Desk Accessibility and Inclusivity

This review is a significant blemish on our reputation. I’m worried it will hurt our chances of hiring as we grow. Since we can’t scrub it from the internet, I need advice on how to bounce back. How can we clean up the mess that Funless Francis has made for us and ensure his nasty review doesn’t tarnish our reputation permanently?

—Slapstick Steve

Dear Slapstick Steve,

You and your friends have built something magical: a close friendship and a cohesive microculture at work. But outside The Three Stooges, this way of working doesn’t translate. What’s fun and good-natured to you can feel unwelcoming—rightfully so—to anyone who enters your carefully curated comedic bubble.

Place yourself in your former employee’s non-clown-sized shoes: You just graduated from university and are nervously searching for that rare entry-level position that doesn’t paradoxically require 3-5 years of work experience. You apply to dozens of tech firms with thorough interview processes, hoping for a shot to use the technical skills you worked hard to build, all while watching the rise of AI make your prospects feel even slimmer. You prepare for each job application by reviewing the organization’s mission, vision, and values, and by thoroughly reading employee reviews online to ensure your behavior aligns with the organization’s expectations. You get turned down again and again until, finally, a tiny homegrown firm takes a chance on you. You feel hopeful that you’ll be welcomed and supported by this friendly trio that seems to have each other’s backs. You’re vulnerable, but you place your trust in the one employer who enables you to pay your rent and start a career.

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Then, Day One arrives. Imagine your surprise when instead of getting to know you, they haze you. You’re the new guy—and they won’t let you forget it. Any hope of being respected and heard flies out the window because your coworkers—and your boss—have already assigned you a role: the plaything to humiliate. 

Of course, that’s not what you experienced, because you’re the boss. But whether you meant it or not, your actions toward your new hire isolated him. And your former employee’s review is now protecting future candidates from the same challenging experience.

In a way, the review is a gift. You’ve received valuable feedback about how your leadership impacted an employee. Take it seriously and use it to change how you support your teammates moving forward. Only once you’ve stopped harassing your former employee, published clear values and expectations for future hires, and decided how to change your behavior can you reply to the online review. You can show how this experience helped you grow as a leader. Sometimes, real change is the only way to repair an employer’s brand. 

Related:My Manager Promised a Chill Meeting. I Got Ambushed Instead.

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