Woman pranks boss with elaborate, holiday-wrapped office

An Australian woman is being heralded as a prank master after revealing how she transformed her boss’ office during his day off.

Jo Thornely, an author and podcast host living in Sydney, posted a video of her elaborate stunt to Twitter on Dec. 1. The clip revealed what her boss returned to following his day off: an office plastered from top to bottom in holiday wrapping paper.

“My boss took the day off today, but might never again,” Thornely tweeted.

The prankster told Insider that the job — done with one coworker accomplice, who is also named Jo — took three and a half hours to complete. However, labor was seemingly the biggest cost, as Thornely added that the wrapping paper only cost a total of $30.

Every inch of the office was wrapped up — including pens, mugs and spare change — a feat that seemed to impress Thornely’s unnamed boss when he returned to work.

“He bloody loved it,” she told Insider. “After the initial sudden loud ‘Woah,’ he walked around inspecting everything and laughing. He’s used to having his office decorated every December, and he really understands that it’s our way of saying ‘Thanks for being a good boss.'” 

Thornely noted that seasonal decorations are a big deal at her company — which she has chosen not to name — with several higher-ups going all-out during the holiday season. That trend inspired the prankster to take “gift wrapping” to the next level.

“I’ve always loved the idea of simple, low-rent ideas executed well beyond the point at which others might get bored and stop,” she said. “So this was ideal.” 

Still, Thornely and her accomplice weren’t completely cruel. The duo even chose to label important items in their boss’ office in case he needed something in a hurry. Thornely noted that they also left a few essentials unharmed.

“The hardest things were the chairs and the items we wanted to keep useable, so our boss could keep working without too much trouble or interferences,” she told Insider. “So we kept the ear and mouthpiece of his phone free, any screens in use, keyboard buttons, the laser bit on his mouse, that sort of thing.” 

The prank apparently earned Thornely and her coworker plenty of praise around the office, as well as on social media. Twitter users poured in with admiration over the prank master’s video, complimenting her commitment to the joke.

“That is high quality pranking. Impressive attention to detail,” one user wrote.

“You wrapped the office better than I can wrap anything,” another added.

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