HR department prank emails staff saying they'll get a raise

A woman has revealed the absolutely brutal April Fool's Day 'prank’ played on employees by the HR team at her workplace with social media users saying they would ‘quit so fast’ if they were in her shoes. 

In a post on TikTok, a woman named Lauren - or @laurenleo0 as she’s known on the platform - shared her experience of the most ‘toxic thing’ someone at a workplace has ever said to her. 

And fair play, it was pretty extraordinary behaviour - check it out: 

In the clip, Lauren revealed that one day all staff received an email from the HR manager of the company, which she decided not to name, informing them of a pay rise, but it wasn’t quite what it seemed. 

She explained: “So, at my last company, the HR manager sent out an email to the team thanking them for their hard work and that they would get a salary increase because the team was working so hard and was severely understaffed and underpaid.”

Sounds good, right? Except it turned out to not actually be the case at all. 

Lauren continued: “Just for it to be an April Fool’s joke. Donna, that was so mean.” How’s that for a kick in the teeth, eh? 

Claudia Nass / Alamy Stock Photo

In the comments, Lauren confirmed that the part explaining that it was an April Fool’s joke was included right at the ‘very bottom’ of the email announcing the non-existent pay rise.

Pretty shocking stuff, I'm sure you'll agree.

As you can imagine, fellow TikTok users were horrified by the ‘prank’ with one saying: “I would quit so fast.”

Another wrote: “Giving my two second notice. Don’t expect me to be there after that.”

Mirror those sentiments, another wrote: “April 2nd they’re getting my notice.”

While someone else commented: “Wowwwww, my jaw literally dropped. I wasn’t expecting that.”

Others used it as a chance to share their own toxic workplace horror stories, adding: “We actually had our yearly bonuses rescinded after the New Years and were given a pizza party instead.” Ouch. 

And someone else shared: “Mine told me I was ‘playing the victim’ for taking two days off when my grandfather died.”

Fortunately for Lauren she’s since parted ways with her previous employer and I don't reckon it takes a genius to work out why.

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Topics: TikTok

Claire Reid

Claire is a journalist at UNILAD who, after dossing around for a few years, went to Liverpool John Moores University. She graduated with a degree in Journalism and a whole load of debt. When not writing words in exchange for money she is usually at home watching serial killer documentaries surrounded by cats.