A cleaner at a Gold Coast school has been awarded $156,000 compensation after his workmates played a prank on him by pretending there had been an orgy in the staffroom.

Lawyers for Shane Green said he was traumatised after the groundsman and supervisor at the Helensvale State School in September 2014 set up the staffroom after hours as if a sexual orgy had taken place there.

Mr Green was shocked by the scene of a dishevelled bed, empty bottles and condoms scattered about the staffroom.

He was told he had to clean it up, which was distressing as he had children at the school.

"He was horrified and subjected to great emotional stress by this trauma especially when they didn't own up to the joke and left him believing it was real," lawyer Bruce Simmonds said.

"Who could he speak to? Who should he report this to?

"He bottled it up."

"Mr Green would like to resume his job at the school, but he feels humiliated by the experience and right now his future is unclear."

When the truth eventually came out, Mr Green lodged a claim for sexual harassment.

There were other incidents of sexual harassment and Mr Green subsequently had to step down from his job and rely on WorkCover.

The Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal has found the prank amounted to sexual harassment, ordering the State Government and the two colleagues to pay the compensation.