18/02/2018 40 Fun Office Game Ideas to Engage Employees | Susanna Varghese | Pulse | LinkedIn

40 Fun Office Game Ideas to Engage

Employees
Published on February 17, 2017

Susanna Varghese Follow

101 5 25
Digital Marketing Analyst at Fingent

To get the best out of employees, there is a need to have a true sense of closeness.
That's certainly been the case with all the successful companies. Team building is
important, for uniting employees and boosting their morale. So, team building games
are the best way to get your team to connect and work together better.

Here are 40 ideas that will help team building and have fun at work:

1. Pack up Your Troubles

In this activity, you need to make everyone write down an issue at work that has been
bothering them, then crumple them up and throw them in a pile. Separate the office into
groups, have each team grab a few problems at random, uncrumple them, and
brainstorm solutions.

2. Guess Who

This is the perfect icebreaker at any office party, and a great way to meet new people
and get the conversation going.

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3. Truths and Lies

This game – also known as Two

Truths, One Lie – is an easy, fun
and quick way for team
members to get to know one
another. Invite everyone to sit in
a circle facing the center. Instruct
everyone to take a minute or two to come up with two truths and one lie about
themselves.

4. Mix & Mingle

Employees selected from different departments to have lunch and get to know more
about each other.

5. What’s On Your Desk

Each team member brings one item from their desk to the exercise. The item is going to
be their product, and that they must come up with a name, logo, slogan, and marketing
plan for that object in a given amount of time. This could be done individually, or in
small groups, if desired.

6. Laughing Game

Have everyone stand in a circle. Each player takes it in turns to say “Ha ha", “Ho ho" or
“Hee hee". Anyone who starts laughing is knocked out. Keep the game going, until one
person’s left.

7. Name that Song

As the name says, this game is about naming the song played. A song from random
genre is played for the first five seconds. Anyone who knows what it is shouts out the

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name. The FIRST right answer is the winner.

8. Improvisation

This game is great way to

engage everyone in a relaxing,
fun way. Divide participants into
teams (8 or less). Supply each
team with a set of six random
objects and give them five
minutes to come up with a two-
to-three-minute skit making use
of all the objects provided. You can let the groups pick their topic or you can provide
one for them. At the end of the activity, have everyone vote for their favorite skit.

9. Organizational Jenga

Using wooden blocks or an actual Jenga game, mark blocks according to the hierarchies
in your company e.g. some blocks denoted as the IT department, and others as HR. You
might have particular shaped blocks marked as “manager” and block shapes as “support
staff.” The labeled blocks should reflect the composition of your office.

10. Make a Verbal Memory Wall

This one really gets people bonding and feeling positive about the company. Write some
work related subjects on poster board or post-its, then have everyone pick one and share
a memory related to that topic. Some subjects include, “late night,” “work travel,”
“working together,” “my first day,” etc. Get people laughing and sharing experiences!

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11. Have a “Success Bell”

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Some companies have a “Success Bell” set up in an accessible space of the workplace.
When someone in the office helps a client or makes a new sale they ring a bell and
everyone cheers.

12. The Statue Game

In this game, one person is chosen to be the statue. At a certain point during the planned
time, this person turns into a statue, in the middle of whatever they were doing. As
people start noticing, they too become statues. The last person to notice becomes the
next statue. Great fun, especially when people turn into statues in the middle of talking.

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13. Mannequin Challenge

The Mannequin Challenge is a latest viral video craze featuring people imitating
mannequins and freezing for the camera while music plays in the background. This can
be made in the office itself.

14. Guess Which Movie

Cut up a list of several movie titles and shuffle them. Pair everyone, then choose the
first pair to start. They pick up a paper and acts out a scene of the movie written on it
silently, no words or sound allowed. Everyone else guesses the movie. The winner then
takes their turn, with their partner. And so on. The game ends when all the pairs are
done.

15. Musical Chairs

Yes, we all played this in kindergarten, but it doesn’t really go out of fashion, does it?

16. Dig for Buried Treasure

Who can’t love a treasure hunt? and you're

never too old to join the fun. Set up a
treasure hunt game in the office with clues
to guide your employees along the way.
Break staff members up into teams and have
something enticing at point “X".

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17. Pranks

As a good teammate, you know that you've got one job to take care of when someone
goes on a vacation: To prank them. Not only is it funny if done well, but also your
victim will know that they've been missed and appreciate it.

18. Get Some Toys

Mary Owen from Oracle Corp. said: “We are under a lot of pressure and toys are our
comfort. We need them like Linus needs his blanket.” Toys for the office can include
origami paper, koosh balls, pez dispensers, hula hoops, a sand tray, jenga blocks, and so
on.

19. Name that Staff Member

Divide your staff into teams and put everyone's name into a hat. Each side needs to take
turns as they draw a name and use words to describe that particular employee and make
others guess the person.

20. Follow the Leader

In this game, one person in the place is designated as a leader and his activities are
observed by others. As the play resumes, everyone will be responsible for copying the
acts of the leader and repeat them together – or be the odd one out!

21. Noah’s Ark

Create two sets of animal cards and pass them out to all of the participants. Each person
has to find their matching card without talking in the human language. Make sure you
have a referee who can judge each couple once they have found each other. Game
continues until everyone has found their office mate.

22. Set Up a Game Room

Set up some games in the break room. Get a ping-pong table or a Foosball table. Set up
a chess set for a continuing game. You can even have a community jigsaw puzzle that
people can work on during their coffee or lunch break.

23. Snack Stash

Stocking a snack drawer is cheap, and creates a focal point for conversation in the
office. It also keeps people really happy, because they don't have to constantly run out
of the office if they want a bite to eat.

24. Death by Winking

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Everyone gets a piece of paper, one gets the paper with ‘M’ on it (for murderer), another
for ‘D’ (detective). The rest are marked with ‘V’ (victim). The detective must find the
murderer, who kills his target by a subtle wink. Victims should die, as soon as they’re
winked. The game ends, when the murderer is found.

25. Blind Drawing

This involves dividing team into groups of two each. Have each person sit with their
back to the other. One will have a picture. The other will have a blank paper and a pen.
The person with the picture must not show the image to the partner. Instead, should
describe the image without using words that give it away, while the teammate should
draw what is being described.

26. Blast Music

In some companies, they blast music at regular intervals when everyone’s energy is
starting to slump. Some people often get up and dance while others sing and clap during
that moment. This helps in re-energizing a lot.

27. Picnic

Company picnics are ultimate fun for the employees and their families. Get a barbecue
going, rent a few Air Bounce Slides or Castles for the kids and set up rounds of ultimate
Frisbee.

28. Office Olympics

Whether you organize your own or find a venue that can help you out, having a day of
sporting events is fun, competitive, and takes a boatload of teamwork. If Office
Olympics feel too complicated, consider taking teams out, for activities like bowling or
football.

29. It’s Your Problem

Evenly divide the team into groups of at least two. Tell them they have thirty minutes to
come up with a group problem-solving challenge that would make use of teamwork,
creativity, communication. When the time is up, the team will choose from one of the
problem-solving challenges and actually do the activity.

30. Office Photo Hunt Game

Everyone works in pairs to hunt down items provided on a list. Decide in advance
which items they’ll look for, and whether your pair will be hunting inside your
workplace or off-site. Set a distance limit too. Then set a time limit and send everyone
off. The fastest team to complete the list is the winner.

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31. Have a Holiday Decorating Contest

This activity is a little more fun than productive. And it still incorporates teamwork!
Whether it’s asking everyone to decorate their door in a holiday theme, or putting rows
of cubicles against each other in the name of creativity, you’re bound to have fun.

32. Potluck

There are plenty of ways to have a great office party, even if you’re strapped for cash.
You can cut down on the cost of food by having everyone bring in one item. Have them
sign up beforehand so that you don’t end up eating 15 varieties of chips and dip.

33. Bonding Belt

Bonding Belt is a fantastic team-building game that encourages discussion and

interactions between coworkers and peers. The game only lasts for 15 to 30 minutes, so
you could play it before staff or group meetings.

34. Laughter Yoga

Voluntary laughter provides the same physiological and psychological benefits as

spontaneous laughter. Have a Laughter Yoga session before each meeting to lower stress
level and have more productive meetings that generate lots of creative ideas.

35. Circle of Questions

As the business grows, it’s inevitable that you will have new team members. Circle of
Questions, as the name says is a great game if you’re attempting to work towards a
theme or problem you would like to address as a company.

36. Happy Hours

We can have fun outside of the office. So, grabbing a few drinks after work is a great
way to boost morale, and bring your team together around things that are, well, not
work. Just avoid overdoing it.

37. Tug-of-War

This is self explanatory but here goes anyway. Divide all employees into 2 groups.
Make each group hold one end of a long, solid rope. Both groups will have to pull the
rope from their respective sides. The team that falls will lose the game.

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38. What’s that Strange Thing?

Put various kinds of items in a bowl. You can pick softballs, unusual objects, slippery
toys, or other strange items. Blindfolded participants will have to reach in and determine
the item they have touched.

39. Opposites

The goal of this game is to do the opposite of what they've been asked to. E.g. you say
“walk" then they should stand still, or you say “crouch" everyone should stand up.
Anyone not doing the opposite gets out. The last player wins.

40. Create Art Together

Art can be therapeutic. Work together to create a mural on an office wall, or create some
other type of art together.

Liked these games? Please comment interesting games that are not part of
this list.

Susanna Varghese
Digital Marketing Analyst at Fingent Follow
11 articles

5 comments Newest

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Raji Joby 2mo

Officer- Vendor contracts & performance
Superb Susanna....great ideas!
Like Reply 1 Reply

Susanna Varghese 1w
Digital Marketing Analyst at Fingent
Thank you
Like Reply

Krista Mischo 2mo

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18/02/2018 40 Fun Office Game Ideas to Engage Employees | Susanna Varghese | Pulse | LinkedIn

WOW, what a list of fun, unique team building activities. We just did a White Elephant exchange at work
and I relayed some insights in an article, that may interest you. :)
Like Reply 1 Like • 1 Reply

Susanna Varghese 1w
Digital Marketing Analyst at Fingent
That's great!
Like Reply

There are 3 other comments. Show more.

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