Office game ideas

The cooking competitions continue until one winner is identified. Have everyone form a circle and hold hands and put a hula hoop on the shoulder of one of the people.

The goal of the activity is to get the hoop around all the members of the circle dropping hands. On International Day people can bring in a favorite dish and share it with the rest of the office.

Have managers organize departments into large dance troupes. The department can vote on a song and then choreograph a group dance to surprise another department.

These flash mobs or surprise dances can occur throughout the year with each department getting its own chance to shine. Block out a week of the year, one that may be less busy than others, and allow departments to prank other departments. The pranks should be fun and harmless, but brew a sense of friendly mischief and competition between departments.

They then buy a gift for the person whose name they picked out of the bucket. Gifts can range, though it is highly recommended to set a price limit. Before beginning, set a step goal for the office to reach by the end of the program.

Supply all people with pedometers and have them record their steps for each day in a Google Doc or Google Sheets. At the end of the program, calculate the total steps and see if your office has achieved the goal. Break people into teams and supply building equipment such as popsicle sticks, newspapers, tape, and glue.

Each team will create a small bridge that can connect two books placed two feet apart. The team with the bridge that can hold the most weight will be crowned the winner. Have everyone bring in a baby picture of themselves. Place all the pictures in a common space and give people time to view them.

Then, hold a vote to see if people can correctly match the pictures to their respective persons. Organize a day where everyone from the office will volunteer together at a local animal shelter. This can be done on a workday or on the weekend. Plan an office-wide scavenger hunt. Break the office into several teams, leaving clues all around the office. The first team to finish will be the winner. Break the office into teams and host a trivia night. Each team will have the opportunity to win a point if they are the first to correctly answer a question.

Hold several rounds, eliminating the lowest-scoring team at the end of each round, until you are left with two teams. Save the hardest questions for the last round, allowing the two remaining teams to call on eliminated persons for help. Host a card game or board game tournament during lunchtime. Make available various board games and several sets of cards for people to use. Provide teams with crafting supplies such as cotton balls, tape, newspaper, and cardboard.

The teams must create an egg holder that will prevent the egg from being cracked when dropped from a predetermined height. Break off people into groups of two. Each pair will be tied together at the ankles and must compete in a race against other pairs. The team to finish first while remaining tied together wins the race. This can be done in conjunction with other activities.

Create teams, making sure to break departments up. Use the drawing-based charades game to help people educate their team members on what they do. Each member of each team will be given the opportunity to draw one aspect of his or her job, whether it be a day-to-day activity or something more complicated. Have all participating people form a circle. After the circle is formed, people will hold the right hand of one employee and the left hand of another employee.

Make sure the people holding hands are standing across from each other so a human knot can be formed. The goal of this activity is to untie this knot without letting go of anyone's hand. Create an obstacle course through the office. People who volunteer to go through the course are blindfolded and guided through the course by their colleagues. Provide each team with the same amount of plastic cups, making sure to keep the amount unknown until the start of the competition.

Each team must use all of the cups to create a pyramid. Then they must break down the pyramid by stacking the cups one into the other.

If a cup is missing from the stack or if a cup falls out of the pyramid, then the team must start again from scratch. Fitness challenges frequent here planking and wall sits and team competition gets fierce.

When we need to blow off steam, we hop on a razor scooter or start a nerf war. Next step to get started: Learn how to plan and organize a full basketball tournament here. Pick your favorite form of trickery mind games, such as Mafia, Eat Poop You Cat, and Werewolf , to embark on an adventure of laughter, treachery, and both big and little lies, all told in the name of fun.

Get to know who spins the most clever lies and also who can spit them out while looking you straight in the eye. Werewolf is a great way for people to loosen up and casually accuse each other of being a blood-thirsty werewolf that has been killing the villagers while they sleep.

You can find the rules here. Eat Poop, You Cat is essentially telephone Pictionary. Each person writes down a phrase, passes it to the left. The person must then draw a picture based on the phrase, then fold the paper over so the phrase is hidden. You continue to pass the paper until you get yours back. Another awesome way to get people laughing together! Trivia is a lot of fun. Take a variety of trivia quizzes and then peruse and laugh about the results to turn your work team into a family.

Put a spin on it: Ice cream and icebreaker games. Warm up the team with some sugar and a few casual icebreakers before you immerse them in a test of random knowledge. Kim Lao from Accredible is on a team that spans across continents, so it was important that they could find some type of activity that would allow folks on either side of the Atlantic to participate. Sharing laughs about the questions that stump us gives us a fun start to the work week. I even recently learned through the trivia contests that an international World Toilet Day actually exists!

Next step to get started: Get support for your weekly trivia habit. Personal genomics company 23andMe makes onsite fitness activities and treadmill desks available to their employees to get the blood flowing during the workday. Reward employees while also indulging in some fun team building. Office fitness yoga, boxing, or anything else you want covers all the bases.

People at OwnLocal work extremely hard throughout the day, so we encourage people to blow off steam. Next step to get started: Explore a world of corporate wellness possibilities. During this event, you actually get to live inside the mystery. It combines video conferencing and a specially designed app to make every aspect of solving the mystery, from examining clues to reviewing case files, flow perfectly.

Ex: Most likely to suspect everyone. The team at Facebook recently explored this office activity and found some initial success. Check out their testimonial here. He helped me get up to speed with the app and the event and was super professional.

I also loved how easy it was to pay for our event and get all of the details to print out and to run the event. Whoever decided on Clue Murder Mystery is great! Do you have what it takes to be a master codebreaker? Put your skills to the test during this virtual session packed with trivia, riddles, and puzzles to dizzy your intellect. Put a spin on it: Tell everyone to come prepared with a riddle. Pause the game clock at random so teammates can challenge teammates with even more mind-bending fun.

The teams had a great time solving them. Your team provided great support to ensure we had what we needed for the event to be successful. Next step to get started: Face the ultimate code-breaking challenge.

Why choose between games when you can experience a spectacular combination of all your favorite virtual team-building activities? Remote teams will delight in a series of drawing prompts, trivia questions, and video challenges. Put a spin on it: Choose an amount of time say, 5, 10, or 15 minutes and agree to break for a dance party at those intervals. After their most recent office game competition, Christine Smessaert from Intel had this to say about the event,.

We are discussing having another event for our Capital Partners. Next step to get started: Did someone say virtual office games? Book an event here. Bust out your home country mini flags. Put a spin on it: Have everyone share throwback pictures of themselves either being athletic or trying to be athletic. It brought us together across geographies — working together as teams and having a lot of fun.

And you know what, a little competition, and a lot of fun. Next step to get started: Grab that torch. Your team is waiting. Few team-building games hold as much universal appeal as the noble scavenger hunt. Put a spin on it: Reinforce your company culture by basing some of the clues on your core values or mission goals.

We flew in GE team members from all over the world for the team-building scavenger hunt, and the hunt was the perfect way for them to explore a new place. Everyone who participated was so impressed they said that they wanted to do similar hunts in their respective cities, with their teams.

They went above and beyond, making it easy to incorporate questions about our company into the hunt. Next step to get started: Ready, set, hunt. This activity channels all those altruistic feel-good vibes that tap into the true importance of team building.

All the ingredients of giving back are ready and waiting for you and your team to show up to build some bikes, have some fun, and then donate them to a charity. Put a spin on it: Rent tandem bicycles and go for a group joyride to celebrate your good deeds. In this video testimonial, a team recently participated in a charity bike-building event. See what that had to say in the video below,. Book a call today to get a quote for your entire office. Think you can keep your cool under extreme pressure?

Find out by daring to enter an escape room. You and your team will bond as you work together to pursue your ultimate goal: freedom. Choose your adventure to wind up in anything from an art museum to a remote jungle. Put a spin on it: Have everyone create a character that they must embody throughout the entire challenge.

He is amazing and so much fun to have as a remote guide. He allowed us to really think about what we needed to do, which is the whole enjoyment of Escape Rooms!

See you in a few weeks!!! Bring the team together to make something. Sure this sounds a lot like work, but you might be surprised how much riotous fun you can have breaking into small groups and creating models, prototypes, plans, or productive fails during an uninterrupted spree of collaboration and creativity. Put a spin on it: Close each day with a talent show.

When employees create, promote, and improve games for a living, what do they do to make work even more awesome? They play more games. Rioters also enjoy hackathons, where teams with big ideas attempt to build marketable models and prototypes in a two-day invention fest. They call it the Thunderdome. Thunderdome proves you can design engaging employee activities around doing more work—work without restrictions and limits, work that lets employees connect secret passions and inventions to their day-to-day lives.

These activities maximize employee passion by focusing on the aspects of work employees are most passionate about. Whatever it is, employees will love it. Next step to get started: Get inspired to innovate through failure. Bust out the beer, the pretzels, and the das boot—lederhosen are strictly optional of course. To pull off this event, you simply infuse your office with that priceless festival vibe. Ask everyone to bring in beer or nonalcoholic beverages and snacks of their choice.

The fun really gets rolling as you share and mingle. Put a spin on it: Turn this Fun Friday into a feel-good spectacular by layering on one of these recognition ideas , like giving everyone beer fest nicknames. A team at Microsoft had this to say about beer tasting with City Brew :.

They were so accommodating for our group and were very knowledgeable about beer and the breeding process. I will definitely be booking with them again! Next step to get started: Find the best beers near you. You barely need to manage or control this activity at all; the key service you provide is just that first step of bringing together people who usually spend little time with each other.

Put a spin on it: Layer on inspiration from musical chairs by having everyone switch seats every ten minutes or so. When we reached out to Manisha Priyadarshan at Sparks , who specializes in live marketing experiences, we were blown away at all the fun things they do at their office.

At Sparks, we strive for this every day. We greatly invest in our employees and want them to wake up looking forward to coming to Sparks, because, well, they have fun. Here are some of the ways we embrace number Next step to get started: Warm up to this event by using a mingling tool like Donut.

A post shared by Momofuku momolongplay. Head out on a tasty field trip to sample local flavors even the foodies among you have never sampled.

Take them on a tour ASAP. The flavors, the aromas, the company — every aspect of wine tasting amplifies all your team bonding efforts. You can bring the wine right into your workspace or bring your staff members to the wine. Put a spin on it: Invent your own wine rating system or lingo.

Yes, you can do it with emojis. Here is a recent review from a wine tasting provider that the SnackNation marketing team has used before,. EVERY bottle had something for someone to enjoy. This will make a great gift! I cannot say how well curated this selection is. Next step to get started: Every wine yearns for the day someone will drink it and love it.

Make wishes come true today. This is a recurring event, a team-wide personal development session you can do every Monday to start the week off warmed up for learning. Doing something exciting and mind-opening instead of immediately tucking into that to-do list gets people amped for every aspect of their job. This incorporates a team-wide personal development session every Monday to start the week off learning something new. We recognize that getting people away from their desks and interacting with each other for a few minutes can have an energizing effect across the office.

We also practice bi-weekly office yoga and scooter races in the parking lot to let employees enjoy themselves after working hard. Next step to get started: Bring more learning into your work environment. This is the team building activity for those who loathe the structure of team building activities. All you have to do is go outside together.

Talk a little about anything you want. Some teams may want to share gratitude while others enjoy sharing grievances. George Dickerson explains how Bonusly manages to have fun together even though their team is thousands of miles apart:. That provides us a great mix of things to do together.

In Boulder, we do more outdoor activities together like barbecues and hiking in the Rocky Mountains. Next step to get started: Get in the mood to Walk. We love office activities that accomplish two or more goals at once. This one helps you bond with your coworkers while you also pursue your fitness goals.

Choose as much or as little structure as you want. Take a scheduled class at your local gym or just go for a freestyle jog whenever you feel like it. The only rule is that you do it together. Put a spin on it: Share new experiences together. Randomly pull out one thing you can all do together. Having fun at work can also contribute to employee wellness.

We return back to the office energized, and Wednesday afternoons after a class usually end up being our most productive time of the week. Next step to get started: Explore all the group-ready workouts. Engage even a large group of employees by celebrating via food, drinks, games, and prizes a company win, such as meeting a revenue goal, completing fundraising, or launching something new.

Put a spin on it: Invent a totally unique win ritual. Next step to get started: Read up on some celebration strategies. Find out who favors classic fear, who likes to put a clever spin on costuming, and who could do work on the side as a makeup artist. Put a spin on it: Use the Nectar platform to document and build engagement around your contest. Everyone can browse photos and award points. Having a committee or even 1 person in charge of holidays like Halloween is a very good idea.

We offer access to a free gym membership and have a standing invitation to a p. For mental relaxation or stimulation, depending on how you look at it , employees are encouraged to take breaks as needed to play FIFA on the Xbox, race the Anki car, or challenge each other to a game of chess. This month, our Culture Committee is planning a table tennis tournament, an indoor soccer game with a local rival team, and treating the staff to a Thanksgiving feast.

Next step to get started: Crowdsource some tips and tricks. This quote from a Time magazine article explains why pets make good office mates:. Next step to get started: Get that pet policy in order. Join a charismatic host on a whirlwind adventure of memories and nostalgia as you test your knowledge of the past during a series of trivia games. He brings quick wit, great charm, and fantastic energy to his events.

Next step to get started: Go on! Let the nostalgia in. Few work teams have the time or the budget to take international trips together. However, your team can take a virtual trip to Paris together and make similarly unforgettable travel memories. Travel via the internet portal to and enjoy the beauty and the culture of this magical city. Put a spin on it: Everyone has to describe the imaginary souvenirs they picked up during their travels. And during a pandemic when you cannot travel to the places you love It makes you realize how much you miss it.

Pierre transported us to authentic Paris for the evening and we cannot thank him enough. He was very engaging, funny and allowed a group of parents who had not met one another before travel abroad for the evening.

Highly recommend! If your contest is creative and rewarding, then you will have no problem with sign-ups. Plus, enthusiastic employees will encourage peers to join the fun. Contests teach the goal-setting and achievement process in an entertaining way. By making your contest as fun as possible, you encourage participation and ensure maximum employee engagement. These competitions can be a great way to break up the work routine and recharge your crew. You should seek out games and activities to amuse your staff.

The more creative and interactive, the better. Competitions are a great opportunity for team bonding. Contests can promote the concept of the collective win by requiring participants to work together to succeed.

Preparing the contest entry compels teammates to spend time together and get to know each other better. Plus, working towards a common goal gives groups a shared sense of purpose, and is great practice for on-the-job projects. While the will to win inspires some teammates and the desire to improve the workplace spurs others, some individuals could use material motivation.

By offering an attractive prize, you encourage extra effort. Plus, the prizes serve as a physical reminder of the fun experience. Healthy competition can bolster creativity and inspire top performances.

Contests also fuel the formation of workplace friendships, as employees find common ground by banding together to win. Competitions can also boost employee morale and increase satisfaction. Plus, everyone likes to win now and then, and sharing the victory with a team is extra sweet. For more advice on increasing staff enthusiasm, check out our article on employee engagement best practices and ways to motivate remote employees. We also have a guide to workplace complacency.

The most entertaining workplace competitions are either creative and unexpected, or high-intensity and time-sensitive. The best workplace competitions are inclusive and encourage widespread participation. Some of the most fun contest ideas for work include Online Office Games, Virtual Team Trivia, and desk decoration contests.

You could tailor the theme to your industry or department, or choose a fun and relevant topic. You could even get inventive and choose a unique or specific theme.

For example, you and your staff could parody famous celebrity photos, like these librarians posing as Kardashians.

You could either do covert research or survey your staff directly to decide the perfect prize. Or, set a budget and allow the winner to pick a prize within the price range. Though expensive gifts are flashy and exciting, your workplace competition prize does not necessarily need to be costly to draw interest.

Team building content expert. Angela has a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and worked as a community manager with Yelp to plan events for businesses.

Skip to content You found our guide to hosting successful workplace competitions. What are workplace competitions?

What are the types of workplace competitions? Here are some of the most common types of workplace competitions: Workplace fitness competition Cubicle or desk decoration contests Office food drives Workplace safety competition You will find examples of these competitions on the list below, along with: Workplace competition games Photo contest ideas for employees Work from home contest ideas Contest ideas to motivate employees Employee engagement contest ideas And more!

List of workplace competitions From Workplace Safety Bingo to Virtual Hackathons, here is a list of fun contest ideas for work that will motivate and delight your staff. Workplace Safety Bingo Workplace safety competitions condition employees to be safer and more mindful on the job. Online Office Games Hosted If you need fun workplace competition games to spice up your virtual office, then look no farther than Online Office Games.

Virtual Team Trivia Virtual Team Trivia is one of the most entertaining workplace competitions you could hold with your remote teams. Virtual Hackathon Hackathons are marathon competitions where teams compete to sketch a new product or idea within a set amount of time, typically one weekend.

Hotshot Snapshot Companies often host contests where employees submit photos for a chance to win a prize. Costume Contest Chances are, your colleagues either arrive to work in uniform or business casual attire. Around the world in 80 workdays Step-counting contests are one of the most common workplace fitness competitions. Deck-a-desk The most natural workplace decoration competition is to prompt employees to bling out their desks. Here are a few ideas for desk decorating contest themes: Under the sea Outer space Holiday wonderland Haunted house Around the world Steampunk Movie magic Employees can either decorate individually or as a team.

Tidy-up Treasure Hunt Messy desks are no jokes. Pantry Polls Contests boost worker confidence and workplace morale, but can also benefit the broader community.

Review Roulette In theory, rewarding employees for mentions in rave reviews is a good idea. How to play: Choose a staff member to take a turn. Select a review at random. If the review is positive, the teammate wins a prize, such as a coffee shop gift card or an office accessory. How to hold a workplace competition in 6 easy steps From outlining rules to awarding prizes, here are key steps to running a smooth and successful employee competition.

Step 1: Determine the parameters The first step to any workplace competition is to decide the type of contest. Step 2: Build excitement You want to convince as many employees to participate as possible, so you will want to build buzz. Step 3: Explain the rules Before the competition begins, take time to thoroughly explain the rules and procedures. Step 4: Divide employees into teams Workplace competitions serve as great team building challenges.

Step 5: Enjoy the fun Once all the details are in order, all that remains is to step back and let the games begin. Step 6: Award prizes For most employees, the thrill of competition is enough to fuel the will to win. Tips for workplace competitions Below you will find tips for hosting successful workplace competitions that encourage participation and enrich the employee experience. Aim for fun Contests teach the goal-setting and achievement process in an entertaining way.

Compete in teams Competitions are a great opportunity for team bonding. Offer enviable prizes While the will to win inspires some teammates and the desire to improve the workplace spurs others, some individuals could use material motivation. Final Thoughts Healthy competition can bolster creativity and inspire top performances.

FAQ: Workplace competitions Here are more common questions and answers about workplace competitions. What are fun workplace competitions? What are good workplace competition themes? Workplace competition themes could be work-related or totally random. Good workplace competition theme ideas include: The past The future Around the world Holidays Childhood games The Olympics or sports playoffs Hollywood You could tailor the theme to your industry or department, or choose a fun and relevant topic.

What are the best workplace competition prizes? This works especially well if your office is in a big-on-hometown-sports city. Share this article: Twitter LinkedIn Email. Author: Angela Robinson Team building content expert.

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