50 Fun office games to promote teamwork: Curated for all occasions

50 Fun office games to promote teamwork: Curated for all occasions

Getting along well with your coworkers is helpful at work and in your personal life. One significant advantage is that it can make you happier with your job. When you enjoy spending time with the people you work with, going to work becomes more enjoyable. You feel happier and more excited about tackling your tasks each day. So, what are fun office games that promote teamwork?

Employees having a chat in the office
Getting along well with your colleagues is helpful at work and in your personal life. Photo: Morsa Images (modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Many spend more time in the office and with coworkers than at home. Positive relationships with colleagues can enhance job satisfaction, boost workplace productivity, and contribute to overall well-being and contentment. One way to ensure that everyone enjoys their time at the office is by using fun office games that include everyone.

Fun office games to promote teamwork

Office games help colleagues bond and learn about each other in a fun way. They also build communication skills and bonds essential for good office relationships.

Read also

50 Insightful accountability quotes to keep you in check

Team bonding games

These games foster team building and encourage a supportive environment. They focus on strengths, achievements, and growth opportunities rather than problems or shortcomings. Here are some fun office games to boost employees' morale.

1. Human snakes

For this game, divide your group into teams of equal size, preferably 4 to 6 members per team, but you can have more or fewer. Each team lines up with hands on the shoulders of the person in front, all blindfolded except the last person. Then, the previous person guides the team through an obstacle course.

2. Do a silent line-up

Get multiple teams to compete in several rounds. Participants must line up in various orders, such as by age, height, number of siblings, or number of pets. However, there's a twist—they must arrange themselves without uttering a word.

3. Story Chain

Read also

What is the easiest sport? 10 easiest sports to learn and play

This imaginative activity starts with one team member initiating a story with a single sentence. Each subsequent person contributes to the narrative, continuing the story. It can be done in face-to-face team gatherings or through video calls.

4. Lunch and learn

Consider hosting an enlightening lunch session. During that session, encourage team members to share their hobbies or recent discoveries. Organising team lunches can allow coworkers to learn more about each other if you have a large company.

People playing a game at the office
Office games foster team building and encourage a supportive environment. Photo: Eleganza
Source: Getty Images

5. Battle of the bands

Divide your team into groups of 3-4 people to assign roles like singer, guitarist, and drummer. Give them 5 minutes to select a sweet song, rehearse quickly, and prepare for their performance. Each group will then present a lip-synced rendition of their chosen tune. Following the performances, teams can vote for the winner.

6. Balloon Race

Divide your group into teams standing in a line. Each person should hold a balloon between their chest and back without using their hands. Teams then navigate an obstacle course or race together. Racing all teams simultaneously is enjoyable, but if space is limited, use a stopwatch to time each team individually.

Read also

25 fun challenges to do with friends both at home and in transit

7. Two truths and a lie

Two truths and a lie involve each person sharing two factual statements about themselves and one false. The main goal is to guess which statement is the lie for each player. Besides inspiring creativity in crafting statements, the game also leads to discovering intriguing facts about your colleagues.

8. Guess that baby

Everyone brings a picture of themselves as a baby. Colleagues try to match each image with the corresponding person. This activity fosters enjoyable interactions, sparks positive conversations, and provides insights into each other's childhoods.

9. Back-to-back drawing

Pair up the whole group and begin the competition. Sit back-to-back, with one person receiving a simple picture and the other given paper and a pen. The person with the image instructs their partner verbally on how to draw it. Compare the drawings and determine which team created the most accurate replica.

10. Bridge building

Read also

50 best hobbies for men to try doing in your free time

Rather than having your employees construct natural bridges, encourage them to collaborate on building miniature bridges using materials such as paper, old bottles, and glue. Teams must build a bridge between two markers, and the bridge that supports the most weight without falling wins the prize.

11. Whose office is this?

To play 'Whose office is this?', one person takes photos of various workplaces. Then, participants guess whose office each picture belongs to. The person with the most correct guesses wins.

12. Heads up

Players place a phone on their heads, and words appear for others to describe. This game can also be played remotely through a video link, though it's more enjoyable when everyone is together in person.

13. Spot the difference

This office game presents participants with two similar images or scenes, with minor differences. Players must identify and mark these discrepancies within a set time limit. This game encourages attention to detail and observational skills among colleagues.

Read also

Boss Day 2024: Creative ideas on how to celebrate and gift your boss

14. Charades

Players act out words or phrases for teammates to guess without speaking. One team provides a player with a movie name. The player acts out the movie's name silently. If their team guesses correctly, they earn a point; otherwise, the opposing team scores. Repeat until the game ends, and the team with the most points wins.

15. Pictionary

Have each team member write down a word. Swap papers and take turns drawing. You can divide into pairs or small groups or play as one big team and guess the drawings together.

Office baby shower games

Colleagues gifting an expectant mother in an office.
Office baby shower games help build genuine bonds with your colleagues. Photo: Zero Creatives
Source: Getty Images

If a coworker is expecting, there are numerous ways to celebrate their upcoming baby at work. Here are some office games you can try for fun.

1. Decorate their office or desk

If there isn't enough time or space for a traditional baby shower, consider decorating your workspace with balloons, streamers, and other festive items. Deliver a cake and gifts in the morning, and become known as the most supportive work family ever.

Read also

25 top places to go with friends: Fun places to visit with your friends on a budget

2. Set up a taco bar

This provides a fun and allergy-conscious option for catering a baby shower at work, allowing guests to customise their plates with preferred ingredients. Consider a playful "taco 'bout a baby" theme with themed paper goods and balloons, ensuring the expecting parent has plenty of guacamole available.

3. Baby shower bingo

Provide guests with a personalised bingo card containing common baby shower gifts such as baby bottles, onesies, pacifiers, gift cards, and strollers. The first guest to mark off a row, column, or diagonal on their card wins.

4. Throw a pizza party

Skip fancy catering for pizza—it's simple, crowd-pleasing, and perfect for satisfying pregnancy cravings. Surprise the parents-to-be by announcing a free lunch and ensure they join the celebration.

5. My water broke

Before the event, freeze tiny plastic baby dolls into giant ice cubes. During the party, distribute an ice cube to each guest and challenge them to release the dolls as quickly as possible. The first person to free the plastic babies and exclaim, "My water broke," wins a prize.

Read also

What to do when bored in class? Fun and engaging activities to kill time in class

6. Serve just desserts

Host a dessert-centric gathering suitable for any time of the day. The gathering can feature treats catered or provided by home bakers. Allow the parent-to-be to indulge in delicious desserts while guests exchange parenting anecdotes.

7. Name that baby tune

This game evokes nostalgic childhood memories. Compile or acquire a playlist featuring baby songs and nursery rhymes. Throughout the party, play each track and encourage guests to call out the song titles.

Online team-building games

A young woman working from the comfort of her home.
Online team-building games are also effective in building social skills for employees. Photo: Mixetto
Source: Getty Images

You can play online games besides in-person office games, especially those working from home. Here is a list to choose from.

1. Team pursuit

Team pursuit is a fantastic method for teammates to gain deeper insights into each other. This game consists of a sequence of skill and mystery-filled challenges. Through these activities, team members have the opportunity to improve their communication skills and uncover hidden talents.

2. Psych

To play this game, download the app and share the unique passcode with all participants. Players receive a question on their phones and come up with creative answers. The game helps you learn more about your colleagues while exchanging wild answers and voting on favourites.

Read also

15 smart side hustles for college students: List of ideas to consider

3. Would you rather?

This easy game fosters conversation, perfecting in-person and online worker's play. Use a poll slide deck for group voting in virtual meetings. Ask the questions while the team replies. It quickly breaks the ice and gets everyone chatting.

4. Tiny Campfire

Tiny Campfire hosts virtual campfire sessions for remote teams. These sessions feature spooky historical ghost stories, icebreakers, and small competitions. It's an enjoyable, cleverly designed experience, likely the finest online camping experience available.

5. Code Break

If your team enjoys mental challenges, Code Break is the ideal virtual team-building game for you. Engage your team in solving trivia, riddles, and puzzles alongside their colleagues. This game is particularly suitable for competitive groups that thrive on unravelling intricate codes as a team.

6. Game show extravaganza

To play this game, teams can get thrilled with trivia challenges as they face off, tackling questions spanning politics, pop culture, and beyond. It's a thrilling race against time, adding an extra level of excitement to the competition.

Read also

10 jobs where you work alone for those who don't like being around people

7. Virtual typing competition

Hosting a virtual typing contest is a relaxed approach to starting team-building. With Zoom screen sharing and a program accessible to all, the team can showcase their typing prowess. Recommended typing speed competition sites like Type Racer and Nitro Type are perfect for enjoyable yet lightly competitive team-building activities.

8. Quarterly Christmas

This game involves surprising your team members with a package delivered to their mailboxes every few months. Quarterly Christmas is impactful because receiving an unexpected package resembles a little ray of sunshine on an otherwise gloomy day.

Office Christmas party games

Men playing beer pong game in the office
Office Christmas games will help to break the monotony in an office. Photo: Recep
Source: Getty Images

Nothing breaks the monotony like office party games. Get your colleagues or employees engaged with these games during the Christmas holiday to build their bonds further.

1. Christmas tree drawing

For this game, you only need durable paper plates and a marker for each employee. Players position their paper plates on their heads and draw on them without peeking. The host provides instructions, such as drawing a Christmas tree, adding decorations, and topping it with a star to create a festive scene.

Read also

Guide on how to plan a birthday party and get everything right

2. Snowball fight

Inflate at most 50 balloons, adjusting the quantity based on your group's size. Utilise painter's tape to mark a dividing line down the centre of the party room. Each team has two minutes to manoeuvre as many balloons as possible to the opposing side without crossing the line.

3. Holiday jeopardy

Create trivia questions such as, "What's the name of George Bailey's guardian angel in It's a Wonderful Life?" and "In A Christmas Story, what do the Parkers eat for Christmas dinner?"

4. Christmas tie game

Request your colleagues contribute Christmas or tacky ties a few weeks before the event. During the party, pair up employees and provide each team with a tie. With only one hand allowed, one person in each pair must tie their partner's. The team that finishes first wins.

5. Christmas balloon pop

Get ready with blown-up red and green balloons for everyone, and attach one to each employee's ankle. The aim is to burst other players' balloons by stomping on them while protecting one's balloon. When a balloon pops, that player is eliminated. The last person with an intact balloon wins.

Read also

30 interesting websites to cure boredom that work pretty well

6. Candy cane relay

Prepare candy canes, stockings, chopsticks, and bowls. Divide them among the two teams, distribute candy canes, and have players use chopsticks to transfer them into stockings. The team with the most candy canes wins.

7. Toilet paper snowman

Pair up staff members. One person acts as the snowman, and the other becomes the wrapper. Provide each team with rolls of toilet paper. The objective is to wrap up their snowman entirely, from head to toe, as fast as possible. The team that completes the wrapping first wins.

8. Holiday two truths and a lie

This is one of the games to play at work with your colleagues. Request your colleagues to recall the worst Christmas presents they've ever gotten. Each person devises two true stories and one false one.

9. Reindeer Antlers

Split the players into equal teams and provide each team with a pair of pantyhose, 15 small balloons, and two pieces of ribbon. One team member wears the pantyhose on their head, while the others inflate the balloons and insert them one by one into the legs of the pantyhose to create "antlers."

Read also

Fashion game for adults: 10 of the best dress-up games for adults that love fashion

10. What's in the stocking?

Place ten assorted holiday items, such as a roll of tape, candy cane, Christmas bow, or miniature Christmas tree, into a stocking. Tie the stocking at the top to conceal its contents. Pass the stocking around, and employees rely on their sense of touch to identify the items inside, jotting down each one they recognise.

11. Desk personalities

To play this beautiful game, ask each person to contribute one distinctive item from their desk, then showcase all the items at the party. The enjoyment comes from guessing who each item belongs to. Consider labelling each item's bottom with its owner's name to avoid confusion.

12. Christmas guess

Before the party, request your colleagues bring a childhood photo of themselves taken during Christmastime. Number the photos and display them on a wall in the party room. Employees then jot down their guesses about who each image belongs to, and the individual with the most correct answers wins.

Read also

30 incredible Roman numerals tattoo designs to try and their meaning

Halloween office games

A worker ready to play pumpkin game during Halloween in an office
Halloween office games are spooky and scary but also amazing for team building. Photo: Natalia Malivanova
Source: Getty Images

These are games you can play at the office during Halloween. They are interesting, spooky and sometimes scary but fun for team building.

1. Halloween talent show

Host an office Halloween talent show with stand-up comedy, juggling, singing, karaoke, and more. Encourage dressing up and desk decoration to enhance the fun. It's a budget-friendly way to boost office morale and create lasting memories while learning about your teammates.

2. Hollywood murder mystery

Assign character roles to participants from a list of suspects, detectives, and witnesses. Provide character profiles with motives. Encourage interaction, clue gathering, and information exchange. Host scripted "murder scenes" and gradually reveal new clues.

3. Spooky story time

Highlight your office storytellers with Halloween Storytime. Share spooky tales, real or fictional, with extra credit for getting into character. Depending on your team's ghost story skills, get ready for laughter or chills—bonus points for adding a flashlight and dimming the lights.

Read also

20 fun Snapchat games and how to play by yourself and friends

4. Halloween trivia

In this thrilling team quiz, you and your teammates can showcase your expertise while unleashing your creativity. Stay sharp for the rapid-fire challenges and prepare to unleash your competitive spirit.

5. CI: The crime investigators

In this team-building exercise, you and your group will wear detective hats to unravel a deadly crime. You'll face a challenging task: collecting evidence, scrutinising clues, and solving the case before time elapses.

6. Pumpkin carving

A Halloween office game must-have is pumpkin carving. It's a fun and cheap way to enjoy the holiday. You don't need to be an artist to join in. Whether you're skilled or not, it's all about having creative fun as a team.

7. Haunted house visits

If you and your team are up for an adventure, few activities are as entertaining as exploring a spooky haunted house. Your group can bond over shared screams, plenty of laughter, and a thrilling experience that will test your courage together.

8. The mummy wrap

Divide into teams and nominate one member to become a mummy, wrapped entirely in toilet paper. The team that wraps its mummy the fastest wins. Encourage teams to customise their mummy costumes to align with your brand or company theme for an added challenge.

Fun office games are a great way to unite everyone and make work more enjoyable. They help build friendships, improve communication, and boost morale. Employees who take a break from work to play games can feel happier and more connected to their colleagues.

Yen.com.gh recently published an interesting list of hilarious flower puns and jokes. There are various entertaining ways to play with flower names and meanings, and floral puns and jokes can help.

Adding some hilarious flower puns to complement flowers would only enhance the beauty of nature. Read the post to learn more about hilarious flower puns and jokes.

Source: YEN.com.gh

Authors:
Peris Wamangu avatar

Peris Wamangu (Lifestyle writer) Peris Wamangu is a reporter with more than four years of experience as a content writer. Peris joined Yen in 2024. Before that, she worked with Legit's team from 2021 to 2024. Peris graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Nairobi in 2019. She enjoys writing about various topics such as fashion, currency, biographies, entertainment and business. In 2023, Peris finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. Email: wamanguperis@gmail.com

Tags: