17 office games to play at work in 2023
To work successfully as a team, co-workers should build effective communication. Playing office games can be a fun and efficient way to improve communication in the workplace. Besides, office games help to boost morale, reduce stress and build stronger relationships among colleagues. This article will help to choose the best office games for your next team building activity.
So, there are lots of office games to play at work. Some of them are quick and easy, while others require concentration and collaboration of all participants.
Here is a classification of office games depending on the purpose of the activity.
ARTICLE NAVIGATION
Choose the best office games from the list below to play with your colleagues. Employees will have fun and improve essential soft skills at the same time.
Quick and fun icebreakers
Icebreakers are a fun start to any group session. Icebreaker games create a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. This can help ease any tension or nervousness. Icebreakers are also a great way to encourage participation and engagement from everyone in the group. By getting people involved in a fun and interactive activity, they are more likely to feel comfortable and willing to share their thoughts and ideas.
What is on my desk icebreakers
Each participant chooses one item on its desk and describes it to others. Tell as much detail as possible without revealing what the item is. For example, to describe a pen, you might say “I have a long, cylindrical object made of plastic and metal that I use to write.” The first player who guesses correctly wins a point. The player who gets the highest score is the winner. This icebreaker game helps to practice descriptive language skills and observation skills.
Two Truths and a Lie icebreakers
Participants share three statements about themselves. Two statements are true and one statement is false. The others should guess which statement is false. Everyone who guesses correctly wins a point. The player who gets the highest score is the winner. This icebreaker game helps to improve listening skills and encourages participants to communicate effectively.
Never Have I Ever icebreakers
This game involves asking a series of questions to the participants. Each participant raises both hands. If your answer to the question is positive, you bring one finger down. The team member that puts all fingers down or has the highest number of fingers down wins. This icebreaker game helps team members get to know each other better.
The list of questions to play Never Have I Ever office games:
- learned to play an instrument
- met a celebrity
- missed a flight
- climbed a mountain
- lied about my age
- been to 3+ country in one day
Icebreakers may be appropriate at the beginning of a meeting, when introducing new team members, during team building activities or when starting a new project.
Problem-solving office games
Problem-solving games aim to develop critical thinking, logical reasoning and decision-making. Problem-solving games often require players to analyze information, identify patterns and make connections to solve a problem. The team can learn to observe problems critically and develop solutions to overcome issues. Problem-solving exercises help to enhance creativity, strengthen critical thinking skills and improve decision-making abilities of the participants.
What Would You Do
Divide team members onto several groups. Each team should offer steps to solve the problem. Let everyone explain how they would behave in different circumstances. Here are some problem-solving scenarios to be used in the office games:
- what would you do if everyone in the office stand up and go out
- what would you do if food disappear from grocery shops
- what would you do if you lost in the forest
- what would you do if you should buy a train ticket with no money within 15 min
This problem-solving team building teaches us to solve real problems like the hypothetical ones.
Desert Island Survival
Players of this problem-solving game should imagine themselves on a desert island. Offer participants a list of actions to survive in no particular order. Each team should work together to arrange these actions in the correct order. Ask every team to explain their survival strategies to others. This problem-solving activity helps employees to improve decision-making abilities and collaboration with one another.
The Marshmallow Challenge
This problem-solving game involves dividing participants into teams. Give each team limited resources to build the tallest tower possible. Players should use spaghetti, tape, and a marshmallow. The team with the tallest tower wins the game. This problem-solving activity encourages collaboration, creativity, and effective communication among team members.
Communication office games
Great communication is essential to work effectively in the team. Playing communication office games can lead to better collaboration and more effective problem-solving in the workplace. Collaboration between teams leads to innovation and connection.
The Barter Puzzle
This communication game involves splitting a puzzle into pieces and giving each person a piece. The goal is to trade puzzle pieces with others to complete the puzzle. This team building encourages negotiation, communication, collaboration, and problem-solving.
Storytelling
One participant starts the story, and each participant adds a sentence or two to continue the story. This communication game helps improve storytelling skills and encourages participants to listen and build on each other’s ideas.
Telephone
A classic communication game where one person whispers a message to the person next to them, who then whispers it to the next person, and so on. The final participant says the message out loud. This communication game helps improve active listening and clear communication.
Trust-building office games
Trust is a crucial component of any successful team. Trust-building games help team members build trust with one another by creating an environment that encourages vulnerability and openness. When team members feel more connected and trust one another, they are more likely to feel motivated and engaged in their work.
Trust-building Fall
This classic trust-building activity involves one person standing on a raised platform or chair, and then falling backward. The other colleagues should catch them. This trust-building game helps to build a trusting relationship with colleagues.
Blindfolded Obstacle Course
Work in pairs to play this trust-building game. One person is blindfolded. The other person guides the partner through an obstacle course without touching them. This activity builds trust through communication, collaboration, and reliance on others.
Egg Drop Challenge
Split into teams and provide each team with an egg and materials such as paper, tape, and straws. The goal of this trust-building game is to build a device that will protect the egg from cracking when dropped from a height. This trust-building activity encourages creativity, collaboration, and trust in the ability of others.
Virtual team building activities
Participating in fun virtual team building games can help boost morale and motivation among team members. By playing together, employees can learn how to delegate tasks and work toward a common goal. Virtual team building can help foster collaboration and teamwork.
Online Escape Room
Virtual escape rooms involve players having to solve a series of puzzles and clues before time runs out. For example, the virtual escape game Project Avatar involves creative thinking and problem-solving. Such team building activity provides a break from the monotony of work and injecting a sense of fun into the workplace.
Online Scavenger Hunt
Create a list of items that participants will need to find. These items can be physical objects around their homes or online information that they need to search for. Be creative with the items on the list and encourage teamwork and collaboration among team members. Divide participants into several teams and ask to find and document each item on the list using photos or screenshots. The team with the most items found is the winner. This virtual team building activity can be a fun and interactive way to engage with your remote team members.
Online Quiz
Online quizzes are a fun and interactive way to learn new information and improve your knowledge on a variety of topics. To play quiz games online, first pick a game and a platform. For example, you could choose Random Trivia Generator for your next virtual team building. Online quizzes are a great option to encourage teamwork and team bonding.
Active games
Engaging in physical activities can help boost energy. Active office games can be a great way to relieve stress and promote relaxation. They can help employees unwind and recharge, leading to a more positive and productive work environment. Besides, active office games can help to develop physical skills such as hand-eye coordination and motor skills.
Statue challenge
This is a game where one player acts as the “statue maker” and the other players act as statues. The statue maker gives the statues specific poses to hold. The statues must freeze in that pose without moving until the statue maker releases them. This game can provide a break from the pressures and demands of work.
Office Olympics
Create an Olympic-style competition with events such as chair races, paper basketball, or a desk push-up challenge. This team building game encourages physical activity and healthy competition among employees.
Office Games Classification: Types, Names, and Objectives
| Type of Game | Game Name | Objective |
|---|---|---|
| Icebreakers | Never Have I Ever | Get to know each other better |
| Icebreakers | What is on my desk? | Practice descriptive language and observation skills |
| Icebreakers | Two Truths and a Lie | Improve listening skills and encourage effective communication |
| Problem-solving | What Would You Do? | Teach problem-solving strategies and collaboration |
| Problem-solving | Desert Island Survival | Improve decision-making abilities and teamwork |
| Problem-solving | The Marshmallow Challenge | Encourage collaboration, creativity, and effective communication. |
| Communication | The Barter Puzzle | Enhance negotiation, communication, collaboration, and problem-solving. |
| Communication | Storytelling | Improve storytelling skills and build on each other’s ideas. |
| Communication | Telephone | Improve active listening and clear communication |
| Trust-building | Trust-building Fall | Build trust and deepen relationships with colleagues |
| Trust-building | Blindfolded Obstacle Course | Build trust through communication, collaboration, and reliance on others. |
| Trust-building | Egg Drop Challenge | Encourage creativity, collaboration, and trust in the ability of others. |
Overall
Team building office games and icebreakers encourage teams to communicate, collaborate and think outside the box. Trust-building and problem-solving games enhance creativity, improve critical thinking and decision-making abilities of the team members. By incorporating office games into the workplace, companies can create a positive and productive work environment that benefits everyone involved. Check out the list of public holidays for 2023 to schedule your next team building activity.
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