Whether you’re in charge of the office party or simply looking for ways to add a bit of fun and comradery to the workplace, it’s easy to add some excitement to the average workday.
In the 1990s, open office spaces were first appearing to combat rigid management hierarchies and promote collaboration. The foosball table became the new water cooler, and the idea that employees could work hard, get results and have fun became a workplace standard for innovative companies. Here are five office games that help you boost productivity and party like it’s nineteen-ninety- well, you get the idea.
1. Truth or Lie?
Here’s an ideal office icebreaker, perfect for groups getting to know each other for the first time. It works like this: going around the table, each person will tell the others three stories. Two stories will be true, and one will be a downright and blatant lie. It’s the job of everyone else to call out the lie. Not only will everyone have a great time learning a couple of truths about their colleagues, they’ll also learn who is the best office liar. And keep that information stored, people, it might be useful down the road!
2. Two Minute Trivia
Go ahead, get your Google on. In this simplest of games, employees are given a sheet of paper filled with trivia questions. They have two minutes to complete as many questions as possible. The most correct answers submitted by an employee wins fabulous prizes. It’s a quick but welcome diversion in the workday. And who knows, they might even learn something.
3. Insta-Pitch
Assign an individual to give an impromptu five-minute pitch on anything. It can be work-related, humorous, whatever. Employees gather in a meeting room to hear the pitch and score the presentation on persuasive skill, confidence, body language, and delivery of engaging content. The highest scoring speeches can be rewarded with prizes monthly or quarterly. It’s a great way to make work fun while promoting practical job skills.
4. The Public Puzzle
It’s so beautifully simple. Buy a jigsaw puzzle, spill the pieces on a table, and wait. In just a couple of minutes, on the way to the copier or back from the restroom, an employee can make a single contribution to the cause and the entire team can watch as each contribution helps the team accomplish a common goal.
5. The Scavenger Hunt
Employees have a love-hate relationship with the scavenger hunt, where teams are given a list of items they must find inside – and sometimes outside – the workplace. They’re high energy, disruptive to everyone, and yet so much fun. Many offices host fast-paced hunts that may take just an hour or two. However, longer scavenger hunts allow more complex lists of items and give more people a chance to participate in the office game. Items on the list can promote teambuilding by letting people to get to know one another while they play. For example, items can include “one of the team members’ favorite books” or “a photograph of a tattoo on the person least expected to have one.”
Work games build trust between colleagues and promote the sharing of ideas in a safe environment. They bring an office together for a few moments, with the goal of bringing co-workers together as a cohesive team. Encouraging a little bit of fun on the clock can be a great addition to your day, and to your company’s internal relationship management strategies.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Steve Harnden, Marketing Manager, Computhink 630.705.9050 x221, sharnden@computhink Lombard, IL, January 3, 2013 – Computhink, Inc., a leading provider of Electronic Document and Content Management Solutions to the small to mid-sizedRead more
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Steve Harnden, Marketing Manager, Computhink 630.705.9050 x221, sharnden@computhink CHICAGO, IL, July 24, 2013 – Computhink, a global provider of document and content management software, has rebranded their flagship product to Contentverse.Read more
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