There are numerous studies proving that having fun in the office has positive impacts on employees’ well-being. Try these 5 fun activities with your team to maintain high levels of motivation and productivity.
Even today, playing games at work is still frowned upon in some offices. It creates illusions of laziness and distractions. However, a journal from the American Journal of Health Promotion stated otherwise. Having fun through engaging activities at work contributes to positive organizational outcomes, the journal stated. It enhances employee performance, creates higher commitment, and has lower turnover rates. Some top companies are already acknowledging this notion. For example, Google’s new office in Pune has a dedicated gaming room for their employees to relax and replenish their energy.
However, setting a dedicated space for fun activities might be difficult for smaller companies. Instead of space, allocating a specific time for entertaining and engaging team activities can be an alternative. Check out these 5 activities to keep your office fun.
5 Fun Activities that Boost Employee Morale
Fun in the workplace refers to activities that evoke positive emotions, the journal continued. This includes team-building exercises, social events, or other activities that can relieve stress and cultivate a sense of group harmony among employees. Here are some entertaining activities to try with your team.
Werewolf Game
Werewolf game is perfect to be played with a large number of employees. This is a role-playing game, where players are assigned to 4 different roles: the Werewolf, the Doctor, the Seer, and Villagers. To put simply, this is an elimination game with everyone trying to guess which player is the Werewolf before it can ‘kill’ the other players. Find the more comprehensive game rules here.
Two Truths and a Lie
This game is helpful for new team bonding activities. It gives employees a chance to know each other better through the shared stories. The rule is simple: each player will come up with two truths and one lie about themselves. The others will discuss and guess which statement is the lie. The game continues with each player taking turns.
Eat Poop You Cat
This game is perfect for team stress-relief, because it’s just a fun, silly activity that doesn’t have any scoring system, The Ann Arbor News pointed out.
To play this game, each player needs a pack of paper with sheets equal to the number of people playing. Each player writes any sentences on the first page. The next player on their left will draw the sentence on the next page, then pass it to their left so the next player can only see the drawing. This player will try to caption the drawing before passing the paper. The next player, who can only see the caption, will draw that caption on the next page. Repeat this until the paper is back to its respective owner.
Trivia
Trivia games are always entertaining for every age group. To make the most of this activity, try to choose trivia categories that everyone can enjoy. Topics like international general knowledge will be enjoyed by all. Keep it light-hearted by including questions about office culture or some inside jokes. To make it more engaging, prepare small gifts for three employees who get the correct answer the most.
Marshmallow Tower Challenge
This challenge was invented by Peter Skillman and popularized by Tom Wujec. According to the game’s website, this game is good for improving collaboration and innovation skills through a fun activity. The rules are easy: in 18 minutes, each group of coworkers can use 20 sticks of spaghetti, one meter of string, one meter of masking tape, and a marshmallow to build the tallest free-standing structure with the marshmallow on top.
Final Thoughts
At a glance, these fun activities may seem unserious and irrelevant. However, their primary purpose is to divert your team’s attention from work, fostering engagement, entertainment, and team bonding. These games improve employee’s physical and psychological well-being, which eventually leads to improved work performance. Additionally, they also promote a healthy working environment, strengthening your employer brand.
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