There’s a reason people talk about the ‘daily grind’. Sometimes, the challenges we face at work can drain our enthusiasm - and that’s bad news for employee engagement.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. Smart leaders know that if you want to get the best out of your teams, it’s important to inject some fun games into the mix. Confetti has plenty of online office games and team building activities to engage employees!
How to use employee engagement games 🎲
Looking to up your communication skills for contact center efficiency or creative thinking to boost cross-team collaboration? Team building games are a fun and easy way to make sure everyone feels engaged at work.
Hosting fun office games can be an effective way to boost employee engagement, as long as you bear in mind the following points:
- Let teams compete in a mixture of team building games so there’s something for everyone.
- Plan virtual engagement activities outside of your virtual team meetings. It’s best to create a dedicated time slot to eliminate work-related distractions.
- Choose a time that works well for everybody.
- Don’t let it be a one-off; regular sessions are best for reaping the benefits and creating engaged employees.
With these simple guidelines in mind, here are 15 suggestions for virtual games that treat your team to well-earned fun and improve employee engagement.
Here are 15 employee engagement activities to boost morale and build stronger bonds with your winning team:
1. Virtual Escape Rooms
Nothing unites a team quite like having to overcome a challenge - and this kind of challenge is particularly fun. In a Virtual Escape Quest, your teams will work together to solve puzzles and challenges in a race against the clock. To emerge victorious, your teams will need to communicate effectively and put their problem-solving skills to the test if they want to solve the mystery.
Choose from various storylines and difficulty levels depending on the dynamics of your remote team. With so many storylines available, you can always come back for a new challenge!
How to get started 👉 Choose your Virtual Escape Quest and let the team bonding begin! 🔑
2. Casino Night
Calling all card sharks! Do you know when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em? In Casino Night, a seasoned dealer will guide you through the rules and strategies of games like Blackjack, Texas Hold 'Em, and Craps, ensuring everyone's on the same page before the excitement begins. From placing bets to navigating the gameplay, our expert will provide a comprehensive overview.
Once you're ready, it's time to put your skills to the test! Engage in the online casino game of your choice, using virtual chips displayed on the table. The goal? Accumulate as many chips as you can while enjoying some strategic gameplay against your colleagues.
How to get started 👉 Get your poker face ready for Casino Night! 🃏
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3. Werewolf
Your host will lead you through an immersive narrative where the ultimate objective is to identify and exile the Werewolf (one of your players) hiding within your midst. During the "nighttime", the Werewolf will discreetly inform the host of their target for elimination. Villagers possessing special abilities will also have the opportunity to wield their unique powers, gathering crucial information and safeguarding fellow villagers.
Come daylight, the host will unveil the unfortunate soul who fell victim to the Werewolf's cunning tactics. The town will convene for a trial, engaging in discussions and deliberations to pinpoint the elusive culprit. The villagers win if they can identify the werewolf successfully. The werewolf wins if they can survive the whole game!
How to get started 👉 Put your problem-solving skills to the test if you want to catch the Werewolf! 🐺
4. Trivia Games
Of all the benefits of AI in the workplace, one of the most underrated is its creative potential. You could put it to work by coming up with some fun trivia and icebreakers for your team to learn together. So, why not fire up ChatGPT and ask it to create a quiz on your suggested theme?
Or, let our professionals at Confetti do the hard work for you and enjoy one of our many team building trivia games. From themes like pop culture to cultural holidays to general knowledge, and more, there are plenty of rounds to keep your entire team entertained throughout the year.
How to get started 👉 Put your brains to the test with a round of Trivia Games! 🧠
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5. Two Truths and a Lie
This classic game is a tried-and-true icebreaker that’s a big party favorite. It’s also perfect for getting to know people in the workplace a little better, which is ideal for boosting engagement and collaboration.
Each person will submit two true facts about themselves and one false one. Your team will debate their guesses and vote on which one they think is the lie. Your entertaining game host will take the time to spotlight each employee with some follow-up questions to get the lowdown on their fun facts!
How to get started 👉 Enjoy some friendly deception and discoveries in Two Truths and a Lie! 🤫
6. Guess Who?
This is another wonderful way for team members to get to know their colleagues better. It needs a tiny bit of prep beforehand though. (But we'll take care of the hard part!)
Before the game, your employees will submit a few facts and old photos of themselves, which our host will turn into an interactive presentation. One by one, you'll take turns guessing which employees your fun facts are describing. This is a great game to use whenever you're welcoming interns or new hires onto your team!
How to get started 👉 See how well you know your colleagues in a round of Guess Who! 🤔
7. Charades
Charades is an oldie, but such a goodie. For in-person teams, the gameplay is simple: each player takes turns to draw the name of a movie, book, play, or song from a hat, then has to mime what it is for everyone else to guess. No talking allowed! This one can get very hilarious, very fast as the performer desperately tries to find a way to get particularly tricky answers across.
How to get started 👉 Include your remote teams in a round of Virtual Charades! 🎭
8. Name that tune
Next up, play a game that gives your audiophiles a chance to shine: a round of Boom Box! This music trivia game will test your knowledge of all things music, from album art to name-that-tune selections, song lyric deciphering, and more!
Your teams will work together to accumulate the most correct points. But if music isn't your strong suit - no worries! You can put your creative juices to the test and win some sparkle points for their unique and humorous responses. Engage employees with some friendly competition and a chance to make each other laugh, too!
How to get started 👉 Guess lyrics, album art, tunes, and more at the Boom Box! 📻
9. A day at the races
Okay, so we can’t all have group outings to the Kentucky Derby. But luckily, everyone can enjoy a round of virtual horse racing from their own homes!
Choose your favorite horse and cheer it home. You can give out prizes for those racing legends who top the leaderboard. This is a superb choice for larger groups, since everyone bets on the same races.
How to get started 👉 Put on your fancy hats and we'll see you at the virtual Horse Racing track! 🏇
10. Pictionary
This family favorite transfers surprisingly well to workplace settings. When playing in person, simply divide your team into groups and try to draw an illustration of a well-known word or phrase. It doesn’t matter if your artistic skills aren’t at gallery standard. Trying to identify what your colleagues are drawing can be even more fun when this is the case!
For virtual teams, we've made a digital whiteboard just for you! Our host will walk your teams through 16 rounds of excitement that boosts active listening and creative thinking.
How to get started 👉 Draw what you mean in a round of virtual Pictionary! ✏️
11. Scavenger Hunt
Cooperation meets competition as you divide into teams and go scavenging against the clock. You can do this within your work building, which can help new joiners orient themselves, but it’s often more fun to do it outside around the local area.
The two most common approaches to this game are either to give teams a list of questions they need to find the answers to or to ask them to collect items scavenger hunt style.
Before the game, have your leaders come up with the tasks as well as set the time frame. For the team who gets the most answers, or achieves the most tasks, treat them to a gift! A little friendly competition is always a great way to up the engagement.
12. Murder Mystery Party
Give your IT support team a break from installing ISMS software and solving user problems and confront them with a real mystery: a whodunnit?
In this Murder Mystery Party, a surprising cast of characters will lay out the scene. Then, your teams will be divided into breakout rooms to interrogate the characters as they rotate from room to room. Once they've gathered their evidence and clues, everyone will be brought back into the main room to share who they think is the culprit. This is a great activity to practice active listening and communication skills.
How to get started 👉 Pay close attention if you want to solve this Murder Mystery! 🕵️
13. Lip Sync Battle
If your teammates from afar can't gather for karaoke, here's a fun idea: throw a Lip Sync Battle event! The idea here is simple. Invite your employees who want to compete to sign up with their (HR-friendly) song of choice. Give participants some time to practice their performances ahead of time, props and costumes are encouraged!
When the day comes, invite your employees who are a part of the audience to vote on whose performance was their favorite. Be sure to shower your employees who go out on a limb and perform with praise, and maybe even treat the winner(s) to a gift to incentivize some friendly competition.
14. Office Olympics
If your team works in person, host a game night! Encourage your employees to bring their favorite board games, you never know what new favorites you'll discover. Seeing what games everyone brings is a great way to get a better glimpse into your team's personalities and interests.
For distributed teams, Confetti's Office Olympics is a perfect virtual alternative! You'll enjoy a mix of customer favorites: Jeoparty, Coworker Feud, and Mini Games! This game night is perfect for mixing up interactions with teammates and allowing participants to curate their game night experience.
How to get started 👉 Log on for some virtual fun in the Office Olympics.
15. Show and Tell
Finally, why not do a round of show and tell? Get everyone on your team to come in with an item that means something to them. Get together as a team, perhaps during a lunch or coffee break, go around the room, and have each team member explain the significance of their item. This storytelling activity is a terrific way of getting more insight into each other's backgrounds and encouraging group sharing.
How to get started 👉 Turn your Show and Tell into a Plug and Play Mixer. You'll enjoy some getting-to-know-you fun using objects around your home or office, and more!
Use Confetti team building events to keep your team engaged 🎉
In truth, the sheer number of games that can help improve employee engagement is limited only by your imagination. All of Confetti's games require a level of collaboration, communication, and teamwork, which improves employee engagement and company culture. So, get creative, and get playing!
If you need help finding the perfect games for your employee engagement goals, check out what's trending or contact [email protected] to get started!
