According to Gallup, only 21% of US employees are engaged at work, which is devastating, knowing that employee engagement is one of the factors affecting their overall workplace satisfaction.
Many companies are looking for ways to motivate their employees through employee engagement activities. Is there a better way to do so than through fun office games?
We don’t think so!
In this article, we’ll share the best practices in employee engagement through interactive employee engagement games that you can play online and offline.
Our favorite online employee engagement games
Here are some ideas for online employee games you can create using Adact.
1. Gamified surveys
If you want to gather feedback or do an employee satisfaction survey, the best way is to turn it into an interactive game.
Traditional surveys are boring and people often fail to complete them because it feels like a chore. A gamified survey will engage employees and, as a result, increase the completion rate and help you gather valuable data.
It’s also a commonly used form of gamification for events when you want to gather feedback from attendees in real time.
2. Trivia night
Trivia is one of the classic games that can be played at team building. You can create trivia quizzes related to your industry or test the general knowledge of your employees (interesting facts about history, movies and culture).
Adact allows you to create different types of trivia:
- Classic game for one player
- Multiplayer trivia, if you want to add some healthy competition
- Video trivia, where the people get to answer the question based on the video they’ve watched
Whether you need work trivia game ideas or a guide to help you find the best trivia app for your needs, we got you covered.
3. Two truths, one lie
This game is a great way to get to know your coworkers better, learn about their previous work experience and have fun at the same time. It can also be a fun way to introduce new team members.
You can use the Adact trivia or quiz template, all you have to do is enter your data and let your colleagues guess.
For example, everyone could have a task to write three short sentences about their previous work experience and expertise, where two statements are true and one is a lie. Others get to play the guessing game and find out the truth.
4. Guess the desk/kitchen etc.
This is a great team bonding activity and an opportunity to learn more about each other outside of the work setting.
Ask your employees to send you a picture of their home desk/kitchen or anything else you choose and then ask employees to guess to whom they belong.
It’s a fun way to break the ice and get to know each other.
5. Wordle
You can create a custom Wordle game to check your employees’ knowledge on a particular subject or just have some fun.
The rules are simple: they must guess the hidden word by putting letters in the correct boxes. For an additional challenge, you can add extra letters that don’t belong to your word.
6. Quiz
Quizzes are always a good idea – whether you want to check your employees’ knowledge on a particular subject or skill or just have a quick and entertaining break from work. Click here to learn how to use gamification in the education of your employees.
7. Personality test
Personality tests are a prime example of gamification in HR and a great way to discover something about yourself and get to know your colleagues better.
This is also a fun and easy way to discover your employees’ personality types so you can create teams based on their strengths. Visit our blog post to learn how to create a personality quiz.
8. Battle
Why not transform a classic poll into a battle if you want to gather your employees’ opinions on specific topics? You can offer them multiple options; all they have to do is tap on the one they prefer.
This can be a great way to learn more about your coworkers and their preferences. For example, you can ask them about things they like/don’t like to do at work.
You can divide them into two teams–those that like creative thinking and those that prefer administrative tasks. Keep that in mind when assigning them new tasks; employee satisfaction is guaranteed!
9. Work advent calendar
Everyone loves the Advent calendar, no matter their age! You can create one to engage your employees with daily games, challenges or small gifts every day.
And the best part is that you don’t even have to wait for Christmas time, you can use the Advent calendar all year long!
You can customize your logo, brand colours, and custom pictures according to the season. You can also change the number of days and make it shorter or longer, depending on the occasion it’s used for.
Click here to discover other Christmas gamification ideas.
10. Wheel of fortune
You can use the wheel of fortune in many different ways, but it’s always fun and exciting as it adds an element of the unknown.
- You can use it to assign challenges to your employees in team building
- You can use it for warm-up questions during a video call
- Finally, if you want to reward your employees, why not spice things up and make them pick their gift through the wheel of fortune (some gift ideas include vouchers, SPA day, coupons for a local coffee shop, etc.)
Check out our guide on how to create a wheel of fortune.
11. Leaderboard
Finally, if you want to track your team’s performance and add a bit of healthy competition, Adact allows you to create leaderboards that keep track of your score in real time.
Click here to learn more about other games for virtual meetings.
Other employee engagement games & activities
Here are some other in-person employee engagement activities to try with your team.
1. Escape room
The escape room is a fun team-building activity for adrenaline lovers because solving mysteries and successfully exiting the room requires teamwork.
This activity also helps improve problem-solving and communication skills.
2. Scavenger hunt
This office game can be played as part of the onboarding experience or team orientation. Divide your coworkers into teams and challenge them to find all the objects from the list that other teams have hidden somewhere in the company.
Remember to add clues and prepare prizes for the winning team!
3. Murder mystery
If you want to go the extra mile and organize a team building to remember, murder mystery could be the right choice. Playing the detective can increase problem-solving skills and generate ideas.
You can create your own story based on crime novels or purchase one of the murder mystery games available online.
4. Gift exchange
You don’t have to wait for Secret Santa to surprise your colleagues with gifts. Occasions like your company’s anniversary or achieving a huge milestone are the perfect time to exchange gifts with other staff members.
That way, everyone can learn more about the person they’re getting the gift for, which helps to build meaningful relationships in your team. Remember to add a price limit because it’s more about the gesture than the value of the gift itself.
5. Race through town
We’ve been working remotely for so long that everyone craves outdoor activities. Is there a better activity than organizing a race through town, which you can combine with different challenges and fun games along the way?
6. Cooking/cocktail challenge
If you want to focus on non-work-related skills, you can organize a cooking competition like Master Chef, where teams compete against each other. And the best part is that all participants get to try out recipes/cocktails later, which can turn into an office happy hour!
7. Music challenge
Music challenge is a fun office game you can play online and offline, as it only requires a little preparation. You can play Name the tune, where time runs and teams compete who will guess the song’s name first.
Another great game is Lip sync, and if you’re feeling particularly inspired, you could even throw an office karaoke party!
8. Show and tell
Show and tell is a fun game to learn more about your team members, their interests and hobbies. Ask them to bring an item that means a lot to them and tell a story behind it, and why they value it so much.
This employee engagement activity can improve listening skills and empathy.
9. Art therapy
Art therapy is a great way to get those creative juices flowing, and that’s what we all need, especially after long hours in the office. It can be as simple as painting or using adult coloring books, or, if you feel more adventurous, you can try various crafts and learn how to make things together as a team.
10. Name team members
As the name says, this is a great bonding activity where you create nicknames for your coworkers, which can bring you closer as a team.
11. Volunteer day
Nothing brings people closer than working towards the same cause. This is a great opportunity to give back to your local community and participate in causes that are important to your team – whether it has to do with sports, the environment or helping kids in need.
Conclusion
Employee engagement games are an excellent way to have fun as a team, relax after a long week at work and get to know each other better. One thing is sure: after every game session, your employees will be happier, full of fresh energy and new ideas that are about to emerge.
With Adact, you can make over 30 interactive branded games guaranteed to boost employee engagement.
And the best part is that all games are highly customizable and easy to make, as everything is based on the drag-and-drop principle.
Sign up and create your first virtual game today!
Employee engagement games: FAQs
Some of the best activities include board games, organizing competitions and various events, and even games that you can play outdoors.
Some games that are always a good idea include: trivia, two truths and a lie, show and tell, etc.
Friday is a perfect time to make things light-hearted and more casual! You can finish the work earlier and organize a cooking, cocktail-making competition, or even a karaoke office party!
