Your birthday is like your own personal holiday. exercise has the ability to improve mental focus, themed office days are a proven morale booster, towards employee and morale building schemes, an act of kindness of any type can boost happiness, Performance Management for the Legal Sector, Performance Management in the Public and Third Sector. ... (especially strategy-based games) to the table. Try incorporating fun office events into your workplace to boost morale and inspire enthusiasm after teams accomplish milestones or finish big projects. While you’re here, explore how continuous performance management can boost employee morale. 30 Virtual Team Building Activities To Boost Remote Employee Morale In 2020. Plus, many classic field day games are inherent bonding games, guaranteed to bring people closer together and improve communication. Interestingly, it has been found that an act of kindness of any type can boost happiness. Office picnics are a classic way to boost employee morale. Who says work has to be all work? 10. With no commute, less pressure to wear a full face of makeup and formal office attire, and fewer distractions, working from home definitely has its perks. Employees won’t fulfill their potential or achieve their employee performance goals if they’re lacking confidence. 04. ... employees are more likely to be relaxed and welcome to bonding in their homes. Divide employees into two teams. This only helps those who participate, though, so encourage employees who don't want to play to attend games and cheer everyone on. Pick one and use it for this exercise. And turn the right ones into reality. As a quick morale booster, consider implementing regular sports days for your employees. Trivia is a great way to get employees to work together, while also getting them engaged and energised. Instrumental music works best, as lyrics have a tendency to distract. Arrange a Scavenger Hunt A scavenger hunt may seem like a children's game. Of course, you’ll need the game. There is no real aim or direction to these meetings — they’re merely a chance for people to connect and unwind together, but you’d be surprised what a difference they can make. Game #6: Keep 3 balloons aloft for one minute Once a month, set a book title and a time and place where your team will meet to discuss a book. Time each member of the team, add up the individual times, and the team that has the longest time wins. You get access to all of our courses, as well as the chance to connect with forward thinking HR professionals in our various communities. Your employees will respect honesty while you work together to fix any issues. The answer is that you can inject more fun into your office environment! “As a way to boost morale and encourage teamwork while we’re apart, my company has been hosting virtual trivia nights every week. Some companies decide to take a serious stance on issues such as obesity and implement office“Biggest Loser” style competitions and contests. Yeah, you’ll feel a little silly, but themed workdays are an easy way to boost employee morale and get everyone excited to go to work. Nothing quite sets the mood like music, making it a fun and easy way to improve morale in any office setting. You can use technology such as Fitbits to track and compare steps — these contests allow employees to prioritise fitness while interacting and engaging with their colleagues. You have to remain transparent to boost staff morale. 1. We all need a little fun at work. Employee engagement and team-building don’t have to be full (or half) day activities. A member of the prestigious Speaker Hall of Fame and one of fewer than 700 Certified Speaking Professionals worldwide, Barbara Glanz, CSP, CPAE, works with organizations to improve morale, retention and service and with people who want to rediscover the joy in their work and in their lives. These are all simple, yet effective ways of bringing a little fun into the work place, and to help boost employee morale. To boost morale, consider hosting a family-friendly event or outing during work hours. You want your employees to feel a sense of belonging and of being part of a tight-knit team. While everyone is out, have the office freshly painted with bright colors. Separate one bag of kidney beans and one bag of chickpeas into a bowl for each team (you’ll also need four empty bowls for the sorting). Plan fun non-work activities. It's very different to normal work (unlike Game #2 so it should be very effective at cutting stress). Examples of the available activities include Online Office Games, which is a series of virtual team building games/activities like typing-speed races, spreadsheet pixel-art and print-paper origami, and Murder in Ancient Egypt which is a murder mystery that uses “escape the room” mechanics to … Boost Office Morale: Team-Building Games & Activities. Whether your employees are encouraged to turn up as their favourite literary hero or comic book supervillain, themed office days are a proven morale booster. Despite their strange names, Werewolf (also known as Mafia) and Eat Poop, You Cat are fun office games that promote team bonding. Conclusion Game #5: One-minute trivia game Employee Engagement Activities In Companies – 5 Activities To Try, Renumeration expert Rachael McCamley - interview, Top 5 busiest Human Resources forums/discussion groups. The office can set up different games such as bag races, three-legged races, volleyball and softball. What’s more, most employees are eager to be more fit and active, but they lack the opportunity and motivation to do it alone — particularly if they are stuck behind a desk for eight hours each day. Final Thoughts. Divide into two teams and then instruct teams to separate the beans into type. There's even been an "International Fun at Work Day" created to encourage having fun at work. Let people choose one: the day before, the day of, or day after their birthday. It also gives individuals a chance to get to know a bit more about one another. Scavenger hunts aren’t just a fun pastime for children — a lot of adults secretly enjoy the challenge of being sent off in search of random, hard-to-find objects, making this one of our favourite employee morale activities. Game #8: Pop the balloons 12 Ways to Help Boost Team Morale. Game #4: One-minute treasure hunt Make sure to have PLENTY of balloons on hand and get two different colors to make counting easier. For some easy and fun employee engagement ideas, see our post here or make up your own team-building game. You may have to run more than one round to get a score where someone wins but this is still an exercise that is short and sweet…not to mention fun. The game is exactly as it sounds: each person attempts to keep three balloons aloft for one minute. Werewolf involves assigning people roles and having the “villagers” guess who the “werewolves” are before they’re attacked. This is a quick and easy way to play a game with your employees. Game #1: Pick up M&Ms with chopsticks This is a great game to play as teams or individually. Pick a theme and let their imaginations run wild. If you have a variety of questions and subject areas, it allows employees of different backgrounds and talents to show off their strengths. Purchase two bags of kidney beans and two bags of chickpeas (or any type of beans that differ in color or shape). It can boost morale and, more importantly, it can help spark each person’s creativity, which can be extremely beneficial for meetings. Once you have compiled a list, split your employees into teams and watch them work through the checklist. The sports don’t have to be targeted towards those who are naturally gifted and fit — they can include games such as bowling, clay pigeon shooting or darts. During tough economic times, where our staff is dealing with salary freezes and the limiting of benefits, it is especially important to lighten the mood of the office. Themed office days allow employees to be a little creative with their ensembles. Many staff would benefit from some fun office activities to boost morale. If one works in a small office, or games are needed for a work place unit consisting of few individuals, you will find our office party games for small groups effective for parties and anytime your employees gather in a group. Barbara Glanz Biography. Ronda Suder All work and no play makes the office a dull place. Morale boosters are a great way to improve office culture and earn the benefits of team building . Employees are people. The return to a clean space may just be the spark you need to instantly improve morale. These rooms involve employees working together and dividing up tasks to solve a convoluted puzzle, all while a clock ticks away in the background. Label two sets of items with team names (team 1/team 2, red team/blue team, etc.). Discover twelve fun office games to boost morale without breaking the bank below. Inform them about company updates, new protocols, customer feedback, and more. They are engaging, inexpensive, thoroughly fun, and guaranteed to bring a little constructive play to your office: Binder Clip Tag You don't need a large budget to build camaraderie in the workplace -- sometimes all you need is a simple office binder clip. The team that gets the most items wins. Instruct participants to pick up and move as many M&Ms as possible from one bowl to another (the second bowl should be empty) in one minute using nothing but the provided chopsticks. Don’t attempt to hide problems or avoid conversations when morale is low. 10. Modern businesses are continually looking at how to boost employee morale with no cost — fortunately, we’ve done the legwork for you. Never fear! Discover twelve fun office games to boost morale without breaking the bank below. Offer drawings and prizes for game winners. It's very different to normal work (unlike Game #2 so it should be very effective at cutting stress). 50 Festive Ideas to Boost Employee Morale Year-Round Employee morale is a common buzzword in the HR industry because of the significant role it plays in daily office operations. Game #9: Separate the beans Periodically playing games with your employees (no, we’re not talking mind games) is a great way to build camaraderie and provide a much-needed break from the stresses of a workday (or workweek), all while building team morale. The person to answer the most questions wins. Popular contact centre games often involve creativity to rejuvenate agents’ minds, to boost morale and provide motivation during a repetitive routine. Knowing this, it would be a great and charitable idea to go volunteering as a team — this can help employees feel good about themselves and feel connected to one another, as well as to their community. Here are our top six recommendations. Explain the rules which aren’t terribly difficult to understand and then give each team one minute to get guess as many phrases as possible. You might take great pride in your office’s professionalism and formal dress code, but now and then, it might be a good idea to loosen the reins and have a little fun. Contestants cannot step on, sit on, bite, poke, or use any other implement but their hands to pop the balloons. It’s harder than it sounds and you may want to see – while shooting for a minute – who can go the longest. We’ve compiled a list of employee morale activities and staff morale boosters that will quickly and effectively unite a team, lift its spirit and incentivise it to go that extra mile for your business. Game #2: One-minute typing test It is great for morale when employees know that they matter to their organisation and that their important milestones aren’t overlooked. Our jobs end up meaning a lot to us, and our careers form a big part of our identity. While technically this treasure hunt game takes more than one minute, the entire game start to finish will probably take five minutes or less. Ball Games Some companies have increased morale by signing the office up for a softball or basketball league. Consider taking a day away from the office and hosting a friendly sports event in which employees compete in teams to win prizes across various sports. Let's get started! Divide employees into two teams. If both teams get all items, the team to get all items and return to start fastest wins. Albert Einstein might have summarized it in the best way: “Play is the highest form of research”. To find out how Clear Review’s performance management software can help you boost morale and performance in your remote team, book a free demo today. © 2021 Clear Review. Give each team one minute to find as many items as possible that contain their team name. Here are some tips to help you create a work environment that can play a part in improving employee morale and attracting and retaining the top talent. Organise a picnic or a barbeque. The activities and tips on this list improve performance and create a more pleasant work atmosphere. Save the longer games for once a week (or every other week), and try these one-minute game ideas for a quick bit of fun that everyone is sure to enjoy. All Rights Reserved. Treat people like people. So, grabbing a few drinks after work is a great way to boost morale, and bring your team together around things that are, well, not work. As good as these (and your) ideas are, sometimes you don’t have a lot of time to dedicate to team-building and stress release. The person with the most wins. Send them a handwritten note, get your coworkers to sign a card or organise a birthday cake. Use this before a larger party to make decorating easier. The team of three who collects the most tails by the end of the game wins. Escape rooms are booming in popularity around the world, and they are now being targeted towards employee and morale building schemes. If you’re on a budget but you still want to incorporate play into the grind, here are a couple of examples of fun, engaging in-office team building games you can play. Again, while not technically a game that can be played from start to finish in one minute, this game is a great way to get staff out of their seats and provide a short diversion during the workday. Here’s why you should be more concerned with promoting healthy self-esteem. Save the longer games for once a week (or every other week), and try these one-minute game ideas for a quick bit of fun that everyone is sure to enjoy. 1. ... Print this and put it up on your office’s walls as a fun reminder of your team work. But it stinks for employee morale. Learn how a bizarre year catapulted performance management thinking. 12 Virtual Team Building Activities and Games to Boost Morale This post may contain affiliate links. They are not a resource to consume. It helps to alleviate stress and build teams and relationships. 11 Ways to Boost Employee Morale . Employee morale boosters are fast and simple ways to boost your staff’s mood and productivity. It’s a collaborative game that includes intrigue and teamwork. Some offices may not want their employees to engage in office games, but it is always a good idea to present this idea if it is not on the minds of upper management yet. This is a fun and engaging why to keep everyone talking and giving encouragement. This is a great team-building activity, as well as being lots of fun. Hide each item throughout the office (you can hide one item for each team in the same place) – this is easier to do if you hide the items in a seldom-used location while your employees are working. But don’t just assume that your staff will have a blast at any outside-the-office … Gather everyone together and give everyone one minute to answer as many questions as possible. It will help everyone to feel more connected and allow relationships to develop and solidify. They then need to find and solve clues to allow them to escape. It's run by a different division each week to encourage everyone to get involved and has been a fun way to spend a few hours—and a welcome distraction.” - Anna Barker, Founder at LogicalDollar. There is a whole host of employee engagement research out there that will help to perfect your performance management system. Get access to the course: How to engage disengaged employees, Healther Saunders; ECITB Product Dev. During the recent lockdown in the UK, many companies have taken advantage of video conference socials, where employees get together at the end of the day or the end of the week and catch up. Take the time to celebrate employee birthdays, even if it’s with something small. HR professionals share low-cost ideas to boost employee morale and make other positive workplace changes. Create opportunities to celebrate and have some fun with your employees, like a company potluck … It's FREE to join. You could divide into two teams and, provided enough room, have one person from each team attempt this feat at the same time (you’d need six balloons in that case – perhaps 3 red and 3 blue). Cover progress towards organisational goals and any relevant obstacles, and use the opportunity to motivate and inspire your employees with great leadership. 10 Fun-filled Activities to Help Boost Team Morale. 1. We can have fun outside of the office. You can set up the website on one computer and have employees take turns or you can give everyone the website (if they have access to the internet) and all employees do it at the same time. Together to fix any issues items as possible that contain their team name questions! Full ( or half ) day activities and our careers form a big part of our identity roles. 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