Are you heading back to the office either full- or part-time soon after the past year of working from home? Have you forgotten what your coworkers look like in person because you’re so used to interacting over Zoom? Do you need to bring the team together with some great, fun team-building activities and games? Consider some awesome team games to have in the office as people begin returning to in-person work.
How Games Help Team Building
Fun and engaging games can help teams build relationships and form new connections. According to experts, games and activities can have a host of benefits for your team that go beyond mere fun, such as:
- Socializing. Team members can get to know each other better when they interact in new and fun ways.
- Collaboration. Team members learn new ways of working with each other that can carry over into their work activities.
- Communication. Your team may be great at communicating over email or Zoom, but playing games require different communication methods.
Benefits of Team Games
Having fun at work isn’t just good for team-building and blowing off steam; instead, it can actually boost productivity. One study found a link between happiness and productivity, finding that laughter can trigger responses in the brain that help you focus and concentrate better. Laughter can also reduce the presence of adrenaline and cortisol, anxiety, and stress hormones. After a year of isolation and worry, what better way to welcome people back to the office than with some games and fun!
What Games Should Your Office Have?
According to GameQuarium, games or activities don’t have to be elaborate or take up a lot of space in your office, nor do they have to take hours to play or have complicated rules. Just think of games and activities as a great way to kick off a project or new team, end a busy workweek, blow off some steam during the day, or get your blood flowing after sitting too much.
Some awesome games to have in the office include:
- Trivia Games. People love showing off their arcane knowledge. Trivia games are hugely popular with people of all ages, letting people of all generations in your office contribute and have a blast.
- Ping Pong Tables. These don’t have to take up a lot of space and can be folded up when not in use. You can find ping pong tables for sale in London. Many are suitable for outdoor use as well and would be great to put in an office courtyard or patio. People will have fun playing at lunch or anytime they want a brainstorming session with a colleague.
- Chess Sets. What better way to stretch your team members’ minds than to have a few chess sets around? Chess doesn’t have to mean solid hours of staring at the board; instead, your team members can have an ongoing friendly game with each other that they pick up whenever they have a few free moments. If you have chess sets, be sure to have several around the office so lots of people can play.
- Multigame Tables. If you can’t decide on a game to have in the office, multigame tables are a great choice. They can convert from a pool table to a ping-pong table to an air hockey table quickly and easily, letting everyone in the office have their favorite choice.
- Bocce Ball. This game, played in villages all throughout Europe, maybe a little unfamiliar to American workers, but it’s great for offices because it requires minimal set-up, has simple rules, and doesn’t require a great deal of physical effort, making it fun and accessible to all team members.
The office is more than just a place to work. Forming connections and having fun is crucial to a healthy and productive workplace that will keep employees happy and engaged. Having some awesome team games in the office will add some fun play to the day!
