All work and no play make Jack a dull boy. This isn’t a cliché; it ties in with a growing body of research that suggests happier people work harder.

Five benefits of workplace games:

Amazing stress busters
Build camaraderie
Increase motivation
Create a lively work environment

And subsequently…

Draw in new talent

There’s no better way to break the monotony of a desk job than with a few workplace games. Everyone needs a break, so why not give it to them!

Spot the Difference

Get everyone up and active with a session of Spot the Difference. Make two teams with equal number of people and divide them into two queues. The queues have to be parallel to each other with players from one facing the other. Pick one team and ask them to study their opponents carefully for a minute or so. Then, ask them to turn around. Now, ask the other team to change ten things about their physical appearance in a specified time. The changes could range from taking off earrings, swapping shirts or accessories, and rolling up sleeves, to untying laces. When the time is up, ask the first team to turn around and try to list the changes. The one who spots the most changes the fastest wins.

The Amazing Race meets Office Treasure Hunt

This one is as much fun to plan as it is to play workplace games. Assign a few folks with a funny bone to your Clue Committee. Let them create a bunch of clues and pick creative locations to hide them. The clues may range from trivia, puzzles, and ciphers, to physical challenges or creative, social, and timed tasks. Pair your players up, give them the necessary instructions, and unleash them onto a clue-filled workplace games. Each clue leads to another. The first pair to complete them all wins.

Tip: Arrange the clues so that they end in the cafeteria and treat your team to a free lunch.

The Mine Field

You need an open space to plant your mines—water balloons, cones, bottles, etc. Scatter them randomly across the area. Pair up players and blindfold one from each pair. The other one must guide their blindfolded comrade, who is not allowed to speak, to the opposite end of the “mine field” using only verbal instructions. The goal is to ensure that the blindfolded partner gets to the other end without disturbing any of the “mines.”

Improv

Lights! Camera! Improv! Get your Polaroid out, for Improv is going to leave you with some amazing office pictures to look back on. The workplace games needs props and teams of around five or more. Supply each team with six random objects and ask them to create a 2-to-3-minute skit using them. You may provide the topic or leave them to pick their own. Once the skits have been played out, ask the audience to vote for their winners.

At UpStart workplace games, we have our own little dart board and organize lucky draws to keep up the spirits. You may have your own workplace games too, and make your company famous for its fun staff and environment.