Workstations, as the name implies, is meant for work, but frankly working all time doesn't guarantee the best of the result. Hence, a need for integration between work and play. It is a productive idea to make work fun for your employees. By maintaining a fun-filled work atmosphere and a supportive environment, you can help your team to reduce stress, thereby increasing productivity. You can also create a more collaborative setting where the employee enjoys working together as one, and they also get to know the off-work part of each other. It is evident that business is meant to be business, and it isn't a game, but games should be part of your business growth strategy.
There are different motivational games used for employees as a means of motivation and stress-relief. The following are some games played amongst employees.
1. Blind Drawing
Blind drawing is a team game that encourages communication and most importantly listening. It is deceiving but simple and effective.
In this game, two players must be involved, and they are to sit back to back, one team member will hold a picture containing an object or words. It is a rule of the game that the person holding the figure will not tell its content which might be an object or word. However, he is allowed to describe the image without using a direct word that may give a hint to what he is holding.
The words to be used must be one that that doesn't have a direct relationship with the image in question. The other person holding pen and paper draws the object according to what he could deduce from the verbal description and his interpretation.
The result is always fun to see, and you can give it a try too. Bling drawing provides insight as to whether two members can effectively imagine, communicate, and innovate in each other’s organization.
2. Goodie Bag Skits
This game is one of the motivational games for the employee. It serves as an excellent way for the employee to go out of their comfort zone. It is a means of making them feel comfortable staying with colleagues, thereby bringing a commendable relationship between them.
Skits don't only serve as entertainment for employees; it also allows for proper planning and cooperation among team members. This game is particularly appropriate for a large group of about 20-45 participants, after which the participants will divide into teams containing 4-8 persons. Each side receives a goodie bag containing multiple random items.
Each team is given 7-10 minutes to prepare a skit from the random items and then perform within 3 minutes.
The facilitator can predetermine topics, and groups can also choose it. Groups will showcase what they have depending on their level of creativity and how well they can manage the resources they have got from the bag.
As one team presents other teams watch the performance and once all groups have performed, the winner can be announced based on voting by the organization.
3. Balloon Questions
Motivational games for employees, especially in the case of new or virtual teams, you can achieve an introductory and fun-filled approach to familiarize employees through the Balloon questions game. The objective is often to know more about other team members in an interactive and stress-free manner.
To play the balloon questions, you need paper, balloons, and a pen or pencil. Give a balloon, and a small strip of paper to each person then instruct them to write down a question on the slip of paper and put it in, blow up the balloon up and tie its mouth.
On completion of writing, ask them to throw up their balloons and ensure it suspends in the air for some time. Then after some seconds, tell them to grab any balloon. Ensure that they don't pick the same one as the one they threw in the air were holding and let them sit in a circle.
Each person then unties his balloon to check the question in there and then answer sincerely, follow the order of sitting. In the case of a small team, you may allow each person to answer all questions.
4. The Email game
Checking and responding to emails is an essential and necessary part of a day-to-day task, and it is often a stressful part that most employee would want to sideline. However, the Email Game online tool, which is another motivational game for the employee help in making this task a fun activity.
This online tool works with Google Apps and Gmail. It challenges workers to respond to email within a particular time frame.
As employees are prompt in responding to emails, the tool reward them with pointsand maintain their workflow.
This game helps your team become more attentive, productive, and efficient with their routine tasks.
5. Role exchange
Role exchange is a motivational game for employees together. It's challenging but full of fun. At workplaces, it happens that employees underestimate other people's work, or maybe overestimate the work they do. Role exchange is a game where everyone in the company performs another person's functions for a day.
This game would assist the employees in understanding the energy others have to expend, and exactly how each work person's work functions to make a complete result.
Hence, all employees would have a reality check and thereby motivate them to work better than before.
6. Minute to win it
'Minute to Win it' games encourage employees to work faster to reach set targets sooner, and also efficiently. If played in a team, it helps them to be strategic, especially when teamwork is concerned. They also have a clearer picture of what collaboration can do as regards productivity, and therefore, they will motivate each other in the process.
This game is easy to play, but it is an excellent means to motivate employees. Employees will also have more understanding concerning the importance of time, thereby getting the motivation to work faster, accurately, and efficiently, to deliver more commendable results.
7. How long can you go on
Out of all the motivational games for the employee, this game is exciting. It may be unappealing in the first place, but it's worth your time.
This game involves two or more persons. It is meant to know who can hold a pencil or pen the longest without dropping it. In this game, the participants balance the pen between their nostrils and upper lip.
The participants have to wedge the pencil between this space in a 'smooch' position, while they tilt their heads a little bit backward.
Spectators can throw sarcasm, jokes, and taunts, to see who gets distracted first. You could ask the participating employees to pass through a series of barricades and things like that, to see who will manage to keep the pencil in its place. Inability to hold the pen for a long time indicates a lack of focus in a stressful situation.
