Office Games HR Won't Object To: 18 Safe, Genuinely Fun Ideas

Most office games go wrong in one of four ways: they involve drinking, physical contact, personal questions, or they leave someone out. Avoid those and almost anything is fine.

Here's a list that clears all four, plus the things to leave alone.

Safe and genuinely enjoyed

• Desk photo guessing, baby photos collected with consent, guess the pet.
• A rolling office quiz - one question a day on a whiteboard or in a channel.
• Step or walking challenges with team totals rather than individual leaderboards.
• Fantasy football or a sweepstake with no money involved.
• Bake-off, chilli cook-off or a sandwich competition - food does more for a team than most exercises.
• Book, film or playlist swap, monthly.

Games for the actual working day

• Buzzword bingo for the all-hands, played quietly and never shared outside the team.
• The 15-minute desk tidy race at the end of a quarter.
• A 'thank you' wall where anyone can post a note about a colleague.
• Guess the number of items in a jar for a charity collection.
• Two-minute meeting openers, one word each.

Inclusive by design

• Nothing that requires alcohol, or where non-drinkers are visibly different.
• Nothing needing physical ability - or offer a seated equivalent in the same game.
• Anything scheduled in work hours, so carers and part-timers can join.
• Remote colleagues able to play the same game, not a watered-down version.
• Food games that account for allergies, halal, kosher, vegetarian and vegan, stated on a label rather than asked about.

What to avoid, and why

• Drinking games: excludes non-drinkers for faith, health, pregnancy or recovery reasons, and creates the conditions for everything HR worries about.
• Physical contact games - no exceptions in a workplace, however jolly.
• Truth or dare, 'never have I ever', or anything asking about relationships, family or home life.
• Ranking colleagues in any way - best dressed, funniest, most likely to. Someone always comes bottom.
• Games where the manager can see individual performance, like scored personality quizzes.
• Secret Santa without an opt-out, and without a stated budget cap.
• Anything on someone's own time, unpaid.

Shop thank you and leaving cards

How to write it so it lands

• In work hours, always.
• If it needs alcohol or contact, pick something else.
• A real opt-out that nobody remarks on.

Where to shop next

• Work team building games
• Icebreaker games for a new team
• Remote and virtual team games
• Games for an away day or conference
• Games for a leaving do or retirement party
• Games for a work BBQ or family fun day
• Two-minute games to start a meeting
• Work quiz rounds (non-Christmas)
• Training day games adults won't hate
• Office Christmas party games
• Board games hub
• Quiz questions and rounds
• Free feel good tools
• Shop leaving and thank you cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Thank you cards guide
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What office games are appropriate for work?

Photo-guessing games, a rolling quiz, team step challenges, food competitions and short meeting openers. All are inclusive, need no alcohol or contact, and don't ask anything personal.

What office games should you avoid?

Drinking games, anything with physical contact, truth-or-dare style questions about relationships or home life, and games that rank colleagues against each other. Also anything scheduled outside paid hours.

How do you make office games inclusive?

Run them in work hours, make sure remote colleagues play the same version rather than a watered-down one, offer a seated equivalent for anything physical, and label food clearly rather than asking people about their diet in front of others.

Is Secret Santa OK at work?

Yes, with a stated budget cap, a genuine opt-out that nobody comments on, and a rule that gifts are work-appropriate. Problems come from surprise costs and joke gifts, not the idea itself.

Do you sell team building kits or games?

No - we make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK. Every game here runs with what's already in the room, and the only products on this page are our own cards.