In a world rife with distractions and easily sidetracked individuals, it can be challenging to find fun ways to boost morale at work and keep employees engaged.
Low employee morale can cost a business more than just productivity—it results in higher turnover rates and directly impacts your bottom line. In fact, companies with engaged employees have higher earnings per share according to Gallup.
With 90% of employees getting distracted at least once a day, losing an average of an hour and 18 minutes of productivity, addressing workplace morale is essential for success.
In this article, we’ll explore how to boost morale in the workplace with proven strategies and practical, fun ways to boost morale at work.
We’ll also highlight expert insights shared by Emmy Award-winning TV host and improv veteran Mark DeCarlo in our episode of the Team Building Saves the World podcast on employee happiness.
Why Does Employee Morale Matter?
Before we dive into fun ways to boost morale at work, let’s look at why it’s so important. Higher employee morale in the workplace contributes to direct increases in the following:
- Motivation
- Productivity
- Creativity
- Connection
- Retention
When you foster a company culture with high levels of morale, you create an environment where employees feel:
- Motivated to do their best as they navigate responsibilities
- Focused and productive as they complete daily tasks
- Empowered to take initiative and lean into their personal creativity
- Connected to their fellow team members and the company as a whole
- Valued for their contributions and loyal to the company
Recognizing the Symptoms of Low Employee Morale
Before implementing employee morale boosters, it’s essential to take stock of the current morale situation in your workplace. Here are some telltale signs of low employee morale to be aware of:
- Lack of cooperation: When office morale is low, employees are generally less likely to work well together and to accept complex or burdensome tasks from higher up the corporate ladder.
- Few personal conversations: Friendly conversations aren’t a necessary requirement for successful business operations, but a scarcity of personal communication could be a direct symptom of low morale.
- Rare personal initiatives: If you have noticed within your business that fewer employees are taking initiatives to better the company as a whole, it could be a sign that morale has dipped.
- Increased rates of turnover: For this sign, you’ll have to look at broad trends – a higher number of people leaving could be a sign that morale is dropping.
- Overall poor performance or attitude: This one can be overlooked and less obvious because changes are often gradual. Ask yourself, are your employees doing less than they used to? Is negativity more rampant than it once was?
- Quiet quitting: Mark DeCarlo identifies quiet quitting—employees putting in the minimum amount of effort needed to keep their jobs—as a significant symptom of low morale. These employees are often actively disengaged and disinvested.
If you notice any of these signs, chances are that you’re past due for some morale boosters at work. It’s time to start looking for fun ways to boost morale at work and get your employees engaged.
Start Building Staff Morale Right Away With a Survey
Regardless of how you feel about the signs we’ve listed above, it’s a good idea to see what your employees think, too. Consider issuing a company-wide morale survey to get some first-hand insights.
A survey is a good first step to boost morale at work because it lets your team members know that you’re thinking about their feelings and you want to hear what they have to say.
As Mark DeCarlo notes, “When everyone feels heard, valued, and part of the process—that’s when the magic happens. That’s when people are happiest.”
Top 6 Fun Ways to Boost Morale at Work
Ready to address morale levels in your workplace so you can watch engagement and productivity rise? We’re here to help with our favorite fun ways to boost morale at work.
You’ll notice a trend here: many of the recommendations on this list involve team building in one form or another. Why? Because it works!
Mark offered some powerful insights on the topic on our podcast:
“Team building and making people feel like important stakeholders in their team, company, or industry is the silver bullet,” he explained.
“If you turn that switch, the quit rate goes through the floor. People are happier. They tell people that they’re happy. They enjoy their time at work and their output is better. And it doesn’t require a major financial investment—just an emphasis on the well-being of your people.”
1. Encourage In-Office Play
Organizing team building games for your employees can help create quality relationships among staff and allow them to de-stress, which in turn can increase morale.
If you’re on a budget but you still want to incorporate play into the regular schedule, here are a couple of examples of fun, engaging, and accessible in-office team building activities to boost morale:
Two Truths and a Lie
This is a tried-and-true communication game that enables your employees to get to know each other in a fun way. The gameplay is simple:
- Have each of your employees think up three things about themselves: two are true, one is a lie.
- Next, ask them to share with the group. The rest of the group then votes on what they think was the lie.
This is a fantastic (and completely free) way to get people to open up, share some laughs, and boost workplace morale while you’re at it.
Barter Puzzle
All you need for this game is about an hour and a few jigsaw puzzles. This game works best with groups of four or fewer people. Here’s how you play it:
- Jumble up the pieces of multiple jigsaw puzzles—one for each group of four or fewer people.
- Divide the jumbled pieces equally between the puzzle boxes.
- Give each group a jigsaw puzzle box and situate all the teams at a large table or group of tables. Ask each group to complete the puzzle shown on their box.
- Encourage the teams to work together to negotiate and trade with other teams in order to complete their puzzles. This encourages problem-solving, creative thinking, and teamwork.
- The first team to complete their puzzle wins!
If your team’s remote, we can make it so you can still try this fun game with them. Check out our Essential Pieces puzzle program for more info!
Jeopardy
If you’d like a game show-inspired activity, Jeopardy is a fun and collaborative game perfect for any team. Our officially licensed Jeopardy!® game is available in virtual, hybrid, and in-person formats and can be customized to meet the needs of your team.
You can also organize a DIY Jeopardy-inspired game if you’d like free ways to boost morale in the office. Here’s how:
- Watch an episode of Jeopardy or clips from the show to familiarize yourself with how it’s run if needed.
- Choose four to six categories, depending on the time available and size of your game. Examples include company history, pop culture, random trivia, industry facts, and office lingo.
- Create five questions with increasing difficulty and points for each category. Format answers to these questions in the form of a statement, and remember, players will respond with questions. (e.g., “What is…”
- Build the game board on PowerPoint, Google Slides, Kahoot, or another program.
- Designate a host, a scorekeeper, and two to four teams of players.
- Have teams take turns picking questions with the option to buzz in if the original team answers incorrectly.
- The team with the most points at the end of the game wins! Consider offering gift cards to the winning team and keeping snacks available throughout the game.
Try Improv Games
Whether you’re leading a meeting, addressing a crisis, or talking to a client, business improv is an invaluable skill that improves outcomes in the workplace. It also boosts morale and helps your team members have fun.
Mark, a veteran of improv comedy, had some great insights to share on the impact of these games on workplace morale during our podcast:
“People come to workshops I run and have a great time. We like to play improv games—sometimes, if it’s a three or four-day thing, we’ll put on an improv show at the end with people from the company.
“It gives people skills that translate exceptionally well to business and endeavors. It makes them happy! And I think every human being’s number one job is to make themselves as happy as possible, right?”
Want to try this with your team? We published a free book of improv exercises designed for all levels of improv experience. It includes step-by-step instructions for following proven improv games and activities:
- Yes And…
- Pass the Clap
- Count to 20
- Party Quirks
- Excuses, Excuses
2. Try a Virtual Reality Game
We all need an escape from the real world from time to time. Virtual reality (VR) games are a fun and unique way to boost morale while trying out something new. And they make fantastic morale boosters for employees!
Take our Infinite Loop program, for example. Through the magic of VR, teams compete to rescue a prisoner trapped in the virtual world. Fast-paced challenges are tracked on an electronic leaderboard, fueling the spirit of fun, friendly competition.
3. Get Out of the Office During Work Hours
While it’s easier and often cheaper to stay in the office for your team morale boosters, the benefits of getting outside know no bounds.
Research shows that taking breaks during work can increase creativity, prevent decision fatigue, and boost wellbeing. Even if you are working virtually, there are still virtual activities you can organize that will encourage employees to get away from their desks.
Here are a few excellent workplace morale boosters to get everyone out of the office and away from the daily grind:
Escape Rooms
Escape rooms have been incredibly popular for a while now—and with good reason! They’re fun, and they require both critical thinking and problem-solving skills to complete.
Groups must work together as a team to solve puzzles and make connections in order to escape. The feeling of accomplishment after a successful escape will influence morale and bond a team like nothing else.
Scavenger Hunts
Another out-of-office activity to boost morale is a scavenger hunt! It’s a surefire way to get everyone excited and engaged in the spirit of friendly competition.
Scavenger hunts offer fun ways to motivate your teams to work together towards a common goal. Creative employers and team leaders can design their own scavenger hunts with almost any theme and location—the possibilities are endless.
If you prefer hands-off activities so you can focus on having fun alongside your team, check out our fully hosted scavenger hunts to simplify things.
Virtual Laughter Yoga
Do you have a virtual team that needs a quick morale boost? Try Virtual laughter yoga! It’s a perfect solution that’s sure to get everyone’s spirits up.
This 1-hour laughter yoga session will teach your team yoga techniques that focus on enhancing health and happiness, deep breathing exercises, and relieving stress. It’s a fantastic staff morale booster to schedule every few months, too.
4. Incorporate a Wellness Program
Sometimes, morale boosters at work need to take a more holistic approach. We all know that a healthy lifestyle leads to improved mood, which in turn leads to better morale and higher productivity.
Investing in work-life balance tends to positively impact each employee’s personal morale, as well as collective workplace morale. Staff members who feel supported on both personal and professional levels will be more inclined to go the extra mile.
If your organization is prioritizing employee well-being to boost morale and health, consider a wellness program.
They can be tailored to fit the needs of virtual, hybrid, or in-person teams and focus on giving your team the skills and support they need to maintain workplace wellness.
5. Get out of Town
The bonding that happens when people are away from the familiarity of their daily routine can increase the efficacy of morale boosters for employees. If you can, consider investing in an annual retreat for your employees to make them feel valued.
Then, schedule some fun team building activities to make the retreat exciting! For example, who doesn’t love a good sand sculpting competition? Or a day at the museum?
This also helps encourage real-life friendships outside of work, which makes for a more enjoyable work life.
6. Ask Your Employees What They Want
We already recommended that you ask your employees about their overall morale at work, but now we’re suggesting that you ask what would improve their morale. In other words, ask them what office morale boosters would make them happy.
It’s always a good idea to check in with your employees and see what type of events they’d like to participate in. This validates their opinions and makes them more likely to engage in activities since they get to do what they’re interested in.
Consider sending an employee recognition survey out to better understand how your employees want to be recognized and appreciated.
Have Fun While You Boost Morale at Work!
Remember, the single most important thing about boosting employee morale is to make work fun.
If you don’t put the effort into making work an enjoyable place to be, your employees will get bored and eventually leave. Or worse, they’ll get bored, quiet quit, and waste valuable time.
If you create an inviting atmosphere and take care of your employees both personally and professionally, you’ll see great results.
Ready to give your office a productivity boost? Contact us now for some more great team bonding ideas!
