How to Engage Employees (Without Making It Cringe)
Let’s be real — most “employee engagement” activities feel like group projects no one asked for. The intent is great: connect people, boost morale, reduce attrition. But the execution? Often questionable.
So how do you engage employees in a way that’s actually fun, casual, and not forced?
Here's a breakdown of what works in 2024 — especially for hybrid, remote, and younger teams.
1. Don’t overthink it — just make things fun
Start with this question: “Would I enjoy this if I wasn’t forced to show up?” If the answer is no, your team probably feels the same.
Some low-effort, high-reward ideas:
- Fun Friday games (in-office or online)
- 15-minute team challenges
- Async game of the week (like Reverse Semantle ➝)
- Collaborative whiteboard puzzles (yes, on Figma)
2. Give people shared wins
People bond when they win together. It could be:
- A weekly scoreboard (like Categories ➝)
- Guessing games like Password ➝
- Quiz battles (just... not every Friday, please 😅)
Public shoutouts and micro-wins create a team rhythm that’s actually enjoyable.
3. Be consistent, not complicated
You don’t need massive events. Just:
- 1 light game every Friday
- 1 async challenge every Wednesday
- Rotate game “hosts” across team members
This creates rituals, not “forced fun.”
You can even build a small engagement calendar:
🟢 Monday – Poll of the week 🎯 Wednesday – 5-min async game 🎉 Friday – 30-min Fun Friday session
4. Make it feel native to your culture
What works at Zomato might not work at Zoho. Tailor your engagement to how your team actually vibes.
Examples:
- Quiet team? Try games like Does Everyone Think the Same? ➝
- Loud, extroverted team? Bring on 1-Stroke Pictionary ➝
- Global, remote team? Try Gartic Phone or JKLM BombParty
5. Let the team lead it
The best engagement ideas come from inside the team. Not from HR decks.
Let people:
- Suggest games
- Host quick sessions
- Create memes (yes, seriously)
Once employees feel ownership over engagement, it stops being “another task” and becomes something they genuinely enjoy.
TL;DR – What actually works?
✅ Keep it simple ✅ Focus on shared joy ✅ Use lightweight games ✅ Don’t try too hard to be “cool” ✅ Let your team shape the fun
Want quick games that take less than 10 mins to run? Check out our full list of games ➝