With everyone working remotely during the COVID-19 Pandemic, most people are feeling a bit stir-crazy. Office employees are especially feeling the pressure of staying at home and having to adhere to a new routine. They aren't able to leave the house as much, cleaning routines are borderline religious, and social distancing practices have become more like straight-up isolation.
To curb declining morale, companies are looking for new ways to bond and build rapport within their teams. A great way to do this is by hosting games and get-togethers for employees on services like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Hangouts.
With that said, here are 6 of our favorite free or cheap games to play on conference calls!
1. Conference Call Bingo
Playing "Conference Call Bingo" can be a great way to lighten the mood and promote team bonding over remote meetings. You can make up your own bingo cards with clever ideas and things that typically happen during remote company meetings. The first person to get Bingo can win things like a paid dinner or a gift card. The prize doesn't have to be huge, but it's a great way to promote bonding during this time.
Here are a few prompting ideas to get the creative juices flowing!
- A dog or cat comes on screen
- Someone forgets how to un-mute themselves
- A child is yelling in the background
- Someone turns off their camera
- Someone eats on camera
Click here for a Bingo card generator (up to 30 cards FREE)!
2. Charades
Whether it's a short brain-break activity or an after-hours meet-up, charades are easy and fun to do over conference calls! Just make sure all client-facing work is done beforehand, of course.
It can be a fun way to let off some of that cooped-up energy or have a friendly competition where the winner gets a small prize.
3. Jackbox TV
Jackbox TV is a service where you can play various games through online conferencing apps, and they're a lot of fun!
Simply purchase a Jackbox title account, host a game, have the host share their screen, have participants visit the link provided and enter in the code, and you're all able to join in on the fun!
4. Happy Hour
With everyone stuck at home, it might be wise to take the traditional after-work meet-up there as well! Instead of heading out to get food and a drink on Friday after hours, set up a Zoom call and order in.
Grab your favorite takeout or pizza and your drink of choice, and hop in a meeting with your co-workers! It can be a great time to get that much-needed social interaction.
Now, obviously, this one isn't a game or a necessity, but it can be a fun activity to enjoy responsibly with your co-workers remotely.
5. Pictionary
Like charades, "Pictionary" style games can be a fun, exciting way to bond with your team over social distancing. To avoid having to adjust your camera repetitively to showcase your drawings, you can use Zoom's Whiteboard feature!
Here's a tutorial on how to use it.
6. Trivia Games
Trivia nights can still happen remotely! Simply find a random trivia generator and divide up into teams. Here's one of our trivia generators to use.
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