You found our list of the best HR games.
HR games are fun and interactive experiences that HR can use as trainings or team building exercises. These games are business strategies that allow human resource teams to train, develop, and evaluate workers. Examples include guess that baby, penny for your thoughts, flip it over, and help me. These activities aim to help HR professionals learn more about each other.
These games can be part of your HR project ideas and employee engagement activities. These games can help improve company culture, employee retention, and workplace positivity.
This list includes:
- HR games for employees
- HR games for college students
- online HR games
- HR simulation games
- HR games for managers
Let’s get started!
List of HR games
HR games can help test and train teams. Managers can also use these games to create trust and bonds among members. For new teams or teams with recruits, HR games can improve communication and teamwork. Here is a list of HR games for managers to try.
1. Silver Linings
Silver linings focuses on building communication and relationship between workers in a team. This game can help foster interest and trust. To play the game, HR managers need to pair up team members. One member should narrate a story of a time they were not very happy or proud of their actions. When the speaker completes their narration, the second member should retell the story but in a positive light. The reteller must only highlight the strengths of their teammate in the story. Groups should repeat the process for the other member. This game encourages workers to see beyond a team member’s weaknesses and see the strength in fellow teammates.
2. Who Am I
Who am I is an excellent HR game that helps teammates eliminate stereotypes and help see how personalities can affect others. The game is relatively easy. First, players will write out various personality types, like hardworking, quiet, restless, and poor attention, and then randomly assign these tags to each member. Two players must begin a conversation. Then, each player must act out their colleague’s title. Once one teammate guesses their own personality tag, they leave the game. Members should continue until every player has guessed what their tag is.
3. Last 30 Seconds
The last 30 seconds is an intense game that connects team members. HR leaders ask team members to recall various happy, exhilarating, and generally positive memories. Teammates should get enough time to think of the best memory. Once members are satisfied with their recalled memories, ask them to pick one moment they would like to relive during their last 30 seconds of life. The game asks a profound question, and many teammates might be unable to answer. However, those employees who do answer can share a deep experience and story that helps create a connection with other teammates.
4. Memory Wall
A memory wall is a very detailed game that brings the team together. HR staff should get every member to write a work-related topic or point and post the write-up on an online board. The manager can have a member pick out one point and provide a relevant memory. Team leaders can make the game even more personal and write members’ names rather than points or topics. Teammates can then pick out a colleague’s name and give a positive work-related memory of them. Managers should repeat the action for every employee and have folks share their hidden memories of their teammates.
5. Help Me
Help me is a game that helps team members build friendships. To play the game, start by having every member write out a personal or work problem. Managers should ensure that each comment is entirely anonymous. Managers can compile the written issues into a file and send the link to the whole team before letting employees pick out a point. If a member picks their own point, then let them try again. Once every participant has chosen, have them offer a solution to their selected issue. Then, open the floor to allow conversation between teammates where others can provide a more profound answer to the problem.
6. Guess That Baby
Guess that baby is one of the newer HR games for employees. Managers will ask teams to send images of themselves as babies. The managers compile the pictures into a shareable file and send the link to the team. The team’s job is determining which baby picture belongs to which teammate. This game can spark conversation and establish common ground. In the end, the leader shares the baby picture alongside the team members’ present-day image.
Check out more guessing games for work.
7. Two Truths and One Lie
There are many inexpensive HR games for managers, and two truths and one lie is at the top of the list. The game requires teammates to share two correct facts and one lie about themselves and have colleagues guess the lie. Teammates can take turns until every member has participated. Managers can let every teammate explain their lie. Afterward, members can tell the story about their truths.
8. Blind Drawing
Blind drawing is a fun two-player HR game. Teams mostly play this game offline, with two teammates sitting back to back, but groups can also play the game online. Managers should pair teammates first. One teammate is the artist, and the other is the creator. The creator tries to describe an item using vague language. For instance, if the creator describes a car, then they cannot mention tires, windshield, or any part that might give away the item. Sometimes, the creator can explain the drawing only using shapes, structures, or abstract points. The artist needs to create the image to the best of their ability. The game will build communication and attention.
9. Penny for Your Thoughts
Penny for your thoughts is one of the more popular HR games for college students. The HR team leader gets a bunch of coins with years ranging from the birth of the youngest team member to the current year. Of course, HR managers will need to know the youngest member’s age to make the game work. The facilitator will have members pick a coin and share a fun story or memory of an event from that year. Teammates can play penny for your thoughts online using a random year generator.
10. Flip It Over
Flip it over is an excellent bonding game that demands workers’ teamwork and creativity. To play this game, lay down a blanket and place four players in the center. The goal is to flip over the blanket without stepping outside of the blanket. If a player steps outside of the blanket, then then they have to start over. Players can grab the blanket on the edges and carefully work their way around until it is upside down. Flip it over is a very intense game requiring much trust and out-of-the-box thinking.
11. Would You Rather
Would You Rather is a classic bonding game and is an excellent HR game. The rules are simple. Gameplay requires you to give two extreme or challenging options and have teammates pick one.
For example:
- Would you rather be able to teleport anywhere or time travel to any moment in history?
- Would you rather live in a world with no music or a world with no books?
- Would you rather be able to control fire or water?
- Would you rather work remotely or come into the office?
- Would you rather live without technology or without access to nature?
- Would you rather have an endless supply of your favorite snack or office supplies?
Managers can make the game fun by including work-related tasks or projects and see what team members would rather not do. Team managers can start a conversation and in-depth discussion about why one task is less bothersome for some workers than others. HR may also ask about personal life choices and see the game unfold.
Here is a list of Would You Rather prompts.
12. One Sentence Story
One sentence story is one of the online HR games that requires creativity and attention. The game begins with the HR manager telling a story with just one sentence. Teammates must take turns continuing the story with only one sentence. Storytellers must only add twists and new storylines. Members should keep going until the team has crafted an intricate tale. Managers can go further by limiting the vocabulary, scenarios, locations, or characters allowed in the story. The more limitation in place, the more fun and creativity are required from team members.
13. Shark Tank
Based on the popular TV show, Shark Tank is a fun college game and makes the list of the best HR games for college students. To play the game, the team leader must set up teams of three or four. HR can pair as few as two players and set up another group known as sharks. Teams must develop a grand business idea to pitch to the sharks. The sharks must judge and pick the winner, and whoever has a more creative idea wins. Teachers or professors can make the game even more exciting and have teams develop concepts to improve the classroom experience. Then, the facilitator can judge which idea is more beneficial for the class. Leaders can also reward teams that quickly develop excellent ideas.
14. Frostbite
Frostbite is a tactical game requiring teamwork, creativity, attention, thinking, and listening skills. Managers will need to set up groups of three to six. Every group will choose a leader. The leader will have frostbite and is unable to move. Another set of players will have bound hands, and the final set will have blindfolds. Members must work together to solve a puzzle or challenge with their limitations.
Frostbite is primarily an offline game, but HR managers can include it as one of their online HR games if proper planning is in place. Rather than a physical puzzle, use an online puzzle. Instead of blindfolding the last team, other members can turn off their cameras. Whichever team completes the task with the limitations wins.
15. Absurd Questions
Absurd questions is one of the most engaging options among HR games for employees. To begin the game, send out absurd questions to team members. It works best to give each member a different question or two or three teammates one question. The catch here is the questions need to be unreal and bizarre.
For example:
- What if there was no more water?
- What if humans could not talk?
- What if there were no computers for work?
Managers can make all the questions work-related topics. Once participants all get a topic, have members give answers, then open the floor for the whole team to comment. Members should continue until each player has answered.
16. Team Trivia
Team trivia is a fun HR game teams can bond over. Team leaders should ask trivia questions about team members, projects, or the business. HR leaders can ask each member to give ten trivia questions and answers about themselves. Then, move on to include industry-related trivia topics. Managers can have individual members pick a question and try to answer, or groups can try to win. Team trivia games are fun and promote teamwork and learning.
You can also make the game more personal by collecting fun facts about teammates on a survey and using that information to quiz employees on their coworkers.
Check out the best trivia games for adults.
17. Hotel Magnate
Managers looking for HR simulation games can turn to Hotel Magnate. In this online game, players build and run a successful hotel. The game has excellent details with design, management, and decision-making features. Players compete to gain game points to advance and make purchases. HR companies in the hotel or hospitality industry can use Hotel Magnate to train recruits and even existing workers. Managers can keep up with how team members handle the hotel game while highlighting flaws or strengths. Teams can download the app on Steam.
Check out Hotel Magnate.
18. Birthday Lineup
Birthday lineup is one of the best HR games for managers. Team heads gather members from the oldest to the youngest in a lineup. However, the catch is teammates need to line up accurately without speaking. Although the birthday lineup is best for offline teams, the game can still work online using number organization instead of physically lining up. The game will force team members to recall old memories and use body language and other creative means to organize the list correctly. HR managers can offer hints when the game gets complicated but should ensure members get to work the game out independently.
19. Online Escape Rooms
As a virtual take on the classic “escape the room” games, online escape rooms challenge teams to work together to solve puzzles and escape a virtual room within a certain time limit. Users interact with different parts of a virtual space to progress through the game. An online escape room also works well as an HR game. Team members can sign up for many types of online escape games. Managers should split teams into groups of two or four and assign an escape room of the same difficulty level. HR should watch for the fastest escape and the best teamwork. Players can access these rooms using a web browser or app on a computer or mobile device.
Check out our list of virtual escape rooms.
Conclusion
Creating bonds, unity, and teamwork is essential for workplace productivity and harmony. To achieve that unity, HR staff often need a more flexible approach. Using games breaks the strictness of a workplace and relaxes teams. A relaxed team experiencing entertainment, creativity, and intrigue will more likely create deeper relationships with workmates. While easing a team’s mental and physical state, HR staff can also use these games to test for many skills. These skills include creativity, analytical, problem-solving, decision-making, rule following, and leadership. There are multiple HR games, but the list above offers more exhilarating and powerful teamwork-based options. Managers can explore these options and create happier and more productive teammates.
Grace He