As the real Olympic Games are postponed for July 23rd – August 8th 2021, we created our own during the Covid-19 isolation and remote working.
What are Office Olympics and why do we do it?
Working from home 5 days a week can be quite an isolating experience, especially for some of our staff members who live alone. Therefore, we wanted to think of a fun way to get everyone involved in some activities and have some healthy team competition. The games bring diversity to our working schedules and our days in isolation in general. It’s a great way to create a communication routine within the company in this period, as well as to keep the motivation of individuals on a high level.
How does it work?
Each one of our team members comes up with a game of his/her own choosing and guides the rest of the team through the process, counts the final points and announces the winner. Usually, we schedule 3 games per week and announce the winner on a monthly basis. The person who gets an award is the one who collects the most points within the full month. There are 3 people in one week to create a game and make the rest of us have fun. The games include Masterchef cooking contest where we shared lunch photos and had to match the chef with the dish, Pictionary, “Guess the baby” which meant identifying baby photos of each team member, “Stop” Game which stands for being quick in thinking of countries, cities, objects, names, etc starting with a specific letter, Kahoot quizzes and many more! The final award we decided upon is something pretty relevant – a box of snacks delivered straight to the winner’s home. Who wouldn’t compete for this? 🙂
When does it take place?
At the end of our lunch breaks, which takes place from 2pm until 3pm, we all join an online call which lasts for about 30 minutes. Although it seems like a short amount of time, it is enough to make a difference. We turn on our cameras, microphones and let the fun begin!
We find this an ultimate way to share the positive vibes during this specific period, create an enjoyable coworking atmosphere and give ourselves a fun break from the hard work we produce. Believe it or not, people who have fun, are much more likely to be creative!
Try it with your team!