You found our list of unique work social event ideas.
Work social event ideas are activities that allow team members to relax and socialize with one another in a setting other than the workplace. Examples include desk pet days, cooking showdowns, and awards nights. The purpose of these events is to boost employee morale and create a friendly and respectful atmosphere for interaction.
These ideas are similar to conference entertainment ideas, corporate party entertainment ideas, and fun social committee ideas for work.
This article includes:
- large work social event ideas
- workplace social event ideas
- social event ideas for adults
- office social event ideas
- team social ideas for work
- examples of social events
Here we go!
List of unique work social event ideas
The success and smooth operation of every company depend on the cohesiveness of its staff. Therefore, it is important to encourage teamwork and foster a healthy working environment through entertaining social events that promote morale. The following are some workplace social event ideas you can try.
1. Murder in the Speakeasy (Staff Favorite)
During Murder in the Speakeasy, players can dive into the Roaring ’20s and go on a journey to solve a historical murder mystery! Inspired by real-life personalities, participants will explore the world of clubs and characters from that era.
Here is what you can expect:
- a 90-minute experience led by a world-class host
- an intriguing story featuring a mysterious murder
- renowned politicians and musicians who frequented the Krazy Kat
- puzzles and clues that reflect the glamorous age
Your team will love traveling back in time and uncovering the truth behind this mysterious jazz-era crime. So get ready to showcase your problem-solving skills with Murder in the Speakeasy!
Learn more about Murder in the Speakeasy.
2. Virtual Team Trivia (Highly Rated)
Trivia at the workplace is a great way to get team members together and test their knowledge. We can host an office trivia night for you with Virtual Team Trivia! This experience is the ultimate way to recreate the excitement of a bar trivia night. Players will strengthen friendships and enhance teamwork skills.
Key elements of this experience include:
- a 60-minute session led by a highly talented host
- delightful icebreakers, small groups, and catchy team names
- group deliberations and clever pun-based wordplay
- themed trivia or customized questions in categories like movies and history
For a personalized touch, you can tailor the trivia questions or arrange for s’mores kits or cocktail kits to be delivered. If you are interested in an atmosphere that fosters camaraderie and team spirit, then look no further than Virtual Team Trivia!
Learn more about Virtual Team Trivia.
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3. Desk Pet Day
Desk Pet Day is a fun workplace activity that invites a touch of personal expression and creativity to the day. During this event, professionals bring in small stuffed animals or figurines to decorate their desks. This initiative fosters a positive atmosphere by allowing individuals to showcase a bit of their personality and interests. In addition, this exercise is a wonderful icebreaker that sparks conversations and interactions among colleagues. Teams can go around and see which desk pets their colleagues brought in, helping them learn more about each other. By adding a touch of playfulness to the work environment, Desk Pet Day offers a brief break from routine tasks and encourages professionals to connect.
4. Mystery Lunch
Mystery Lunch is an engaging networking activity that fosters connections between workers who might not usually interact. During this activity, individuals draw names to pair up with colleagues. Then, participants will make secret dishes for each other and share a meal with their chosen team member. This creative approach encourages professionals to step outside their comfort zones and converse with new faces. Sharing a meal provides an informal setting for individuals to discuss their roles, experiences, and aspirations. Through Mystery Lunch, professionals can expand their professional networks, gain fresh insights, and build a more interconnected workplace community.
Pro tip: Be sure to ask team members about any food allergies or aversions before making them a dish.
5. Cooking Showdown
Cooking Showdowns are a tasty way to bond as a group while giving every team member a chance to flaunt their cooking skills. Developing original recipes together will test the team’s resourcefulness and ability to work together and take the lead.
You should divide the team into subgroups, assign each group a different kind of food, and see what culinary masterpieces they can create. There is a wide range of possible foods, including pizza, salsa, or ice cream. You can also get creative by asking team members in a culturally diverse team to whip up a local cuisine from another employee’s country.
Another twist is to select a single ingredient, such as maple syrup or Oreos, that all groups must utilize. Or, have them be inventive with their menus, for instance, by making imaginatively shaped pizzas.
Here is a guide to doing cook-offs at the office.
6. Pet Party
Some companies will go to your location to provide a private petting zoo with adorable animals. A petting party is a great fun choice if you can spare a few hundred dollars from your budget. Some of your employees will enjoy cuddling a baby rabbit or hedgehog. If the animals are not around for the whole event, let your team know the duration.
Alternatively, you can invite your employees’ favorite furry, feathery, or scaly companion to the company event. You could get to know each other’s pets and share fun stories. Before bringing your pet to work, you should verify the policy about pets.
For more fun with animals, check out this list of the best office pets.
7. Annual Awards Night
One of the most fun social event ideas for adults is to host an awards ceremony for your firm. You can get branded trophies or medals and start with some serious and humorous categories to get the event rolling. Best dressed, most outgoing, office clown, and most friendly are all possible categories for these awards.
The awards ceremony is fantastic because it can be lavish without being too expensive. You can host the event at a cheap restaurant with the whole staff or as part of a company summer barbecue. In addition, award ceremonies can make employees feel appreciated and strengthen team bonds.
An award party requires advanced preparation. You can make the award party the highlight of the year with an amazing venue and a clever and unique theme. The event’s activities and food should align with the theme you create. For a memorable team building experience, consider renting a castle and hosting knightly activities. Alternatively, you may throw a big summer party for all your workers and their families. Combining an award celebration with an activity like geocaching makes for a fun and memorable team building experience.
You can reserve a venue where you may have a private dinner complete with linens, centerpieces, and a delicious three-course meal! In addition, many establishments provide discounted packages that contain all the services you need.
Check out more employee recognition program ideas.
8. Board Game Competition
This in-office activity is perfect for bringing out the competitive spirit of your staff. You can choose a single game and have each team member sign up for specified periods when they can leave their workstations and spend some time playing the game. Boggle, Jenga, and even traditional card games are all fantastic options that players can finish in a fair amount of time. You can also reward first-, second-, and third-place finishers with gifts.
Here is a list of the best team building board games.
9. Team Wellness Event
An employee wellness event is a great perk to include in your benefits package. Multiple studies have shown that employee reward programs can increase employee satisfaction and positively affect retention rates. A Glassdoor study shows that more than 80 percent of workers in the age bracket of 18 to 44 would choose an increase in benefits over a pay raise.
At its best, wellness events may include various practices to improve one’s state of mind and body. With this event, you can provide the groundwork for a supportive work environment where workers are encouraged to take care of their mental and physical well-being and to ask for assistance if they need it.
Check out this list of employee wellness ideas.
10. Sports Day
A sports day at the office is a fun way to promote healthy habits and collaboration. This low-cost solution encourages healthy competition and open communication between smaller firms, making it a terrific choice. Workers in a traditional workplace may spend eight or more hours behind a desk daily. Therefore, spending a whole workday outdoors, even if your employees dislike sports, is sure to excite them.
You can visit the local park and play a few fast games. Activities like five-a-side football, wheelbarrow races, and the good old egg-and-spoon relay fall under this category. You can divide the group into two and order new t-shirts for each team. The victorious group might get rewards like a half-day vacation or a free meal at a nice restaurant.
Here is a guide to doing team field days.
11. Gala Ball
A Gala ball is an expensive office party for a special occasion, such as the holidays or the end-of-the-year bash. Gala balls held at event spaces are a fantastic opportunity to show appreciation to staff. You can make the gala ball a themed event, like black-and-white bow ties, murder mystery, and roaring ’20s Gatsby.
You can rent a banquet hall with linens, centerpieces, and draperies. You can also have a dance floor and a DJ. Your workers will appreciate the chance to unwind from the daily grind with a three-course dinner and beverages. You may make the event an awards ceremony by recognizing the office ham, top earner, and chattiest staff members.
12. Office Tech-Free Hour
Office Tech-Free Hour is a designated period during the workday when the focus shifts away from digital devices like computers and phones. This hour allows employees to take a break from screens and interact face-to-face with their colleagues. By temporarily disconnecting from technology, individuals can engage in meaningful conversations, discuss projects, or simply share experiences. This intentional break encourages a more attentive and present mindset, fostering authentic connections and unity among team members.
13. Sales Practice
Sale practice is one of the team social ideas for work that lets your colleagues hone their selling skills and have fun. Even if your team is not in marketing, every participant may benefit from this exercise in creative problem-solving. Each team gets an item, ranging from the commonplace to the outlandish, to participate in this building activity. Then, each group has five minutes to devise an innovative advertisement to sell the item. The team with the most original advert wins in each round.
14. Movie Day
Hosting a movie day is an ideal way to unwind and have fun at work, making the activity ideal for a work social event. You can rent a projector screen, clear out a space, and bring in refreshments, bean bags, and the staff’s favorite movies. As an extra gesture, order pizza delivery.
This event is a fantastic opportunity for your staff to relax and take a mental health day. Giving your workers a break from their routine every once in a while is crucial, and rewarding them with team-building days out or relaxing movie days is a great way to do both.
Here is a list of team building movies.
15. Desk Theater
Desk Theater is an imaginative game that lets professionals tap into their creative sides at their workspaces. In this collaborative activity, colleagues team up to create and perform brief skits or improv acts. The twist is that everyday office supplies serve as props, adding a unique and light-hearted element to the performances. This game encourages teams to step away from their tasks and engage in a bit of shared fun. By participating in Desk Theater, coworkers can let loose, cultivate a sense of camaraderie, and contribute to a creative workplace culture.
16. Adventure Thrill
Creating an event that will get the blood pumping and the hearts racing is a terrific idea for a company social event. Your employees will enjoy a nice theme park and a thrilling rollercoaster. If you are an adventure-loving crew, offering your staff the chance to skydive or bungee jump as a perk will go down very well. In addition to being exciting and entertaining, this event may double as a charitable outing for a good cause. When you are through, you may toast your courage over a meal or beverages and talk about your incredible feat.
17. Mask Party
Masquerade balls are one-of-a-kind large work social event ideas that are both enchanting and mysterious. The first step in event preparation is to choose a theme around which guests may choose their attire, with masks included. You can decorate the venue using candles, feathers, string lights, curtains, glitter, and sequins. Guests will dress to impress at masquerade balls. Even the tiniest decorative elements should be appealing. An optional but very effective way to set the atmosphere is with a string quartet or a solo instrumentalist if your budget allows it.
18. Runway Show
One of the most exciting office social event ideas is to host a runway show. Your employees will walk along as models on the runway to show off their carefully chosen outfits. You should create an area for costumes, props, and makeup. Manicures, pedicures, new dos, cosmetics, and temporary tats may all be part of the makeovers. Clothes and accessories may be as fancy, cool, or freewheeling as the participant desires. You should encourage your team members to go wild with the concept. Guests will feel more at ease participating in and enjoying the festivities if the theme differs from the stiff, formal fashion display. You can give awards for the most ridiculous, authentic, or creative outfit.
19. Themed Office Parties
The holiday season is a great time for a themed workplace party to let employees relax and bond with one another. Ugly Christmas sweater parties are a great way to get employees in the holiday spirit, chatting and laughing with one another. Having a conversation topic before a business meeting may help ease nerves, divert attention, and encourage networking. Some theme ideas to consider include:
- A full-on 1970s basement
- Medieval
- Hawaiian
- Retro
For your themed party, the following ideas can spice up your event.
- Ask your employees to curate an oldies playlist and bring in some of their fun or embarrassing family vacation photos.
- Use disposable cameras or an Instax to snap memorable group photographs.
- Create a cozy atmosphere with tea lights, gingerbread men, hot chocolate, and plenty of aquavit.
If you have wine connoisseurs on your team, a wine-tasting party or a pub crawl could be one of the highlights.
Conclusion
Having fun corporate team-building activities and social events is crucial to the health of any organization, but coming up with ideas may be challenging. If you want your workers to be engaged and productive, then giving them a break from the workplace and encouraging them to socialize with one another in a lighthearted setting is essential. To succeed, your company needs a solid employee engagement plan since research reveals that highly engaged teams are more profitable. The activities highlighted can help your staff members get to know one another and build camaraderie.
Next, check out these lists of event planning books and corporate event management companies.
You can also read about personality hires.
Grace He