29 Team-Building Activities for Work

When employees are actively engaged and enthusiastic about their jobs, they become emotionally invested in their work, which leads to better performance and company morale. But that doesn’t happen automatically. Team-building activities can help.

Team building, at its core, is the process of bringing people together to inspire motivation and cooperation. For distributed teams, it’s even more essential. When done successfully, team building supports company culture, boosts employee engagement, and encourages collaboration — wherever people are working.

Slack seamlessly supports this type of connection and collaboration for both in-office and remote workers through real-time conversations in channels and huddles, or asynchronously with messaging and document sharing.

Why are team-building activities important?

Organizations that offer team-building activities notice an improvement in communication and engagement thanks to relationship building through trust — and having fun! Team-building activities can:

• Improve morale among co-workers. Spending time together, beyond traditional work tasks, creates feelings of inclusion and camaraderie.
• Boost cross-functional collaboration. Getting to know employees in other departments widens your knowledge of the company and its processes.
• Reduce siloing. It’s easy to get cozy in your position, but team-building activities help you learn more about people in other roles and departments, making future work tasks flow more smoothly.
• Strengthen onboarding integration. First impressions matter. When bringing on new staff, welcome them with activities that open the door to casual communication and connection with peers.

When company leaders offer activities to create an inclusive and supportive environment, employees usually have an easier time managing conflict if it arises, and they feel more loyalty to their employer, which can improve work performance and retention rates.

Icebreaker team-building activities

If you need to get a group of co-workers or people who are unfamiliar with one another comfortable quickly, an icebreaker team-building activity is a good way to trigger candid conversation and build connections in minutes. This short-format bonding approach is light, fun, and easy for participants.

1. One-word check-in

Go around the table, or faces on the video chat screen, and ask each person to share one word related to a central topic.

• How it works: Have all participants check in with a single word related to something everyone can weigh in on, such as what they had for breakfast or what they look forward to this weekend.
• Why it works: This icebreaker activity moves quickly, keeping you on schedule while allowing everyone to be seen, heard, and acknowledged.

2. Two Truths and a Twist

Ask each person to share three pieces of information about themselves, with two items being true and one being fiction.

• How it works: Pick a common topic, such as work history or travel adventures, and, one at a time, have each person share their list. Let others guess which item on each list is fake.
• Why it works: You quickly learn about your co-workers’ backgrounds and their sense of humor as you discover the twist they’ve created.

3. What’s on your desk

Your workspace shares insight into your personality and likes beyond your career path.

• How it works: Look over your desk and find something that isn’t directly work-related — such as a stuffed toy, plastic figurine, or uncommon decor — and hold it up to the screen, share a quick snapshot in a Slack channel conversation, or explain it in an in-person gathering.
• Why it works: Seeing what’s on someone’s desk beyond pens and paperwork reveals personal interests, encouraging a deeper connection among like-minded co-workers.

4. Mini brainstorm prompt

Kick off a meeting with a fast-paced brainstorming session to elicit top-of-mind creativity.

• How it works: Give the group a single task and 30 seconds to complete it. For example, brainstorm names for a new company product or a title for the marketing e-book being discussed at the meeting.
• Why it works: As an icebreaker, this brainstorming session moves fast so employees can’t overthink or second-guess themselves. Raw insights pop up, fueling creative discussion.

5. Chat-based poll

Greet everyone in the morning online with a casual chat-based poll to start a light conversation.

• How it works: Use the Simple Poll integration in Slack to unite distributed teams with a multiple-choice question, such as “Where do you want to visit on your next vacation? Mountains. Ocean. Forest. Prairie. Big city. Historical site.”
• Why it works: Participants will answer quickly, then chat about their favorite places to travel, building relationships through common interests.

6. Rank your top five memes or GIFs

Ask your team to share their five favorite memes or GIFs in a team-building discussion thread or canvas for all to view.

• How it works: Give the team a theme, such as “funny,” “pets,” or “holiday,” to keep the posts focused and appropriate for work.
• Why it works: We all love a good laugh, and silly memes and GIFs are good for breaking the ice at the start of a meeting, creating a positive environment.

Trust and communication team-building activities

Strengthen your team by scheduling company team-building activities that build trust through open, candid communication. This will boost team members’ confidence to speak up, contribute to group discussions, and recognize the value they bring to the discussion.

7. Problem-solving challenges

Your staff works daily as a team to complete tasks and reach milestones, but what happens when a problem pops up? Can they calmly troubleshoot the issue?

• How it works: The leader will introduce a fictional work scenario with a simple hurdle, such as a missing document or unclear guidelines. Ask each group member how they’d manage the challenge and what resources or tactics they’d use to find a resolution.
• Why it works: This activity challenges each person to think logically, learn from each other, and likely go beyond their usual routines to come up with a solution. This builds connection and trust with others, as well as self-confidence.

8. Hot Potato

Based on the children’s game where music plays while an item (the “hot potato”) is passed around quickly, this modern version opens the door to quick problem-solving and creates space for quieter team members to chime in.

• How it works: In this modern game, the potato is a problem the team is trying to solve. Each person has to say the problem — for example, “sluggish social media engagement.” And when the music stops, the person who just said the hot-potato phrase has to offer a solution to consider.
• Why it works: People are randomly selected to share their ideas, which brings an inclusive and diverse perspective to the conversation, versus only hearing from the usual outspoken teammates.

9. AI persona quiz

Learn more about who you’re working with by having everyone in the company complete the AI persona quiz.

• How it works: Use this AI team-building activity to communicate more about AI use in your workplace and how everyone understands it. This online quiz reveals five AI persona types: The Maximalist, The Underground, The Rebel, The Superfan, and The Observer.
• Why it works: Leaders in your organization will quickly learn how their workers feel about AI technology and their level of trust in its abilities, which helps inform AI adoption practices and AI training needs.

10. The Telephone Game

Test your team’s listening and retention skills with this classic, simple memory game.

• How it works: Just like the old-school game you played as a kid, this exercise has you quietly pass along a short sentence from person to person. At the end, ask the first person to repeat the sentence, and notice how much it changed.
• Why it works: Messaging changes or gets lost as it passes from person to person. This game highlights how well people are listening, retaining information, and engaging with the team. (And it encourages people to pay better attention!)

11. Role-reversal empathy exercises

Step into the shoes of your boss or a direct report, and feel what they have to manage.

• How it works: Use name tags or online avatars to identify each person’s “new role” at the company. As people settle in, ask each person to share their No. 1 concern and No. 1 accomplishment in this role.
• Why it works: People in the actual roles being discussed will learn quickly how others view their position, gaining insight into where they may need to adjust their communication, step up, or ease back.

12. The recall game

Amplify trust and communication with a simple recall exercise to strengthen co-worker bonds.

• How it works: Set a theme, such as “grocery list” or “office supplies.” Have the first person name an item. Then, the second person names the first item and adds an item of their own. The third person names the first two items, then adds a third to the list. This continues until everyone recalls the list and adds an item.
• Why it works: This recall game encourages listening to all co-workers, not just friends and colleagues you already know, to build new, trusting connections.

Remote team-building activities

If your crew is solely accessible by video, text, and audio chat, improve company culture and feelings of connection by doing online remote team-building activities. Simply log on for quality time with one another, or suggest async activities people can easily fit into the workday.

13. Roses and Thorns

Whether it’s in a real-time huddle or posed as a question in a channel, a quick round of roses and thorns gets your team talking — and bonding.

• How it works: Ask each person to share a rose (something positive) and a thorn (something negative). You can leave it open-ended or fine-tune the discussion with a topic, such as prepping for the annual trade show or how the weekend went.
• Why it works: This exercise encourages each team member to speak up and bond with like-minded peers over shared wins and losses. This type of vulnerability promotes psychological safety (the ability to be open and honest in a group).

14. Wordle

Challenge your team to take a little break and solve the day’s Wordle puzzle online.

• How it works: Share the link to the Wordle game, and encourage everyone to solve the word in six guesses. Build team connections by letting co-workers help one another in a dedicated #WordleChallenge channel.
• Why it works: Virtual team-building activities for work foster a friendly competition among distributed teams. Who will solve the game first? Who got it in the fewest tries? Bragging rights boost morale.

15. Virtual Lunch Roulette

Everyone on remote teams needs breaks, so structure them in small groups on Fridays for casual connections.

• How it works: Download the Lunch Roulette integration from the Slack Marketplace, and let the app randomly group co-workers during a work break so they can chat. Set a topic for conversation, or let them freestyle.
• Why it works: The randomization of the groups breaks down department, hierarchy, and team silos to encourage new relationship building.

16. Channel-based challenges

Create a Slack channel just for team building, allowing employees to pop in and out randomly to connect with one another.

• How it works: Find a theme (or two) that your remote staff likes, such as pets, sports, or baking, and create a channel around it. Challenge each team member to visit the channel at the start of their shift to post, comment, and interact with others’ posts.
• Why it works: This simple routine brings remote members together in one central, virtual place to socialize before getting into the workday.

17. Recorded Loom or audio intros

Kick off your next remote team meeting with video and audio clips to add a personal element to the gathering.

• How it works: You see the same avatars and bios daily when working online. Switch it up and ask each person to record a Loom or clip to share at the start of a meeting instead of simply typing “here” yet again.
• Why it works: Seeing and hearing your co-workers creates a deeper connection and allows you to feel like a part of a real team, even when working alone in a home office.

18. Shared playlists

It’s common for remote workers to have tunes playing in the background as they tackle task after task. But what are they listening to?

• How it works: Ask each person to create a playlist of their top 10 favorite songs to enjoy while working. Create a #Playlists channel where everyone can access the music, and try out new artists.
• Why it works: Music is personal and individual. Learning what your co-workers enjoy lets you get to know them on a new level, and you might just find a new favorite song while working on remote team building.

Larger group team-building activities

If your staff has grown, and you have dozens (or hundreds) of people to manage, you can still implement team-building activities to bring everyone together and create camaraderie within the company.

19. Company trivia

Educate employees on the background of the business while playing a simple trivia game online.

• How it works: Create polls in a #CompanyTrivia channel to see who knows the most about the company’s founder, flagship location, and first products/services.
• Why it works: Trivia is intriguing, expands employee knowledge, and boosts loyalty as everyone becomes more connected to the business.

20. Hackathons

Create a time-bound activity that challenges your team to create something new in a collaborative setting.

• How it works: Use this team-building activity to brainstorm actual ideas for use (marketing campaigns, software features, and so on) or to create something goofy and unrelated to current projects, such as building structures out of children’s building blocks. Set a time, and let the teams hack or solve problems creatively as a team.
• Why it works: Whether it’s functional or frivolous, a hackathon forces your team to think quickly and strategically to create something before the timer goes off.

21. Story building

Create a shared document that all employees can access, and build a creative tale together.

• How it works: List each person in a document. The first person on the list starts the story by writing two or three sentences. The next person adds a sentence or two to expand the story. Each employee takes a turn as their name comes up on the list.
• Why it works: The tale will take some random twists and turns, creating a laugh among teammates while encouraging those who don’t think of themselves as creative to expand their imagination and confidence in trying new things.

22. Culture workshops

If your large team is global, offer culture workshops to create awareness of the various nationalities within the company.

• How it works: Each month, spotlight a city, country, or region. Share details about the area’s history, foods, industry, and historical sites in a company newsletter or project management platform.
• Why it works: Culture workshops let all members of a large organization feel seen and represented while learning about new places.

23. Monthly spotlight celebrations

Highlight an exceptional employee of the month at each company location. Or, if you have massive departments, spotlight a top-performing employee within each department.

• How it works: Share a glowing bio and celebration of what the employee does well, how they contribute to the company’s goals, and what earned them the monthly honor. Post this in a company newsletter or an online chat thread.
• Why it works: When your team hears positive feedback from upper management and it’s shared company-wide, employee trust and company loyalty skyrocket.

24. Volunteer locally

Set aside one day a month for every member of your company to have an approved PTO day to give back to their community.

• How it works: Assemble small groups of two to five people for each volunteer project, such as walking dogs at an animal rescue or picking up litter in a park.
• Why it works: Team building for small groups at a large company allows everyone to get to know one another better by tackling a common task (volunteering), even if they don’t work in the same department. Also, the community benefits from extra helping hands, and your company gets recognized by area charities and businesses.

Quick team-building activities

When you are limited on time but want to make sure everyone on the team is recognized and has an opportunity for input, try a quick, expressive activity.

25. Create a shared digital vision board

Kick off your next brainstorming session with visual inspiration. Use a canvas to collect images, memes, emojis, GIFs, and other ideas to fuel your team.

• How it works: Create a new canvas for a shared digital vision board. For a few minutes, let team members add visuals that express how they want the new product launch or package design to look and make people feel, then dive into the discussion.
• Why it works: Everyone learns and contributes to conversations differently. By leading with a visual request, employees who identify with imagery first can be represented quickly and feel included in the team collaboration.

26. Slide deck showdown

If you’re getting your team fired up about a big client presentation, offer a little friendly competition.

• How it works: Before your next planning meeting, offer anyone on the team a chance to create the opening slide for the upcoming presentation. It needs to be eye-catching, direct, and on brand. When you meet, play a slideshow of the slides and let the team vote on which one wins a place in the presentation.
• Why it works: Everyone on the team gets a chance to flaunt their creative skills and be featured in the presentation. Nobody feels left out or unable to share their ideas, based on role or position. A new creative standout might just emerge!

27. Five-minute energizer

Take a break during a long meeting or presentation with a five-minute energizer to shift your train of thought and perk up the brain.

• How it works: Play a game of “Would you rather” to engage attendees. For small in-person groups, read questions from a list. If you’re online, post them in a channel as a poll. Keep the questions light and interesting, such as “Would you rather eat a pickle or a cupcake?” or “Would you rather have the ability to fly or be invisible?”
• Why it works: As employees listen to one another, they will discover common interests and form closer bonds that translate to improved cooperation during collaborative work tasks.

28. 10-minute reflection exercise

Employee feedback doesn’t have to wait for annual reviews. Weave a 10-minute reflection exercise into your next post-project debrief session to build a strong team.

• How it works: As you discuss how a project or event went, reflect on each team member and how they contributed. Go around the room, or screen, to highlight each person individually and thank them publicly for their specific contributions to the team.
• Why it works: Employees will immediately feel recognized and appreciated for their work, which builds company morale and job satisfaction. A positive workplace culture builds “indistractable” teams that use time efficiently.

29. 15-minute brain game

Offer your team constructive downtime by sharing multiplayer puzzles and quizzes online.

• How it works: Download the Slack-focused Daily Puzzles and Games by PuzzleMe app and allow team members to spend 15 minutes collaborating on crosswords, competing in word searches, or answering quiz questions.
• Why it works: Doing something beyond usual work tasks with your peers encourages refreshed employee engagement, and it can be implemented across departments to introduce new people to one another.

How to choose the right team-building activity

Select team-building games and activities for your organization based on your workplace situations (location, size, time, energy, accessibility) and communication goals (inclusiveness, connection, morale).

• Team size. Some activities, such as brain-crunching memory games, are better suited to a handful of people, while other ideas, especially the storytelling activity, expand as your attendee list grows.
• Work structure: in-person, remote, or hybrid. Choose activities that fit your working style, so everyone can participate easily. Remote and hybrid teams can gather online, while in-person co-workers collaborate at the office or at an off-site location, such as a restaurant.
• Time available. Know exactly how much time is budgeted for the activity before making a selection to avoid running out of time or having gaps in the schedule.
• Energy level. Some activities require more focus and engagement than others. Gauge your team’s energy levels before launching into a productivity-focused team-building activity such as the slide deck showdown.
• Accessibility. Whether you’re working in person or online, ensure the activity is accessible to all employees. For example, are there software features to enhance online activities for those with low vision or hearing difficulties? Does your on-site meeting location have an elevator and stair-free entry option for employees using mobility aids?
• Inclusiveness. The right team-building activity, whether it’s a verbal interaction on a video chat or an online contribution in a channel discussion, allows ample time and a safe space for everyone to offer input.
• Goals. The best team-building activities align with your collaboration initiatives. For example, do you want to encourage people to share their ideas more openly or to interact with people beyond their departments?

Build and maintain co-worker connections

Team building strengthens working connections, especially among distributed teams. These moments of collaboration reinforce the idea that simple, frequent activities boost employee engagement, fortify team culture, and improve communication across silos.

Regular engagement in fun team-building activities increases productivity from an engaged workforce, enhances creative thinking for all, builds stronger trust among leaders and their direct reports, and develops critical problem-solving skills (such as active listening) to move projects forward more quickly when hurdles arise.

Slack’s many modes of real-time and async collaboration make team building an easy habit to adopt in your organization. See how Slack can support stronger teamwork —and start building more connected, engaged teams now.

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