Top 7 games to shake up your office party

Tis the season, where love it or hate it, you will probably attend at least one, two, or maybe more Christmas parties.

Holiday parties, when done right, carry many benefits. They have the potential to bring employees closer together, encourage teamwork, enrich the company culture and show that everyone’s efforts throughout the year are appreciated. 

Yet, behind the gloss of festive celebrations is the reality that you are socialising with colleagues under the watchful eye of those further up the food chain.

The Christmas party can create worries for both employer and employee, however, our advice is simple “Behave right and you’ll have a great night“.

Below we have listed our Top 7 games that will add some fun to your celebration and shake up the office party in a good way. As for the embarrassing displays, well I’m afraid, that’s up to you…

1. The Christmas Jumper

You know those horrible Christmas jumpers, featuring a felt Santa with a fluffy wool beard and reindeer with silver stitching around their antlers? I’m talking about the Christmas geansaí in horrible shades of green and brown and purple. The ones your Grandmother buys you every year and you throw into the darkest depths of your wardrobe as soon as Christmas is over. Well, dig’em out, because the dreaded Christmas Jumper has made a comeback and the rule is “the uglier the better.”

Everyone is instructed to find a Christmas jumper to wear to the party. Anyone who doesn’t show up with a jumper will be given one of your spare jumpers “non-size specific“, and a pair of reindeer ears or some other kind of embarrassing prop for good measure. Offer a reward for the most impressive jumper.

2. White Elephant Game Rules

Each person must bring one wrapped present to the Christmas party. Once everyone is assembled, have each person draw a number. The person with the number “one” chooses a present to unwrap. The person with the number “two” has a choice: They may choose a new, wrapped present, or they may take the unwrapped present from the first person. If they take the present from the first person, that person chooses another present to unwrap. The person with the number “three” may choose any previously unwrapped present or a new, wrapped one. The game continues until all presents have been unwrapped and everyone has a gift.

3. Desk Thief

Steal one item from each person’s desk, and then display them at your party.
Now everyone must work out which item belongs to whom. Great way to brighten people’s spirits.

4. Wink Murder

Have everyone stand in a circle and close their eyes. One person must sit out each round. This person will pick the murderer and the detective.
The non-player will walk around the circle and tap a player once on the head to indicate they are the murderer. They will then tap another player on the head twice to indicate that the player is the detective.

The players can now open their eyes. The non-player must now wait out the round.

The detective should move to the middle of the circle and try and figure out who the murderer is by asking the players questions.
Meanwhile, the murderer will ‘kill’ people off by winking at them, without the detective catching them. If a player is killed, they should die dramatically and then leave the circle. The detective only has three chances to guess correctly who the murderer is; if they fail, they must remain detective for the next round. If they guess correctly, the murderer is the detective in the next round.

5. Two Truths, One Lie

Give everyone a minute to write down two true personal facts – and one that isn’t (the lie).
Each person takes it in turn to read out their statement. As they do so, the rest of the team votes on which one they think is the lie. The person with the least number of votes for their lie wins.
If your team is large, break into smaller groups. Have the winners of each compete in a winner’s final.

6. Guess Whose Job

Got a work story you’re dying to share? This office party game’s for you. It’s also a fun way for people to learn about your job.
Each person writes out two job-related facts onto slips of paper.
Shuffle the papers, with everyone taking two. Players take it in turn to read theirs, leaving everyone to guess their owners. The funnier the stories, the better.

7. Guess Which Movie

Cut up a list of several well-known movie titles. Shuffle the pieces in a bowl. Pair everyone, and then choose the first pair to start. This pair pulls a piece of paper from the bowl and acts out a scene from the movie written on it.
Make sure they do so silently; no words or sounds are allowed. Everyone else has to guess the movie.
The winner then takes their turn, with their partner. And so on. The game ends when all the pairs are done.

Whatever your Christmas party style, our selection of party games is sure to get the event started and encourage team spirit while keeping things civilised so no one feels embarrassed on Monday morning!

Are you looking for a job in Ireland?

Whether you are a reluctant Christmas partygoer, or the person in the office with the tinsel and jumper collection, at CareerWise we understand how important it is to find the right work environment. Only when you feel at home in a company’s culture can your career thrive. Our friendly team of recruitment experts can help you find the perfect role.

At CareerWise, we can guide your job search, ensuring you find the job role where you can go large at Christmas events, or keep it to a civilised after-work drink with colleagues. By assessing your skills as well as your personality, we match the best talent with the best roles, every time.

Specialist recruitment in Ireland

CareerWise is Ireland’s leading specialist recruitment firm, based in Cork, Shannon & Limerick, Mayo, Galway and Dublin and we can help you find your ideal new job in Ireland.

We specialise in the Engineering, Supply Chain, Science/Pharma, IT and Accounting industries in Ireland, and we look forward to working with you. Contact us online now or call us at +353 (0) 21 206 1900 to arrange a consultation.

Joe Robbins

(Director) BBS (Hons), MBPICS – Shannon Office

Joe Robbins is co-founder of CareerWise Recruitment. A graduate of the University of Limerick (Degree in Business Studies, 1985), Joe worked in the UK for five years where he specialised in materials management, production management and plant management for a number of companies.

He returned to Ireland in 1992 to become Operations Manager for a Cork-based start-up, FMC Automotive Division which was subsequently taken over by Snap-on Equipment. Joe managed the business re-location of this company to Shannon in 1997 before setting up CareerWise Recruitment in 1999.

He is a committee member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) Mid-West region, and a former Director and Vice President of the Shannon Chamber of Commerce. Joe is former Chairperson of the Sixmilebridge Camogie Club and current Chairperson of the Clare County Camogie Board.

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