46 Engaging Activities To Use for Fun Fridays at Work

Updated June 24, 2022

Organizing Fun Fridays at work can be an effective way to boost morale and increase employee engagement. There are many ways to make Fridays exciting for employees, such as hosting games or allowing casual dress. If you think your workplace might benefit from having leisure time together on Fridays, it might be a good idea to review some activities you can use to do so. In this article, we consider what Fun Fridays at work are and explore 46 different activities you can use to organize one.

What are Fun Fridays at work?

Fun Fridays at work involve special activities or perks that can help employees relax and enjoy themselves. Many workplaces use Fun Fridays to reward employees for good work and boost morale throughout the office. Using Fun Fridays can be important in a workplace because it can increase employee engagement, which can enhance a team's collaboration skills and familiarity with each other.

27 activities to use on Fun Fridays

Here are 27 activities you can organize on Fun Fridays:

1. Casual dress code

One of the most popular Fun Friday activities is casual dress day. This allows employees to come to work in comfortable clothes, as long as they're appropriate to wear in the workplace. You can implement a casual dress code on Fridays by creating guidelines for it and sharing them with employees by emailing them or posting the announcement in a central location in the workplace.

2. Weekly raffle

Hosting a weekly raffle can be an especially effective way to encourage everyone in a workplace to participate. This is because all they need to do is write their names down and turn them in to enter. When having a weekly raffle, an office can offer rewards like a day off work or a cash prize.

3. Office mini-golf

You can organize office mini-golf by using areas in the workplace as "holes" and giving employees time to play a round or two. For example, you might set up cups that employees can gently hit golf balls into in different corners of the office or under desks and label them by number to create a course. You can also create fun obstacles like mazes out of cubicles or "holes" that utilize the stairs.

4. Ice cream sundae bar

Using food to bring people together can almost always be effective. One way to do this is to offer an ice cream sundae bar for an hour or two on Fridays. This can provide employees with a treat and allow them to socialize.

5. Trivia

Trivia can be an exciting game that showcases the knowledge that employees have. You can design trivia games around specific topics of interest, like company history, popular TV shows or other subjects. To prepare for trivia, employees can form teams of a few people and collect materials like pens and paper to submit their answers.

6. Fun socks on Friday

Similar to casual dress day, this activity encourages employees to wear casual, fun socks on Fridays. This can be a great way to encourage employees to express their creativity and interact with each other. You might also provide a list of places where people can buy fun socks to give everyone in the workplace some ideas for what to wear.

7. Office barbecue

If the weather permits, you can host a barbecue that starts during the last hour of the workday to encourage employees to socialize and eat together. Because most barbecues involve grilling and being outside, it can be effective to host the barbecue in an outdoor area, such as a park near the office or the parking lot. At the barbecue, you can serve food and play outdoor games, like bean bag toss and horseshoes.

8. Bring your child to work day

Organizing a bring your child to work day can be a great way for employees to meet each other's families and introduce their children to their jobs. On one of these days, you can create activities that teach children about your workplace in fun ways. For example, you might bring the visiting children on a tour of the office and let them ask questions to the employees they meet.

9. Company theme song

This activity can function as a game, contest or simply as a team-building activity. During it, you can invite employees to work in groups to write brief theme songs that represent the company where you work. Then, all teams can share their songs, with the team with the best song receiving a reward.

10. Department skits

To organize department skits, you can invite the members of each department to create a brief scene that describes what they do at the company. This can be a fun way to introduce new hires to everyone in an office and to remind all employees about what each other's responsibilities are. Each skit can be brief, and teams can perform their skits for the whole office at a designated point in the day.

11. Pizza party

A pizza party is one of the most common ideas to use for a Fun Friday. For a pizza party, you can provide pizza, sides and drinks in a central location so all employees can visit and eat together. You might also play games, such as trivia or charades.

12. Murder mystery game

A murder mystery game involves assigning a character to each employee and acting out a pre-written scenario that designates one character as a murderer. Employees can then work together and interact to determine who the murderer is. This game can be great for role-playing and creativity, and you can use it as an ice breaker.

13. Karaoke

You can host karaoke by purchasing a karaoke machine or renting karaoke equipment, like a display screen, song bank and microphone. This can be a fun way to allow employees to have fun and become more comfortable around each other. You can also offer refreshments during karaoke to create a party atmosphere.

14. Potluck

A potluck involves encouraging all employees in an office to bring in a dish to share. This can help employees learn about each other and share their favorite recipes. You can host a potluck during lunch or at the end of the day to allow employees to eat together and socialize.

15. Office scavenger hunt

To organize an office scavenger hunt, you can identify or hide items around the office and create a list for employees to reference. Then, they can try to collect the items individually or in teams. The first person or team to find every item can then receive a prize.

16. Movie day

A movie day can provide an opportunity for employees to relax and bond over watching a film together. When choosing what to watch on a movie day, you can hold a poll during the week where employees can submit suggestions and vote for their favorite choice. Then, you can show the film in a part of the office that everyone can access if they want to join.

17. Ugly sweater contest

This activity might be most appropriate during the winter months, as many people own or are familiar with holiday sweaters. When organizing an ugly sweater contest, you can invite employees to wear a unique sweater to the office and allow them to vote for the best sweater throughout the day. You can then offer prizes for the ugly sweaters that receive the most votes.

18. Checkers tournament

Checkers is a game that's typically easy to set up and complete. When hosting a checkers tournament, you can invite employees to sign up and create a pool that assigns each player to a competitor. Then, employees can continue playing different opponents until an overall winner emerges and earns a prize.

19. Wine tasting

Wine tastings can be fun and exciting, especially if you hire a professional sommelier to guide you through it. This can help employees to relax and have fun with each other while learning about different wines. It can be best to host this type of event at the end of the workday so all employees can participate without needing to return to work.

20. Costume contest

A costume contest can showcase employees' creativity and special interests. You can host a costume contest by inviting employees to dress up for the day and holding a vote for the best costume. This activity is often most popular in the fall.

21. Bring your pet to work day

Before organizing this event, it's important to make sure that no employees have allergies to pet hair. If it's safe to do so, you can invite employees to bring their pets into the office, such as their dogs, cats or other small animals. This can allow everyone to meet each other's pets and engage in playtime with the animals together.

22. Happy hour

A happy hour is another common way to organize a Fun Friday. Hosting a happy hour typically involves providing drinks and snacks for employees to enjoy and allowing everyone to enjoy themselves for a few hours. If you want to implement happy hours every month or even every week, you can also create a theme for each event.

23. Guest speaker

Inviting a guest speaker to give a presentation at the office can be another fun group activity, especially if you hire someone with an interesting background. You can also organize a series where you invite multiple guest speakers to visit over the course of a few weeks, so employees can make requests for subjects they want to hear talks about. Some types of guests speakers you might invite to an office can include motivational speakers, industry experts or people with inspirational life experiences.

24. Talent show

A talent show can be a great way to learn about everyone in an office's special talents. You can organize a talent show by creating a sign-up sheet and hosting an event where participants can showcase their abilities. You can also add a contest element by inviting everyone to vote for their favorite act and offering a prize to the winner.

25. Office picnic

Organizing an office picnic might involve leaving the office and going to an outdoor location. This can be a fun way to encourage employees to engage with each other outside of the office. Once you find a suitable place, you can provide food, beverages and games for employees to enjoy.

26. Table tennis tournament

Some offices have recreational features, such as table tennis. If your office has a table tennis table, you can host a tournament that invites all employees to play against each other. This can create a fun competition and allow employees to cheer for one another.

27. Family day

On a family day, employees can bring their spouses and children in to meet their coworkers. You might also organize activities, like games or a special luncheon to make the visiting families feel welcome and to ensure they have a nice time. This can encourage employees to meet each other's families and build lasting positive relationships with each other.

19 more ideas for Fun Friday activities

Here are 19 more ideas you can use for Fun Fridays at work:

Invite suggestions from employees.
Hire a caricaturist.
Organize a cooking contest.
Purchase a special lunch for the entire office.
Distribute cash prizes for exceptional work during the week.
Surprise all employees with lottery tickets or other small prizes.
Organize a game of hide and seek.
Have a dance break with fun music.
Host a pop culture costume day.
Invite a comedy group to perform.
Play a game of Twister.
Host a family day.
Organize a foosball tournament.
Host a crazy hair day.
Play a basketball tournament.
Create a quiz about the company.
Organize an "Office Olympics" day.
Distribute annual employee awards.
Have a desk decorating contest.