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Let's be real: morale has dipped, the energy is off, and somehow it's landed on you to fix it. Cool. No pressure.
You've tried the pizza party. You've sent the "great job, team!" email. And while nobody complained, nothing really...shifted.
Spoiler: there are fun ways to build morale at work that go way beyond free lunch and vague praise. The best ones create consistent moments where people feel connected, seen, and genuinely glad to be part of this team.
This list is your starting point. Some of these ideas cost nothing. Some take 15 minutes. A few are the kind of thing people talk about for weeks. But all of them are designed to actually change how your team feels — not just tick a box.
Quick wins: fun ways to build morale at work this week 🚀
Low (or no) budget? No problem. No time? Also fine. These ideas require minimal planning and can make a real difference fast.
1. Ask a better check-in question
Ditch "how is everyone?" Nobody answers that honestly. Instead, try something specific: "What's one word that describes your energy right now?" or "What's something that went well for you this week?" It takes 60 seconds and immediately makes your meeting feel more human. You'll be surprised how much people open up when they're given a real question to answer.
2. Create a Slack shoutout channel
Set up a dedicated channel — #kudos, #shoutouts, #wins, whatever fits your culture — and encourage people to publicly recognize each other. Peer recognition is powerful because it doesn't come from leadership. When a colleague says "I couldn't have hit that deadline without Maya," it lands differently than when the manager says it. Seed it yourself for the first week and watch it take off.
3. Send a specific thank-you message
Not "great work!" That's a checkbox, not recognition. Find one person on your team who's done something genuinely good recently and write them a message that names exactly what they did and why it mattered. Two or three sentences is enough. Specificity is everything. "The way you handled that client call on Thursday, staying calm when things got tense and finding a solution on the spot. That was really impressive" hits completely differently from a generic compliment.
4. Share a team win publicly
When something goes right, say so. Loudly. In a meeting, in Slack, in a team email…wherever your team pays attention. Even small wins count: a project delivered on time, positive feedback from a client, a tricky problem finally solved. Teams with high morale aren't winning more than everyone else. They're noticing what they're winning.
5. Give an unexpected half-day
Few things boost morale like a Friday afternoon that nobody saw coming. "You've all worked hard this week. Log off at 1pm." It signals that leadership is paying attention, that effort is noticed, and that rest is valued. No fanfare required.
6. Build connection into the daily rhythm
This one sounds small but compounds over time. Confetti's Daily Connect runs for just 15 minutes a day, with themed questions tailored to the day of the week — reflection on Mondays, gratitude mid-week, something lighter on Fridays. It fits into existing team meetings, requires zero planning on your end, and creates a consistent moment of human connection that gradually changes how your team feels about showing up. Morale isn't built in a day. Daily Connect is how you build it across weeks.
Fun team activities that actually boost morale 🎉
Here's where a lot of managers go wrong: they plan "fun" activities that feel like more work.
The goal isn't organized fun for its own sake. It's giving your team a shared experience that creates energy, laughter, and something to talk about afterwards. These are some of the most fun ways to build morale at work, and they all deliver exactly that.
7. Coworker Clash: one of the best fun ways to build morale at work
Think Family Feud, but make it coworkers. Coworker Clash puts teams head-to-head on survey-style questions where there's no right or wrong answer—only the most popular one. It's fast-paced, competitive without being high-stakes, and genuinely hilarious when someone confidently gives the most unexpected answer in the room. Works for remote and hybrid teams of up to 200 people, and Confetti handles all the hosting.
8. Speed Leader of the Pack
Got 30 minutes and a team that needs an energy injection? Speed Leader of the Pack is the answer. Players race through rapid-fire questions, trying to give the most popular answer before time runs out. Short, snappy, and leaves people laughing. Great for a mid-week pick-me-up or the start of an all-hands meeting.
9. Trivia Kickball
Nobody sees this one coming, and that's exactly why it works. Trivia Kickball combines trivia with baseball logic: answer correctly and your runners advance around the bases. It's the kind of unexpected format that gets people genuinely competitive and very, very loud. Works for teams of up to 20 people.
10. Murder Mystery Party
If you want to do something your team talks about for the next three months, this is it. Murder Mystery Party brings in professional actors, immerses your team in a storyline, and splits everyone into breakout rooms to gather evidence and interrogate suspects before reconvening to identify the killer. It sounds ambitious, but Confetti handles every detail. Your job is just to show up and (probably) accuse the wrong person with total confidence.
11. Magic & Mentalism Show
Hard to explain, impossible to forget. Magic & Mentalism Show is a live, interactive virtual magic show built specifically for corporate teams. Participants get pulled into the tricks, genuinely baffled by what they're watching, and laughing throughout. Scales beautifully for big teams, making it a great option for larger all-hands events that need a bit of wow factor.
12. Drag Queen Bingo
Bingo, but make it fabulous. Drag Queen Bingo is hosted by a drag queen who brings the energy, the one-liners, and the kind of charisma that makes even the most reserved team member forget they're on a work call. High-energy, inclusive, and a brilliant choice when you want to do something that feels genuinely different. Works for up to 300 people.
13. Office Olympics
When you want to go big, Office Olympics delivers. Teams are randomly assigned and compete across multiple Confetti games simultaneously in breakout rooms, with points tallying throughout until one team claims victory. Works for up to 488 people, making it ideal for cross-departmental events, company-wide celebrations, or any time you want to get everyone together and actually have a good time.
14. Confetti Pub
Not every morale booster needs to be a game. Sometimes people just need to decompress together. Confetti Pub gives your team a live musician taking requests, conversation rooms to wander between, and games woven throughout. It feels like an actual social event — not a work event dressed up as one. Scales well for larger teams too.
15. Nostalgic Prom
Remember that feeling of getting dressed up and having nowhere to be except somewhere fun? Nostalgic Prom recreates that energy with live music, conversation rooms, and games — and the shared nostalgia gives everyone something to bond over immediately. Unexpectedly effective at creating genuine warmth, and it scales for the whole company if you need it to.
Recognition ideas that feel personal 🌟
Research backs this up: employees who feel recognized are 2.7x more likely to be highly engaged (Quantum Workplace).
The catch: recognition only works when it feels real. Generic doesn't cut it. Here's how to make it land.
16. Employee spotlights
Once a week or once a month, dedicate a few minutes of your team meeting — or a section of your newsletter — to genuinely spotlighting a team member. Not just their job title and a vague compliment.
Share something specific about what they've contributed, how they work, or what makes them great to have on the team. Let other team members add to it. People remember being spotlighted like this for years.
17. Workplace Gratitude
This one is for the teams who don't find it easy to say nice things out loud. Workplace Gratitude lets team members anonymously share what they admire most about their coworkers, then reveals it all in an interactive, hosted presentation. The anonymity removes the awkwardness.
What's left is a room full of people genuinely moved by what their teammates think of them. Works for teams of 6-15 people and consistently described by participants as one of the most meaningful experiences they've had at work.
18. Celebrate the small stuff
Don't wait for the big wins. Celebrate the project that finally got across the line, the difficult conversation that went well, the new hire who's already nailing it. Teams with high morale celebrate often and specifically — not just at the end of the year when everyone's already burnt out.
Wellness-led morale boosters 🧘
Low morale and burnout tend to arrive together. Taking care of how your team feels physically and mentally isn't a bonus feature of good management — it's the foundation.
These ideas do double duty: they give people a genuine break AND signal that leadership actually cares.
19. Protect no-meeting time
Giving people back their calendar is one of the most effective morale boosters available, and it costs nothing. Block out a morning or afternoon each week where meetings are off limits. Focus time is a gift. People will notice, and they'll appreciate it more than you expect.
20. Field Day
If you want to get your team moving and laughing at the same time, a Field Day delivers both. This multi-activity event mixes group fitness with games like Trivia Kickball across different breakout rooms, giving people the option to get energized, get competitive, or both. One of the most scalable options on this list.
21. Encourage PTO, loudly
Talk about taking time off in team meetings. Share when you're taking leave. Make it visible that rest is not only allowed but expected. Buffer's State of Remote Work report consistently shows that loneliness and disconnection are among remote workers' top challenges — and burnout quietly makes both worse. Protecting your team's time outside of work protects their morale inside it.
Celebrate more than you think you need to 🎊
Most teams under-celebrate by a wide margin. A win gets noted, everyone nods, and immediately the conversation moves to the next problem.
Building morale means building a culture where celebration is a regular practice, not a once-a-year event.
22. Tie big celebrations to team milestones
When your team hits a goal, mark it with something memorable. Not just an email.
A real experience that gives people a chance to decompress together and feel genuinely proud of what they've achieved. A few options that work brilliantly as milestone celebrations:
- Hot One-On-Ones — hot sauce tasting with icebreakers and a work-friendly spin on Truth or Dare. Memorable, funny, and gives people something to bond over long after the sauces have cooled down. Works for teams of 4-160.
- Bingo Party — simple, inclusive, surprisingly competitive, and works for up to 500 people. Easy to drop into any celebration without a lot of setup.
- Casino Night — poker, blackjack, roulette, and more, hosted for up to 995 people. Brings serious Vegas energy to an end-of-quarter celebration or company milestone without anyone actually losing money.
The morale boost that keeps giving 🙌
Here's what every high-morale team has in common: they're not doing one massive thing right. They're doing lots of small things consistently.
A check-in question here. A shoutout there. A quarterly event that gives everyone something to look forward to. Recognition that feels personal. Moments that make people feel like more than just a name in a Slack channel.
That consistency is the real secret to finding fun ways to build morale at work that actually stick. One great event followed by three months of silence won't carry your team. But a rhythm of small, genuine moments of connection and celebration? That's what builds morale over time.
Your next steps:
Pick one idea from each section and commit to trying it this month. Start with whatever feels most doable (a check-in question costs nothing and takes 60 seconds).
Work up from there. The goal isn't to overhaul your entire team culture overnight. It's to start building a rhythm where people feel seen, connected, and genuinely glad to be part of the team.
Want to take the planning off your plate entirely? Confetti will handle the hosting, the tech, the setup — you just press “book event,” show up, and enjoy it with your team. Browse our full collection supporting increasing Team Morale to find the right fit for where your team is right now.
