16 “fun Friday” ideas to engage your team

Most workers (yes, even the most engaged and motivated ones) look forward to Friday. It signifies the end of the work week—and people know they only need to make it through a few more hours before they can sign off and recharge over the weekend.

So, it comes as little surprise that the majority of employees cite Friday as their least productive day of the week.

That’s frustrating news for employers. And, sure, you can try to force employees to buckle down, focus, and churn out as much work as possible. Or, you can accept reality, lean into the more relaxed vibes of the end of the work week, and institute “fun Fridays.”

What is a “fun Friday” (and why does it matter)?

A “fun Friday” is when your company implements different benefits, activities, or traditions that allow employees to treat Friday as a more low-key and light-hearted day—rather than approaching it like a traditional workday.

Offering “fun Fridays” doesn’t mean you need to chalk this day up as a total loss. It’s more than possible to strike a balance here.

For example, many organizations will incorporate a brief, playful activity or quirky tradition on Fridays while still expecting employees to handle their normal responsibilities the rest of the time. Or, you can host “fun Fridays” more sporadically, such as once per month or quarter.

Wondering why it’s worth adopting this approach at all? Well, there are several different benefits of having fun at work, including:

• Better morale

• Higher engagement

• Increased productivity

So, even if a “fun Friday” means stepping away from the grind of the daily to-do list, that brief break for some light-hearted fun can actually improve your team’s output during the rest of the week (and even on Friday itself).

8 “fun Friday” ideas for in-person teams

While the majority of workers admit they don’t want to return to the office full-time, there are plenty of advantages to working together in the same physical space—including more opportunities for fun, in-person traditions. Try a few of these “fun Friday” ideas that may work well for your in-office team.

1. Allow a more casual dress code

Particularly if your company mandates a more business-like dress code throughout the week, opting for a more comfortable and casual style on Fridays gives your employees a chance to forego the more rigid requirements and head into the weekend with a more relaxed attitude.

2. Bring in a treat

Bringing in food to share—like donuts, bagels, cookies, or anything else your team likes—is a simple way to add something special to your Fridays. You and your team members can even take turns by giving everyone an assigned Friday to bring in a sweet or snack for the group.

3. Offer lunch

Food is a surprisingly big part of the work environment for an in-office team. So, you could also consider doing something special for lunch on Fridays, like heading out as a team or catering something. If you don’t have the budget for a regular company-sponsored lunch, see if your team is interested in doing a potluck where everybody brings a dish to share. You could even set a theme to keep the tradition fresh and fun.

4. Host a friendly competition

Nothing livens up your workday like some good-natured competition. You can opt for activities like:

• Team trivia

• Board games

• Scavenger hunts

• Bingo

• Decorating contests

You could combine this spirit of friendly competition with the deliciousness of other food-based events by hosting bake-offs or cook-offs.

5. Share your talents

Your “fun Friday” traditions should be lively and engaging—but they can also be an excellent opportunity for your team members to learn more about each other.

Plan a talent show so workers can showcase their hidden talents. Or, set aside time each Friday for an employee to teach the group about one of their skills or interests. You’ll all get a break from your to-do lists while also giving your team a chance to learn something new, whether it’s juggling or playing the guitar.

6. Pick a theme

Assign a theme to your fun Friday and ask people to dress or behave accordingly. Whether you opt for a pajama day or Hawaiian shirt day, this silly tradition fosters a fun atmosphere without taking too much time and attention away from work.

7. Get moving

Providing a bit of time for physical activity—like hosting an in-office yoga class, starting a push-up contest, or going for a team walk—makes Fridays more special, while also prioritizing your employees’ health and well-being.

8. Encourage team bonding

Your “fun Friday” activities don’t need to be complex. Even straightforward opportunities to learn more about each other offer a break from the workday and help your team members build stronger relationships. You could try:

• Asking icebreaker questions

• Playing “two truths and a lie”

• Guessing who each baby photo belongs to

All of these help people uncover aspects about each other that wouldn’t naturally come up in normal office chatter and small talk.

8 “fun Friday” ideas for remote or hybrid teams

Does your team work remotely or use a hybrid work model? The good news is that nearly all of the above suggestions can be adapted for your distributed team. But, if you want something made specifically for a virtual environment, here are a few more remote-specific ideas to try.

1. Share photos

Set a theme for the week (such as “your favorite vacation” or “your most embarrassing childhood photo”) and ask people to share their relevant photos in one of your Slack channels. If you don’t want to do personal photos, you can also tweak this activity to challenge people to share memes or GIFs that fit your theme.

2. Build a collaborative playlist

On Spotify, your team can work together to build a playlist. You could do this once and create a Friday playlist for everybody to listen to while they work. Or, you can set a theme every Friday (like “nostalgic songs” or “songs about work”) and build a bunch of different playlists for your team to access when they want.

3. Play “guess the desk”

Ask everybody to submit a photo of their desk or home office anonymously. Then, put the photos in one spot (a virtual whiteboard works great for this) and ask everybody to guess which workspace belongs to which team member. Come up with a fun prize for the person who gets the most correct matches. Or, offer other prizes, like “cleanest desk” or “cutest office pet.”

4. Skip the meetings

When workers already lack focus and ambition on Fridays, packing the day full of meetings can feel daunting and draining. Instead, try instituting “meeting-free Fridays” on your team to keep the day low-key and give people more uninterrupted time to wrap up their tasks for the week.

5. Send a surprise in the mail

While you likely won’t do this every Friday, surprising your remote team members with something fun in the mail—like a snack box or a gift card to a local coffee shop—is an unexpected treat that brightens their Friday and helps them feel more connected to your team and company.

6. Participate in a virtual game

Plenty of games are easy to adapt for virtual teams. So, round everybody up on a video call where you can do team trivia, Pictionary, Scattergories, or any other icebreaker activity. Of course, you could also do online video games if your team is interested.

7. Host a “show and tell”

Your remote team members have the benefit of being in their own surroundings, providing the perfect opportunity for the occasional “show and tell.” Pick a theme or a question (for example, “What’s the most sentimental item in your home?”) and then ask team members to share their selection with a brief explanation.

8. Do a dress-up day

Since your remote team members likely don’t need to abide by a dress code, casual Fridays won’t carry much weight. Instead, do a dress-up day for your distributed team—like “hat day” or “dress like your favorite movie character day.” Ask team members to post photos of their ensembles or showcase their outfits during a team meeting

End the week on a high note

Most people will readily admit that it’s tough to focus on Friday. And, while it’s still a part of the work week and the expectation is that your employees will get their work done, adding a fun activity or two (even if you do so occasionally) can help them finish strong.

Give one of the above ideas a try on your team, and you’ll send people into their weekends feeling enthusiastic and engaged (rather than exhausted).