Five Ways to Bring Online Jeopardy into the Workplace
“Fun” might not be in the definition of “work” for most employees, but we believe it should be. Why? The research shows that when work is fun, workplaces show higher creativity, engagement, purpose, and retention rates. And when employees feel good about what they do, the businesses they work for thrive in return. For an easy way to bring fun into the workplace, consider trying online Jeopardy. Below, we’ll dive deeper into the “why” behind using games like online Jeopardy in the workplace. We will also share a few different ways to use games for fun professionally.
Why Use Online Jeopardy in the Workplace?
Online Jeopardy is arguably one of the best ways to bring fun into the workplace. On the surface, its benefits include:
- Fun: Jeopardy brings the competition that is necessary for engagement and team bonding, without too many rules to master. It’s easy for staff members of all ages to jump in, no matter their level of tech-savviness.
- Well-known: Most everyone knows the game show, Jeopardy. The familiarity adds a level of fun from the start, whereas lesser-known games would have to build up to that.
- Customizable: Online Jeopardy can be customized to meet your needs. Just for fun? Pick a topic like popular movies or current events. Company-oriented? Base the questions and answers around your business’s history, ethos, and successes.
Not convinced? Let’s take a look at the next level of benefits. Games like online Jeopardy in the workplace can:
- Serve as a team bonding tool — When we bring fun into the workplace, staff members interact in a new way. They get to know each other as real people, instead of only as coworkers, building relationships, trust, and more.
- Strengthen relationships between staff members — Have you ever noticed that staff members who enjoy working together seem to be happier, more productive, and stay with the company longer than those who do not connect? It’s all true — the Harvard Business Review states that having friends at work is linked to better business outcomes like profitability and inventory control, as well as safety and employee retention.
- Boost trust, morale, and motivation — Those strengthened relationships help employees trust each other (and help them trust the supervisors who play along with them). They help make work a happier place overall, too.
- Strengthen communication — When staff members trust each other and enjoy each other, they will communicate often and well. Good communication among employees boosts the success of most businesses.
- Help employees reduce stress — Adding a bit of fun into the workplace can decrease stress, which in turn boosts productivity and workplace happiness.
- Promote productivity — Taking short “brain breaks” is just as important for productivity at work as it is in school. Playing a round of online Jeopardy is the perfect way to take a quick break!
- Improve team performance and business success — With all of these benefits combined, employees perform better and businesses exhibit higher levels of success.
Fun Fact: The benefits are extensive, but the effort is not. You don’t need to try to build these skills while playing games in the workplace. They come all on their own. All you need to do is offer the opportunity to have fun, and wait for the positive changes to roll in.
The Different Forms of the Game: Online Jeopardy VS the Game Show
You may be wondering, “How similar is online Jeopardy compared to the TV show?” You can make the experience almost identical with the help of an online Jeopardy game maker. Factile, for example, offers a sleek game board, buzzer mode, thinking music, Double Factile, and Final Factile. These fun touches allow the game to feel more realistic than, say, a PowerPoint presentation game.
One difference is that most users prefer to present the question instead of the answer if the game’s purpose is educational. However, this is completely up to the user. Most online Jeopardy game makers allow you to present either the question or the answer first — whichever order works best for you.
Another difference is that most workplace users play in teams, instead of single contestants playing against each other. This is to allow groups to build bonds - for example, the North East team can compete with the Midwest team. Factile allows up to 100 teams so let the games begin!
Decisions aside, online Jeopardy can be made extremely similar to the TV show. And the familiarity is sure to add a level of fun for your employees.
The Five Best Ways to Use Online Jeopardy in the Workplace
If you’re new to using games in the workplace you may think the benefits sound amazing, but also wonder, “How would I fit these into my employees’ work day?” Below, we’ll look into a few of the most common uses we see from our online Jeopardy community.
#1: Online Jeopardy for New Hires
When a new employee joins your team, there’s a lot of information to cover in a short amount of time. Onboarding typically looks like meetings and handbook homework, but what if we could turn it into something fun?
Of course, meetings will have their place, but we’d like to argue that most jobs have topics that could be taught through games.
Consider making an online Jeopardy board for new hires with topics such as:
- Company history
- Management names and positions
- Vacation and sick leave policies
- Information on benefits packages
- Pertinent industry topics
- Safety protocols
- Tech practices
- Random slides for staff bonding purposes.
These games could take place between a group of new hires. It may also be fun to involve all staff members at one of the new hires’ first few meetings. Go with the option that best suits the schedule and company culture. No matter how it’s played out, the fun won’t go unnoticed.
#2: Jeopardy for Staff Meetings
If you’re looking for ways to mix it up during staff meetings, online Jeopardy could be the answer once again. Use a game as a refresher on policies or industry knowledge. Play a round when changes occur to help employees master the new information. Add a short game to every monthly meeting as a regular team bonding experience. No matter the details, the extra fun is sure to be a welcome addition for staff members.
#3: Jeopardy for Staff Bonding and Team Building Events
As mentioned above, games can play an important role in staff bonding and team building. Online Jeopardy is no different!
During staff bonding or team building events, consider theming your questions and answers around:
- Company history
- Recent team successes
- Staff member fun facts.
You could also focus strictly on bonding by excluding company focuses and answering questions that are:
- Humorous
- Academically challenging
- Related to current events.
No matter the topic of your game, it’s important to focus on the fun. Make sure employees are enjoying themselves and interacting positively with each other. This will ensure that your efforts lead to deeper connections and relationships between team members.
#4: Annual Sales Event Jeopardy
Nothing says “party” like a group game; are we right? At your next annual sales event, consider bringing up a game of online Jeopardy to add to the celebration. This could be a regular game with general topics, industry-specific knowledge, or even questions that relate to your company’s recent “ sales wins.”
You could choose a few staff members to play a game in the front of the room, divide the whole group into teams, or have each table play their own game on a tablet, laptop computer, or from their smartphones.
In this scenario, the “how to’s” don’t matter as much. Do what works best for your company and the specific event. The purpose of the game is to have fun, so all you need to focus on is what your guests will enjoy.
#5 Online Jeopardy for Trade Shows
Perhaps one of the most unique ways we’ve seen Factile used is at trade show booths. Start by setting up your booth as usual, and then add a tablet, laptop, or projected screen. Log into Factile and press “play” on a game that relates to your product or business.
Your trade show game could cover:
- Fun facts about the industry
- Details about your products or business
- General trivia for engagement purposes.
Players can hang around for an entire game, or answer 1-2 questions for the team of their choice before moving along to the next booth.
To add to the fun, you may even want to consider handing out prizes for Jeopardy winners. These could be upscaled branded merchandise to further your networking efforts. Think stainless steel tumblers instead of the typical plastic cup, or planners instead of post-it notes. Or maybe you’d like to get creative and hand out branded “medals” for your Jeopardy winners to wear for the rest of the show?
Playing Jeopardy from your trade show booth is a sure way to be remembered, while also adding some extra fun to the time you spend there.
If you’re ready to bring simple yet meaningful fun into your workplace, consider signing up for a free Factile account today. After all, online Jeopardy is one of the easiest and most effective ways to bring these benefits to life.
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions. We’re honored to play a small role in bringing more fun into your workplace!
