Email Games To Keep Teams Engaged

Following the most significant global crisis in modern memory, many of us have experienced abrupt and unfamiliar changes –– not least within the workplace. The pandemic fundamentally altered the way we work, with many switching from being based in offices to working remotely and/or from home. Accordingly, if the last two years have taught us anything about present-day workplaces, it is the importance of streamlined remote communications.

To that end, Mailtrim provides a suite of features designed to make email simpler, smarter, and more organized. It allows the customization of inboxes to suit each individual, activates prompts so email responses are never missed, and offers an integration system which recognizes many third-party programs and CRM databases.

While email software like this makes it easier for teams to stay connected on work matters though, leaders should also be looking into how to use them to make specific, targeted efforts to build team cohesion and improve bonds under remote working conditions. Usually, organizing team-building activities in person or over Zoom are the first options. However, there are also some engaging team-building games that can be played via group emails within teams. Creating some mental stimulation between shifts and encouraging a little fun can boost remote workers' morale and help them to build connections with one another.

Here, we’ve taken a look at some of the best ideas available for team email games.

Add-A-Line Stories

A fun back-and-forth concept, add-a-line stories require regular, short responses from all involved. The idea is that one person starts with the first line to a story. The story is then built by being passed around via email, with team members taking turns to add corresponding lines. Co-workers can take a narrative in any number of directions, and more often than not the outcomes turn out to be quite amusing. Regardless of story specifics though, it's a fun way to give teams a way to interact outside of work, and it can be done simply via team groups.

Visual Brain Teasers

You can also add some mental stimulation to your email games by sending out brainteasers for work teams to puzzle over. If you (or someone on your team) is creative with visual graphics, you can create your own. That said, there are many to choose from online as well; Gala Bingo posted some of these visual brainteasers earlier this year and left them ready-made to be downloaded and copied into emails, for starters. Or if you're looking to establish a regular rotation, it’s also become quite easy to find Where’s Waldo? images at any number of places across the internet. Whatever the case, challenging team members to find hidden elements in pictures is another great game for email –– particularly if you invoke time limits and/or points to make it a bit more competitive!

Word Games

Similar to brain teasers, word games make for fun email games that are both engaging and mentally stimulating. Crosswords and word searches, for instance, can be emailed to all with the fastest to complete being the winner. For a more team-orientated approach, these can also be passed along with each individual completing a find/clue before forwarding on to the next person. For crosswords, you can find puzzles at all kinds of outlets, from local papers and niche online journals to The New York Times. As for word searches, you can build your own at The Word Search or tap into a huge selection of existing puzzles concerning pop culture topics. Whatever the case, there are plenty of options that make these games easy to send out to teams.

Number Games

For those who may prefer numbers to words, code-cracking and sequence-finding puzzles may be better options. Here too there ar a number of sources online where you can find varied selections of printable number puzzles to send out to teams via email. Most number puzzles (Sudoku and the like) require a degree of logic, so they’ll take longer to complete than some of our other suggestions. But they'll certainly get the cogs whirring, and teams can have fun either competing over them or taking them on in steps together.

All of these games can help to keep teams engaged over email, and encourage a kind of camaraderie that can otherwise be hard to achieve in remote work. The benefits for company morale and production may just surprise you.

If you're interested in upgrading your email services and improving communications, please explore Mailtrim and the various features we offer.