Office Olympics: 5 Ideas to Enhance Your Workplace Wellness Program

Posted on 13th May 2019 in Office Chairs, Workplace Wellness

Government incentives and lower insurance payments are the primary reasons workplace wellness programs are the norm in 2019. Company culture is also separating the haves from the have-nots when it comes to recruiting and retaining the best talent.

The origins of office olympics can be traced back to the creators of the animated Fox television sitcom King of the Hill. The staff, apparently in celebration of the show's early success, held an office olympics that pitted writers, animators, marketers, etc. against each other in various entertaining events. The NBC sitcom The Office also had an office olympics episode in the show's second season. It's said the creators were inspired by King of the Hill. It was from that point forward that hip companies in real life began holding their own office olympics to separate their company culture from competitors.

Office olympics do not need to cost an arm-and-a-leg, nor do they need to make anyone uncomfortable. The idea is to hold a variety of events so everyone has the option to participate within their own individual personality and skillsets.

Office Chair Race

This will perhaps be the most physically-challenging event in your office olympics, and will likely elicit the most laughs and smiles. Office chairs with wheels are used as push-carts. One employees sits in the chair while another pushes them through an obstacle course (i.e. stacked boxes of printer paper that you must circle around completely). When they reach the end, the two switch places and go back through the course. Its best to set up one course and time each team individually to save space.

Trivial Pursuit

This is always a fun event because everyone can participate. Its recommended you buy a brand new Trivial Pursuit game or something similar, so its guaranteed nobody has seen any of the answers beforehand. The game board isn't necessary for this event. Best way to do it for maximum fun and competition is for someone to read the questions out loud and team members raise their hands if they know the answer. Whichever team fills their pie first wins the event.

Waste Paper Basketball

Its likely most office workers have done this event already; they probably even do it everyday. Each participant gets 10 paper balls and tries to shoot them into the garbage cans. Place the cans against a wall so shooters can bank their shots in if they so choose. The most popular way to do it is three rounds, where the distance between the shooters and the baskets extends and the point values increase.

Paper Airplane Golf

This event tests both the origami skills and the aim of participants. The airplanes can be constructed however the imagination directs, as long as they are made out of nothing but paper. Set up empty boxes, some on the floor and some elevated, and designate point values for each. Get creative by hanging Christmas reefs in front of the goals. Anyone who gets the plane to go through the reef and go in the goal (or gets the plane stuck in the reef) gets extra points.

Video Game Competitions

The idea here is to use only non-violent games that anyone can catch onto quickly. The Mario series, Tetris, Solitaire, Mindsweeper and the likes are good choices. High scores/best times can be written on a whiteboard, with each participant getting three chances to better their results.