Sometimes a workplace can get a little tense and morale can slip. Boosting morale and revving up the workplace can mean more productivity as the employees will be happier.

Morale can be boosted with some simple remedies; none of which has to cost very much. A few decks of cards on hand could be one monotony buster. Board games for the breakroom could also be included. How about getting some puzzles from a dollar store to put in the breakroom for everyone to work on? Any of these can get a community spirit going within the company.

POKER HANDS: One game to play in the office would be to give everyone a playing card per day. Monday through Friday employees would collect their cards. At the end of the week, whoever had the best poker hand would be the winner.

The rules are yours to make or break. It would be best not to change the rules in the middle of the games. You could insist that each employee keep their own cards, or let them switch with other players.

Prizes can be as simple as bragging rights, or the winner’s name on a board in the breakroom. Possibly treating the winning employee or group to a soda out of the vending machine would suffice. One prize could be a pizza day at the office for everyone with the cost being split among the losing teams.

OFFICE BINGO: You could make your own set of bingo cards for everyone in the office. Pick a day to call out numbers on the loudspeaker or intercom, and award a few dollar store prizes to the first 5 winners. Keep calling numbers until you get 5 winners. It may be a good idea to have a few extra prizes on hand, in case the last call produces more winners.

Diagonally, vertically, and horizontally are the most common ways to win at Bingo. You could also make “straight letter” wins such as the letters H, T, E, L, F, and even the letter Y. 4-Corner wins mean that all four corners on the card must be covered. You could play for a bigger prize and go for a coverall where all the numbers on the card have to be marked off to win.

Putting something a little different into the normal routine is a great pick-me-up for anyone. It can even be done in the office where it can have a wonderful effect on all that work there. Perhaps, the morale boost can even be picked up by the customers; benefitting all.