Trainers' Library Portal

Employee Engagement Team Activities

Employee engagement can mean the difference between ordinary and extraordinary team performance. When your team is truly engaged and value what the organisation is striving to achieve, and likewise, you truly value their contribution, great things can happen.

The following team activities, which you can easily run in a short meeting, will help you build employee engagement within your team.

Attitudes Attract


Time required:

15 minutes.

What it does:

An opportunity to explore what it feels like when we take a pessimistic approach and how it impacts the likelihood of success.

flagThis activity is suitable for remote delivery.


flag This team activity can be run on it’s own, but it works best when it is followed up with Describing Your Glass - Optimism vs Pessimism, as it focuses on the positive steps your team can take.


You will need:

Flipchart paper and a pen.

In a nutshell:

Can your team summon enthusiasm for a fund raising challenge when their manager seems so convinced that it will not work?

Employee Engagement 1 - What is Engagement?


Time required:

25 minutes.

What it does:

Introduces the concept of Employee Engagement to people who have not encountered it before.

flagThis activity is suitable for remote delivery.


You will need:

PowerPoint slides have been provided to assist with your delivery; alternatively you can use pre-prepared flipcharts.

In a nutshell:

Differentiates between ‘Satisfaction’, ‘Motivation’ and ‘Employee Engagement’ and helps staff understand why engagement matters.

Employee Engagement 2 - Building Blocks


Time required:

20 minutes.

What it does:

Explores the behaviours that contribute to Employee Engagement.

flagThis activity is suitable for remote delivery.


You will need:

Each team will need one set of Building Engagement Cards. You'll need a flipchart paper and pens. A PowerPoint slide with the engagement definition is provided, but is not essential.

In a nutshell:

Can your team make the connection between great workplace experiences and engaging behaviours?

Employee Engagement 3 – Job Dilemma 1


Time required:

25 minutes.

What it does:

Explores what employees can do to improve their own levels of engagement.

flagThis activity is suitable for remote delivery.


flagThis team activity is designed to be a follow up to Employee Engagement 1 - What is Engagement? and Employee Engagement 2 - Building Blocks.


You will need:

This activity has a PowerPoint slide to assist with delivering the session. You will also need a copy of The Job Dilemma handout for each of your participants. It may also be worth distributing the Building Engagement Cards to the teams as an aide memoir.

In a nutshell:

Charlie has been offered a great role in a prestigious museum, but is it the right thing to do to accept the job?

Employee Engagement 4 – Job Dilemma 2


Time required:

15 minutes.

What it does:

Explores what your employees can do to improve their own levels of engagement.

flag This activity is suitable for remote delivery.


flagThis team activity is designed to be a follow up to Employee Engagement 3 – Job Dilemma 1.


You will need:

This activity has a PowerPoint slide to assist with delivering the session. In addition, flipchart paper pens and sticky dots will be needed – each participant will need 5 red and 3 green dots. (If you don’t have dots, coloured marker pens will suffice.) Each team will also need a copy of the Building Engagement Cards.

In a nutshell:

What actions are required by you and your team to maximise their engagement?

Engagement Snapshot


Time required:

30 minutes.

What it does:

Explores how engaged your team are currently feeling and what changes can be made to build engagement.

You will need:

A pre-prepared flip chart with The Ten Engaging Behaviours listed on it. Each of your team members will also need 10 red sticky dots and 10 green ones. (In the absence of sticky dots, you could use red and green marker pens.)


In a nutshell:

Gives you a snapshot of how engaged your team feels and where they believe improvements could be made.

The Motivation Game


Time required:

25 minutes.

What it does:

Explores what motivates different people and more specifically what the biggest drivers for your team members are.

You will need:

One set of the Motivation Game Cards per seven participants, plus a table to display the spare cards. You may find the What Motivates My Team? handout in the Resources tab useful.

In a nutshell:

A card swapping game designed to uncover what motivates your team members.