The Game Workday of the Undead

The game Workday of the Undead is one of the most fun group team building exercises and operates on that same horror movie logic.

All players select a slip of paper from a hat or jar. One or two slips read “zombie,” and the rest “survivor.”

Zombies will try to infect as many other players as possible, and survivors will try to outnumber the undead. Whichever group has more members at the end of the round wins.

Start with a large square as a playing space. Participants only move about the square.

Zombies infect other players by touching palms.
Survivors try to identify zombies by pointing at the suspecting player and yelling, “Stop! Zombie!”

If the player in question is a zombie, then the zombie is out for the round. If the accused player is a fellow survivor, then the accusing player is out for the round.

At the end of the round, ask zombies to raise their hands.

You can play several rounds and shrink the playing space each time to increase the difficulty of spotting zombie attacks.

This activity teaches teammates to read body language, a vital team communication skill. The game serves as a valuable reminder that, as in the zombie movies, just because a teammate does not speak up, does not mean that all is well.

The topics of this publication: interactions, motivation, disinhibition, distension, energize, competencies, strategy, non-verbal communication, observation skills