Office words for Alias — work, meetings, deadlines

Meetings, deadlines, the coffee machine and the office party. A team-building set everyone recognises.

A set about the working week at a desk: the printer that jams the paper, the meeting that could have been an email, the deadline at six on a Friday and the holiday everyone has been waiting for since January. The first level is office supplies, the third is the corporate language everyone has heard in a stand-up.

Who this set is for

Almost every adult knows an office, so the words explain themselves through shared scenes: “the thing that breaks exactly when you are in a hurry.” An intern in their first week clears the easy level, while delegation or hierarchy already ask for a few years inside a corporation.

Who this set is for

Colleagues at a team-building evening or an office party: every word here reminds someone of the next desk over, so the laughs come by themselves. It also works in a mixed group where some sit in an office and some do not: the easy level is clear to everyone, and the hard one plays best in teams with at least one manager. Bring it out after the official part, when everyone has relaxed.

Printer

Works: “the thing that chews up the paper right when you are late for a meeting.” A shared office pain gives the word in a second. Does not work: “a device for printing documents” — the room will say photocopier, scanner and fax first.

Deadline

Works: “the moment everything should have been ready yesterday — usually Friday, six in the evening.” Does not work: “the final date for finishing a task” — the room answers due date, schedule and timeline, but not the word you need.

Burnout

Works: “when someone works for years without a break and one morning just cannot make themselves open the laptop.” Does not work: “emotional exhaustion” — the room hears tiredness, stress and depression and goes in circles. Explain abstract words through one person and one morning.

Where groups go wrong

The first trap is the in-jokes of one particular company: “like Sam in our Monday call” is funny to whoever knows Sam, while everyone else stays quiet. Explain so that a guest from the next department would get it too. The second is jargon: onboarding, backlog and synergy invite being explained with even more jargon. Describe the moment when someone says the word out loud. The third is job titles: “the person in charge” is a director, a manager and a boss at once. Say what exactly this person does on a Monday morning.

Explain through scenes everyone recognises: “everyone gathers, one person talks, the rest look at their phones” is a meeting.
Do not translate jargon into more jargon — describe the situation where people say it out loud.
Explain jobs through one action: “signs off the orders” is a director, “runs the payroll” is an accountant.

Easy

Familiar words that land on the first clue. For warming up, for kids and for mixed groups.

office, desk, chair, computer, laptop, keyboard, mouse, screen, printer, paper, pen, pencil, stapler, folder, document, boss, colleague, manager, meeting, lunch, coffee, kettle, mug, phone, email, letter, calendar, diary, clock, lift, stairs, badge, key, door, window, plant, kitchen, fridge, sandwich, salary, holiday, weekend, Monday, Friday, morning, job, team, project, task, report, plan, idea, presentation, chart, table, whiteboard, marker, notebook, envelope, stamp, scissors, glue, ruler, calculator, bin, cupboard, drawer, shelf, lamp, cleaner, guard, receptionist, secretary, director, worker, intern, interview, contract, suit, tie, briefcase, umbrella, coat, sofa, break, tea, biscuit, cake, birthday, party, gift, joke, gossip, late, tired, busy, boring, work, call, password

Medium

Takes a few sentences and some imagination. The default setting for an ordinary evening.

deadline, agenda, memo, spreadsheet, database, server, network, headset, webcam, projector, shredder, photocopier, scanner, paperclip, highlighter, clipboard, binder, stationery, cubicle, partition, canteen, reception, boardroom, workplace, commute, timesheet, payroll, accountant, recruiter, headhunter, freelancer, contractor, supervisor, deputy, assistant, coordinator, analyst, consultant, lawyer, client, partner, negotiation, proposal, budget, invoice, promotion, raise, bonus, appraisal, feedback, target, quarter, forecast, strategy, priority, workload, overtime, shift, schedule, vacancy, application, candidate, probation, resignation, dismissal, redundancy, pension, conference, webinar, brainstorm, workshop, training, mentor, newcomer, department, branch, headquarters, motivation, update, backup, attachment, signature, paperwork, policy, procedure, login, inbox, newsletter, teamwork, career, position, staff, chat, reminder, notice, payslip, uniform, lanyard, intranet, printout

Hard

Rare or abstract words. More failed rounds, and more laughing at them.

burnout, synergy, stakeholder, hierarchy, bureaucracy, procrastination, micromanagement, multitasking, delegation, onboarding, outsourcing, restructuring, downsizing, layoff, severance, headcount, benchmark, deliverable, milestone, roadmap, backlog, retrospective, sprint, stand-up, workflow, bottleneck, escalation, compliance, confidentiality, governance, accountability, transparency, alignment, leverage, scalability, productivity, efficiency, presenteeism, absenteeism, workaholic, careerist, nepotism, favouritism, networking, quorum, ergonomics, telecommuting, flexitime, sabbatical, secondment, apprenticeship, incentive, perk, remuneration, corporation, conglomerate, subsidiary, shareholder, executive, administrator, procurement, logistics, jargon, buzzword, acronym, consensus, compromise, mediation, initiative, coworking, hot-desking, icebreaker, team-building, overqualified, dashboard, template, reimbursement, shortlist, reprimand, discipline, competence, qualification, union, perfectionism, ambition, leadership, charisma, ethics, teleconference, audit, loyalty, offsite, silo, pivot, bandwidth, brief, pitch, mission, merger, downtime