This or that questions act as a great way to insert a quick, fun icebreaker into your next team video call or team building event.
Here are my top 101 this or that work questions to get to know your colleagues a bit better and inject some energy into your next meeting:
General Work Preferences
- Early morning start or late evening finish?
- Office cubicle or open workspace?
- Remote work or in-office work?
- Weekly meetings or daily check-ins?
- Team projects or individual projects?
- Formal dress code or casual dress code?
- Private office or shared workspace?
- Flexible hours or set schedule?
- Short, intense workday or longer, more relaxed day?
- Quiet office or busy, energetic office?
Professional Development
- Mentorship or self-learning?
- Promotion without a raise or raise without a promotion?
- Workshops or online courses?
- Leadership training or technical skills training?
- Specialize in one skill or generalize in many?
- Stay in one industry or switch industries?
- Work on weaknesses or develop strengths?
- Attend conferences or networking events?
- Expert in your field or jack of all trades?
- Job security or career growth?
Office Culture
- Team lunches or team-building activities?
- Company retreat or holiday party?
- Coffee machine or snack bar?
- Office pets or no pets?
- Frequent feedback or annual reviews?
- Casual Fridays or work-from-home Fridays?
- Company swag or extra vacation days?
- Workplace friendships or strictly professional relationships?
- Formal emails or informal chats?
- Celebrating birthdays or celebrating work anniversaries?
Productivity and Work Style
- Digital planner or paper planner?
- To-do lists or project management software?
- Morning meetings or afternoon meetings?
- Scheduled breaks or work straight through?
- Focus on one task or multitask?
- Brainstorm in a group or brainstorm alone?
- Detailed plan or broad vision?
- Cluttered desk or cluttered inbox?
- Quick wins or long-term projects?
- Work under pressure or work with plenty of time?
Career Path
- High-paying job or fulfilling job?
- Climb the corporate ladder or stay in a comfortable role?
- Work in a startup or work in a large corporation?
- Be a specialist or be a generalist?
- Frequent job changes or stay with one company?
- Work in a competitive environment or work in a collaborative environment?
- Leadership role or expert role?
- Travel for work or stay local?
- High responsibility or low pressure?
- Work-life balance or career advancement?
Relationships at Work
- Work closely with your boss or work independently?
- Have a mentor or be a mentor?
- Give feedback or receive feedback?
- Work with a small team or work with a large team?
- Friendly coworkers or professional coworkers?
- Collaborate or delegate?
- Handle client relations or focus on internal tasks?
- Be the go-to person or fly under the radar?
- Colleague who’s always on time or colleague who’s always productive?
- Work with a diverse team or work with like-minded individuals?
Communication and Meetings
- Face-to-face meetings or virtual meetings?
- Quick huddles or detailed discussions?
- Email or instant messaging?
- Phone calls or video calls?
- Weekly status updates or monthly progress reports?
- One-on-one meetings or team meetings?
- Public speaking or written communication?
- Formal presentations or informal discussions?
- Share ideas openly or keep ideas to yourself until they’re developed?
- Debate in meetings or agree to disagree?
Office Environment
- Standing desk or traditional desk?
- Office with a view or office in a quiet area?
- Open windows or air conditioning?
- Plants in the office or minimalist office?
- Music in the background or silent workspace?
- Bright lighting or soft, warm lighting?
- Modern office design or classic office design?
- Artwork on the walls or clean, empty walls?
- Central location or out-of-town location?
- City office or suburban office?
Tech and Tools
- Mac or PC?
- Cloud storage or local storage?
- Company-provided equipment or bring your own device?
- Work laptop or work desktop?
- Paperless office or traditional paper?
- Advanced software or simple tools?
- High-tech gadgets or basic necessities?
- In-house IT support or outsourced IT support?
- Multiple monitors or single monitor?
- Automated processes or manual processes?
Fun and Unique
- Office potluck or catered lunch?
- Casual office games or formal team challenges?
- Theme days (e.g., Hawaiian shirt day) or no theme days?
- Office pranks or no pranks?
- Celebrating small wins or celebrating big achievements?
- Birthday cake or birthday card?
- Company sports team or company book club?
- Karaoke night or trivia night?
- Office Olympics or charity run?
- Bring your pet to work day or bring your child to work day?
- Office happy hour or office picnic?
About the Author
James Waite
Founder of Remoteopia, James has worked in remote roles for 6 years. After a stint in recruitment, he now works as a director of website strategy in tech.