Cards Against Humanity Banned? 7 Office Game Night Ideas That HR Will Love

Cards Against Humanity creates workplace liability through content that touches protected categories like race, gender, and religion. Seven Toledo TV employees were fired after playing during work hours, while the game's own publisher faced accusations of fostering a racist and sexist office culture. HR-approved alternatives like Wavelength, Exploding Kittens Family Edition, and workplace-themed games deliver team building without discrimination risk.

TLDR

Cards Against Humanity markets itself as "a party game for horrible people" with intentionally offensive content touching race, gender, religion, and politics
Seven Toledo television station employees were fired after playing CAH at work, highlighting real workplace consequences
The EEOC defines unlawful harassment as conduct "severe or pervasive enough" to create a hostile environment, regardless of intent
HR-approved games should avoid protected-class humor, encourage collaboration, and work for mixed seniority levels
Safe alternatives include Wavelength (4.8/5 stars on Amazon), PowerPoint Karaoke, and Cubicle by Underscore Games
Research shows 97% of participants experience joy from well-run icebreakers without liability risks

Office game night ideas can be genuinely fun and HR-approved. But if your team has ever broken out Cards Against Humanity at a work event, you already know why that combination is tricky. The game proudly calls itself "a party game for horrible people", and at least one Toledo television station fired seven employees after a round went sideways. When edgy humor collides with workplace policy, everyone loses.

This post unpacks why CAH gets HR nervous, what legal risks lurk behind off-color games, and the criteria that separate a lawsuit-waiting-to-happen from a team-building win. Then we'll walk through seven office game night ideas that deliver laughs without the liability.

Why Cards Against Humanity Gets HR Nervous

Cards Against Humanity is, by design, a fill-in-the-blank game where players match provocative prompts with "ridiculous or offensive" responses. That's harmless among close friends at home. In a conference room, though, it introduces content touching on race, gender, religion, and politics, often in ways that cross professional lines.

The publisher itself has faced allegations of fostering a racist and sexist office culture. Former employees described an environment that "disproportionately affected Black employees," and co-founder Max Temkin stepped down after internal investigations. If the company making the game can't keep its own workplace safe, HR teams have good reason to worry about importing that dynamic into their break rooms.

When WTOL let employees play during work hours, station leadership issued a statement emphasizing its obligation to "provide an environment in which all employees are treated with respect and dignity". That obligation applies everywhere, and CAH-style games make it harder to uphold.

Key takeaway: A game that markets itself on shock value creates unpredictable exposure the moment it enters a professional setting.

Illustration splitting risky offensive game and safe HR-compliant team activity to depict workplace legal hazards

What Legal Minefields Can Party Games Trigger at Work?

Workplace harassment isn't just about intent; it's about impact. According to the EEOC, harassment becomes unlawful when offensive conduct is "severe or pervasive enough to create a work environment that a reasonable person would consider intimidating, hostile, or abusive". A single Cards Against Humanity session might not meet the "pervasive" threshold, but the content can certainly feel severe to someone targeted by a slur or stereotype.

Recent research in the Journal of Business Ethics describes exactly how social play can backfire: employees who have high implicit bias may "express biased views as jokes during play," and when co-workers laugh along, that behavior becomes normalized. Harassment norms spread through contagion, not just repetition.

Meanwhile, a study in Employee Relations found that fun activities were "related to greater incidences of unwanted sexual attention" when not managed carefully. The same study noted that manager support for fun actually reduced such incidents, suggesting the issue isn't fun itself but rather a lack of guardrails.

Key takeaway: The law doesn't require intent; a hostile environment claim can arise whenever conduct based on protected characteristics becomes severe or pervasive enough to alter someone's work experience.

5 Criteria Every HR-Approved Game Should Meet

Team-building experts agree that "combining fun with learning is one of the most effective ways to improve performance, break down barriers, and tap into hidden potential". But not every game delivers that payoff safely. Use the checklist below before adding anything to your next event:

Criterion	Why It Matters
No protected-class humor	Jokes targeting race, sex, religion, disability, or age expose the company to EEOC complaints. In FY 2024 alone, the EEOC received 88,531 new discrimination charges, up over 9% from the prior year.
Easy to learn in minutes	Short rule sets lower the barrier to participation and reduce downtime that breeds side conversations.
Encourages collaboration	Research on psychological safety shows that teams where people feel safe voicing ideas see higher innovation, team performance, and stability. Games that pit individuals against each other in zero-sum competition can undermine that.
Inclusive for all skill levels	Physical dexterity, pop-culture knowledge, and language fluency vary. The best games meet everyone where they are.
Appropriate for mixed seniority	Power dynamics shift when a junior employee has to joke with the CEO. Safe games create an even playing field.

Applying these filters quickly disqualifies anything that relies on shock value or insider knowledge.

Vector showing seven safe office game icons arranged around a central HR approval shield

7 Office Game Night Ideas HR Will Actually Sign Off On

Below are seven specific games and activities that pass the criteria above. Each one has been praised by team-building professionals, reviewed positively by real users, or both.

Wavelength: Collaborative Mind-Reading

Wavelength is a spectrum-guessing party game where teams give clues to locate a hidden target on a dial. It's entirely verbal, so "the element of downtime" is the only real criticism. The game sparks lively debate without requiring anyone to say something edgy. Dicebreaker called it "the best party game since Codenames," and Amazon reviewers give it 4.8 out of 5 stars across thousands of ratings.

Players: 2-12+
Setup: Under 5 minutes
Playtime: About 30 minutes

Exploding Kittens – Family Edition

Exploding Kittens bills itself as a "kitty-powered version of Russian Roulette", but the Family Edition strips out adult content entirely. Light strategy, silly artwork, and quick rounds make it accessible to everyone from interns to executives. The game is rated for ages 7 and up, so there's no risk of an awkward card surfacing mid-round.

Players: 2-5
Playtime: 15 minutes

Cubicle by Underscore Games

If your team craves the social energy of Cards Against Humanity without the liability, Cubicle is worth a look. It's a party game built around improv battles and team challenges that poke fun at corporate culture. One early reviewer put it this way:

"I loved the improv and competitive aspects of the game—it reminds me of games like Cards Against Humanity, but you get to actually interact with the other players and think on your feet."

Because the humor is workplace-safe by design, HR doesn't have to pre-screen every card.

Players: Flexible group sizes
Contents: Review cards, teambuilding cards, a 30-second timer, and more

PowerPoint Karaoke for Presentation Practice

PowerPoint Karaoke (also called Battledecks) is an improv activity where participants present slides they've "never seen before". It's free, it builds public-speaking skills, and it generates genuine laughter. Research shows that improv training promotes divergent thinking, tolerance of uncertainty, and affective well-being, making this activity both fun and professionally useful.

One user testimonial: "We tried this with some of my coworkers and they absolutely loved it. We're going to use this for fun activities that also reinforce presentation and teambuilding skills."

Low-Cost Print-&-Play Spreadsheet Games

Not every office game night needs a box set. Etsy sellers offer digital downloads like the Office Jokes Game for under three dollars. These print-and-play options work for groups of any size, require no shipping wait, and can be customized to your company's culture. For teams on tight budgets, they're an easy win.

Virtual Trivia & Escape Rooms for Remote Teams

Remote work has grown 91% over the past decade in the U.S., and distributed teams need connection just as much as in-office ones. Virtual trivia challenges, escape rooms, and scavenger hunts give dispersed colleagues a shared experience without anyone needing to travel. Tools like Remo highlight games such as:

Virtual Scavenger Hunt
Online Trivia Challenge
Remote Team Bingo
Virtual Escape Room

These activities encourage teamwork and problem-solving while respecting everyone's schedule.

Classic Icebreakers That Still Work

Sometimes the simplest options are the best. Icebreaker activities help create a non-judgmental environment where team members feel comfortable sharing ideas. Atlassian's Teamwork Lab found that well-run icebreakers sparked joy in 97% of participants and connection in 87%.

Try one of these:

Speed Meeting: Employees rotate for three-minute chats.
Two Lies and One Truth: A fun way to learn something new about colleagues.
Telephone Charades: Silent acting passed down a line.

These require zero budget and can kick off any meeting or event.

Bringing Fun Back Safely

Team-building isn't optional. High-achieving teams shine in communication, problem-solving, and morale, and those strengths "have to be cultivated". The good news is that cultivating them doesn't require risky content.

By swapping Cards Against Humanity for games that pass the five criteria above, you keep the laughter and lose the legal exposure. Whether your team gravitates toward spectrum-guessing in Wavelength, improv battles in Cubicle, or low-tech icebreakers, the goal is the same: connection without consequences.

If you're looking for a game that captures the social energy of party games while staying firmly in HR-approved territory, check out Cubicle by Underscore Games. It's built for exactly this moment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Cards Against Humanity considered inappropriate for office settings?

Cards Against Humanity is often deemed inappropriate for office settings due to its provocative prompts and responses that can touch on sensitive topics like race, gender, and religion, potentially crossing professional boundaries and creating a hostile work environment.

What legal risks can arise from playing inappropriate games at work?

Playing inappropriate games at work can lead to claims of workplace harassment if the content is severe or pervasive enough to create an intimidating or hostile environment, as defined by the EEOC. This can result in legal action against the company.

What criteria should HR-approved games meet?

HR-approved games should avoid humor targeting protected classes, be easy to learn, encourage collaboration, be inclusive for all skill levels, and be appropriate for mixed seniority levels to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all employees.

What is Cubicle by Underscore Games?

Cubicle by Underscore Games is a workplace-safe party game that uses corporate humor to engage players in improv battles and team challenges. It offers the social energy of party games like Cards Against Humanity without the risk of inappropriate content.

How can remote teams participate in office game nights?

Remote teams can engage in virtual activities such as online trivia challenges, virtual escape rooms, and scavenger hunts. These activities provide shared experiences and encourage teamwork without requiring physical presence.