Employee Engagement

When Hangman
Met Trivia

A neuroscience-backed word game that cultivates connection, cognition, and culture across your organization.

Scroll

The Challenge

Your organization is distributed.
Connection shouldn't be.

Remote and hybrid work solved the commute problem. But it created a belonging problem. Step challenges and meditation apps address the body. Nothing addresses the mind and the bonds between people.

76%
of employees say belonging is important, yet fewer than half feel it at work
$280B
annual cost of mental health conditions in the workplace
79%
higher engagement scores in organizations using gamified programs

The Neuroscience

Backed by brain science, not buzzwords

Oh Word is designed around the INCLUDE® model from the NeuroLeadership Institute, the same framework used by CVS Health, Microsoft, and other Fortune 500 companies to build inclusive, high-performing cultures.

Find Common Ground

Playing the same game creates a shared identity across departments, locations, and titles. When people feel they belong, walls come down and collaboration follows naturally.

NLI INCLUDE® Model

Lift People Up

Shared leaderboards and team prompts create micro-moments of recognition. When people feel valued and respected, psychological safety grows and teams perform at their best.

NLI INCLUDE® Model

Create Clarity

A consistent ritual provides certainty in an uncertain world. A few minutes of cognitively stimulating play gives people a structured mental reset, reducing stress and sharpening focus.

NLI INCLUDE® Model

INCLUDE® is a registered trademark of NeuroLeadership Institute, Inc.

How It Works

Play. Connect. Thrive.

Oh Word is hangman reimagined with trivia. Solve clues at varying difficulty levels to earn letter guesses, then crack the Word of the Day. Every game is custom-crafted around your organization and delivered as a one-time experience or an ongoing series.

1

Culture

We learn your organization's culture and values to build a game that speaks your language.

2

Cognition

Whether it's a single event or an ongoing series, your team solves clues, earns letter guesses, and sharpens their minds.

3

Connection

Your shared leaderboard sparks conversation, friendly competition, and the kind of bond that outlasts the game.

Why Oh Word

Not another step counter.
Not another meditation app.

Oh Word is the only engagement tool that pairs cognitive wellness with cultural connection, delivered through an experience designed and delivered by a 13-year employee engagement leader. It's culture-building through play. And it actually sticks.

Perfect For

New Hire Onboarding Team Development L&D Programs Conferences + Summits Offsite Retreats ERG Activations Wellness Weeks Virtual + In-Person

Packages

Three ways to bring Oh Word to your organization

Each package is designed to match how you want to engage your people.

Custom Edition

Curate

Starting at $500 per edition

Best for ERGs, teams, and departments

A custom edition built around the moments that matter to your people. Self-paced, played on demand. Available in 1, 3, or 6 edition packages within a 12-month window.

  • Custom clues for your organization
  • Private leaderboard with custom prompt
  • Played on any device

Virtual Facilitation

Activate

Starting at $1,000 per session

Best for training cohorts, offsites, conferences

A 60-minute live facilitated session led by Safiya. Team plays clues together, but each player guesses individually. Collaboration meets competition in real time.

  • Live, virtual facilitated session
  • Custom edition built for your event
  • Hidden leaderboard for a competitive reveal

Editions + Consulting

Always On

Starting at $5,000 per month

Best for enterprise-wide engagement

A weekly or monthly cadence of custom editions, plus ongoing partnership on your employee engagement strategy. The game is a tool. We help you with the bigger picture.

  • Custom editions on your cadence (weekly or monthly)
  • Clues built around timely company and cultural moments
  • Company-wide leaderboard

We tried Oh Word during an HR team meeting and it was a big hit. It was quick, fun, and got everyone working together to solve the clues and guess the word. A great way to bring a little fun and connection into the day.

Katherine Richardson, CHRO
(PURE Insurance)

Safiya Reid, Founder of Oh Word

Meet the Founder

Safiya Reid

Oh Word wasn't born in a boardroom. It was born on a subway. A girl folding the New York Times on her commute to her first internship, trying to crack crossword clues that never felt like home. Two decades later, she built the game that does.

Safiya is a 13-year employee engagement and people operations leader who built enterprise engagement functions from zero to one. As Associate Vice President of Employee Engagement, she achieved 90% participation and the highest engagement scores across a 45,000+ global employee parent company, improving belonging scores, employee NPS, and retention by 37%.

As Director of DEI, she increased leadership representation by 54%, launched 7 Employee Resource Groups reaching 62% of the workforce, and designed leadership development workshops grounded in emotional intelligence and cultural change. She is a Certified Inclusion Trainer through the NeuroLeadership Institute.

Oh Word sits at the intersection of everything she's built: neuroscience-informed design, cultural fluency, and a deep belief that play is the most underestimated tool in a leader's toolkit.

Spelman College, B.A. Economics Georgia State, M.A. Communication NLI Certified Inclusion Trainer eCornell DEI Certification Emory Business Intelligence

Recognition: 2024 NY Coalition for the Homeless Corporate Partner of the Year · 2024 Private Risk Management Association DEI Initiative of the Year · 2022 Insurance Business America Elite Women

Ready to bring Oh Word to your organization?

Whether it's an onboarding series, an offsite, or an ongoing daily ritual, let's design the experience that fits your people.

Looking for something different?

Oh Word also hosts live game nights at restaurants and bars across Atlanta. Fully facilitated, no setup for your staff. Just pick a date and we bring the energy.

Explore Game Nights