Work from home or in the office?
- Work from home
- In the office
This or that questions for work: 50 quick team polls
Two words, one tap, and you learn how your team likes to work. These pairs suit a stand-up warm-up, a new starter's first day or a slow afternoon in the team channel.
- 50pairs
- 5themes
- 2options each
- Freeto launch and vote
By Michael Hodge, BSc Psychology Updated September 2026
The 50 pairs
Every pair fits every poll app: two short options of 25 characters or fewer. Pick a situation to narrow the list.
50 of 50 questions
For
How do you like to work?
The pairs a manager learns the most from. Ask them in a new team's first week and keep the results.
Tip: post the result next to the team's working agreement, if you have one.
Set schedule or flexible hours?
- Set schedule
- Flexible hours
Heads-down focus or constant collaboration?
- Heads-down focus
- Constant collaboration
Short sprints or a steady pace all day?
- Short sprints
- Steady pace
Paper to-do list or a digital app?
- Paper list
- Digital app
Hard stop at the end of the day or one more thing?
- Hard stop
- One more thing
Deep work in the morning or in the afternoon?
- Morning
- Afternoon
Do-not-disturb blocks or always available?
- Do-not-disturb blocks
- Always available
Plan the whole week on Monday or plan each day as it comes?
- Plan the week
- Day by day
Inbox zero or inbox infinity?
- Inbox zero
- Inbox infinity
Meetings, messages and email
Quick to vote on, and the split usually settles a question the team has been arguing about quietly.
Chat message or email for a quick question?
- Chat message
Written status update or live stand-up?
- Written update
- Live stand-up
Fewer long emails or more short messages?
- Fewer long emails
- More short messages
15-minute or 30-minute meetings by default?
- 15 minutes
- 30 minutes
Shared team inbox or direct messages?
- Shared inbox
- Direct messages
Recorded demo to watch later or a live walkthrough?
- Recorded demo
- Live walkthrough
Agenda sent ahead or agenda at the start?
- Sent ahead
- At the start
One note-taker or a shared doc everyone edits?
- One note-taker
- Shared doc
Reply-all or reply to the sender?
- Reply-all
- Reply to sender
Voice note or typed message?
- Voice note
- Typed message
Tools, desks and screens
Low stakes, strong opinions. Good for a team that has just moved office or changed tools.
Open-plan office or quiet private spaces?
- Open plan
- Private spaces
Laptop only or a desk full of monitors?
- Laptop only
- Desk full of monitors
Kanban board or a simple task list?
- Kanban board
- Simple task list
Dozens of pinned tabs or a clean browser?
- Pinned tabs
- Clean browser
Digital whiteboard or a real one?
- Digital whiteboard
- Real whiteboard
Over-ear headphones or earbuds?
- Headphones
- Earbuds
Notes app or paper notebook?
- Notes app
- Paper notebook
Desk plant or desk photo?
- Desk plant
- Desk photo
One calendar for everything or work and life kept apart?
- One calendar
- Kept apart
Keyboard with loud keys or silent keys?
- Loud keys
- Silent keys
Breaks, food and team life
The easy ones. They get the quiet people voting, which makes the harder questions easier later.
Online game session or team lunch in person?
- Online games
- Lunch in person
React with a GIF or an emoji?
- GIF
- Emoji
One big party a year or smaller events all year?
- One big party
- Smaller events
Quiet solo break or a group coffee walk?
- Solo break
- Group coffee walk
Team swag: hoodie or mug?
- Hoodie
- Mug
Memes in the work chat or keep it serious?
- Memes welcome
- Keep it serious
Lunch at your desk or away from it?
- At my desk
- Away from it
Birthday cake or a birthday day off?
- Cake
- Day off
Sweet snack or savory snack?
- Sweet
- Savory
Coffee run or tea round?
- Coffee run
- Tea round
Quick-fire pairs for stories and posts
Short enough for an Instagram story sticker or an X poll, and general enough to post on a company account.
Tip: post the winner the next day. A result is a second post that writes itself.
Monday or Friday?
- Monday
- Friday
Morning meeting or afternoon meeting?
- Morning meeting
- Afternoon meeting
Summer Fridays or a longer winter break?
- Summer Fridays
- Longer winter break
End a message with an emoji or a full stop?
- Emoji
- Full stop
Calls with video or voice only?
- Video
- Voice only
Walk and talk or sit and talk?
- Walk and talk
- Sit and talk
Office music on or off?
- On
- Off
Keyboard shortcuts or step by step?
- Shortcuts
- Step by step
Ask first or try first?
- Ask first
- Try first
Thank-you note or thank-you coffee?
- A note
- A coffee
No question matches. Clear the search or pick another chip.
When a two-way poll works best
This or that is the lightest poll there is. Used in the right moments it gets everyone voting, including the people who never speak first.
Use it when you only have a minute
Two short options can be read and answered before a call has properly started. Save the longer questions for later in the meeting, and open with a pair.
Make both sides worth picking
A pair only works if people genuinely split. Coffee against tea divides most offices; coffee against warm water does not. If you can guess the winner before you post it, swap one side.
Keep the answers that matter
The working-style pairs are more than a game. How a team splits on chat versus email or on do-not-disturb blocks is worth writing down, and a new starter can read it on day one instead of guessing.
Every pair fits every poll app
Two options of 25 characters or fewer fit Instagram stories, X, Teams chat and WhatsApp, and a Poll Maker link opens on every phone and laptop.
| Where | Options per poll | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Poll Maker | Every question on this page | No account to create or vote. Share one link anywhere. |
| Instagram story | Up to 43 | Keep options to a word or two. |
| X | Up to 4, 25 characters each1 | The card on each question says when it fits. |
| Teams chat | Up to 64 | Made with Microsoft Forms inside the chat. |
| Up to 12, 100 characters each2 | Several answers are allowed unless you switch it off. |
This or that at work: quick answers
What are this or that questions?
A choice between two things, answered in one word: coffee or tea, email or chat. Because there is no explaining to do, everyone answers, and the split starts a conversation.
How do you play this or that at work?
Post one pair at a time as a poll, give people a minute, then share the split. In a meeting, read out three or four pairs and invite a volunteer from each camp to defend their pick.
Can I use these in an Instagram story or on X?
Yes. Every pair on this page has two options of 25 characters or fewer, which fits an Instagram story poll and an X poll. Copy the question and paste the two options in.
What is the difference between this or that and would you rather?
This or that asks which of two everyday things you prefer. Would you rather questions set up an imaginary trade-off, which takes longer to think about and suits a social more than a stand-up.
Post your first pair
Pick a pair, open it as a poll, and post it where the team already chats. Most teams have a result inside ten minutes.
