Eight people who work and play together (5)
I believe the answer is:
octet
'eight people who work and play together' is the definition.
(an octet is a group of eight musicians)
This is all the clue.
(Other definitions for octet that I've seen before include "Group of eight musicians" , "Chamber ensemble, a Mendelssohn favourite" , "Eightsome" , "Group of eight, say singers" , "Lines of verse" .)