Is your workplace a no fun zone? - SmartBrief

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Is your workplace a no fun zone?

2 min read

Leadership

SmartPulse — our weekly reader poll in Smartbrief on Workforce — tracks feedback from leading managers and HR practitioners. We run the poll question each Wednesday in our e-newsletter.

Last week, we asked: Research suggests that strategic use of games in the workplace can increase productivity. Do you have games in your workplace?

  • No, we do not have games in the workplace, 83%
  • Yes, we have a few games that we use to unwind or play during breaks, 9%
  • Yes, we have some games that we occasionally incorporate into our workdays, 4%
  • Yes, we have all sorts of games that we incorporate into our workdays, 4%

If you were looking for a bunch of Google-like organizations to respond to this poll, you were probably mightily disappointed. While 20% of organizations used games in some form in the workplace, a full 80% simply don’t. Not even a deck of cards guys and gals? For myself in particular, I know that games that switch my mind off task for 15-20 minutes help me become more creative and get out of mental ruts. It might be worth looking at for your organization if you’re an 80%er.

Lance Haun is community director for ERE.net, the main guy over at Rehaul.com and a member of the SmartBrief on Workforce Advisory Board.