While it may sound the like excuse a lazy employee gives when they’re caught playing Scrabble on their work computer, there is good reason to believe that playing games at work – along with a decent balance of actual work – can be good for employees and employers.
How? Let’s discuss four ways that playing games can make employees more productive – and happier.
Can playing games really improve productivity?
While complex, immersive games really can eat into work time and make sure nothing gets done, simple, classic games like Hearts are ideal for employees to enjoy in moderation at work. Here’s why.
1. Tackles anxiety and stress
There’s no getting around it – work is stressful. The simple fact is that prolonged stress and high levels of anxiety are extremely bad for a person’s health, to say nothing of the impact they may have on a person’s productivity. Simple yet challenging online games can be a great way to turn off stress levels and allow a person to relax. Games like solitaire, mahjong, and more are all relaxing games that are not hugely time-consuming.
2. Improves problem-solving and strategy skills
A classic example of a game that encourages strategy and problem-solving is chess. This classic two-player game can be played online at varying levels of difficulty and is notoriously difficult to play well. Regularly playing a game of chess helps a person to think outside the box, plan out strategies, and look ahead for possible challenges and dangers – all of which are vital qualities in a workplace.
3. Increases patience and attention span
Online games often help to improve a person’s attention span. It’s a simple fact that a person is more likely to be more patient and stick to something they enjoy, rather than something they dislike. The workplace isn’t always an easy space to navigate, but regularly playing certain online games can help to encourage patience.
4. Encourages teamwork
Some workplaces require teamwork, which doesn’t come naturally to many people. If a team of coworkers is struggling to work together, a shared love of a particular game can be a perfect way to bring them together. Plainly speaking, people are more likely to work together in an online world that they all enjoy. That learned skill can then be transferred to real life and the workplace. This can be a fantastic destressing idea, as well as a good team-building activity.
Which games to play?
The list of possible games to play is almost endless. Of course, some adult games or exceptionally violent games shouldn’t be played in a workplace, and care should be taken not to disturb other coworkers.
However, it’s best to keep it simple. Classic games like chess, draughts, online-solitaire.com, mahjong, and much more are all great ideas for workplace games. Word games like Scrabble, Yahtzee, and online crosswords are also good ideas for mental sharpness and so on.
It’s also worth noting that many of these games can be customized and embedded in a website, for easy access.
