The Pursuit of Fun ln academic titerature, workplacefun is definedasplayful activitiestha t areamusin g, pleasura ble , o r enjoyable_These activitiesca nbe social,interpersonal ,recreatio na l,ortask based,butthey a ll s ha reaco mm onthread:play Wo rkplace funbenefits e mployees'health andwell-being, inc reasesengagement,promotescollaboration,and fosters c rea l ivity,accordingtothe Harvard8usinessReview
It is a happy talent to know how to play. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
7 Can playful design bring workers back to the office?
According to a survey of 1,000 busi ness leaders, 9 in 10 compa nies will req uire employees to return to the office in 20 23. Employers a re ea ge r to fill e mpty desks, but worry t hat forcing workers back could hurt mora le , dimmish productiv1ty, andd riveawa y ta le nt.M any a re offeringincentiveslikecateredmeals,commuterbenefits,andpay inc reasesto lureem ployeesback
Thebenefitsofworkingtogether-inpersoo--a resi gnificantand well-<looumented.Andthroughour e.>:perie nceas workpl ace designers, we 've seen that the right kin d of e nvironme nt can he lp e mployees thrive . Th is is why we're interested in finding ways to attra ct peop le lo th e office and help them get the most out of their time while they are
Enler: play.Hum ansare innatelydra wn to it.And sc1encetellsus thatengaginginplay,whethersolitaryorsocial,has a rangeofpositiveeffectson menta l a nd physicalwe llbeing Pla yiswide lyrecognizedasad rivingforceof innovation. This iswhy theoffice-as-playgroundtrend ,markedby indoor s lidesa nd bouncy-ball seats,ca ughtonwithcompaniesli ke Google a ndFacebookintheearly 2000s Butaplayfulofficedoesn'thaveto looklikeaplayground. ln ourprojects weapply, test,andfine-t unesubtJer strategiestoseta ligh theartedtoneandencourage p la yful e ngage ment Our des ign team used play-based strategies for t he flagship office of TD Securities in Manhattan. Multisensory e lements, f romtexturesandpopsofcolortocutting-edgetoolsandamenities,enliventhe spaceandencourage e ngagement.Theoffice featuresdiverses pace typesa nd furnishingstoinvite playful engage ment, promote collabo ration,andsupportthecompany'scultureofinnovation
THREE IDEAS ... about playful workplace design
Funforo ne isn'l(n ecessarily)funfor a ll.ReneProyer
~ ~ PLAY, ~ . YOURWAY
professorofpsychologyandplayresearcher,identifies fourdime ns ionsofplayfulness: othe r-directed , L1ghthearted.lntelleclual, andWhims1cal. other-<lirected play issocialinnature,whilelighth ea rtedpla yref ersto "seeinglifeasa ga me. "lntellectualplayinvofvesa me ntalchall enge.Quirkyoroff-the-wa llhumorpointsto whims ica l play
'l) r~ INrt:u.£<..TiAL.
L16HT HEA1-TE1)
Usethefourdimensionsofplayfulness t o inspire different kindsofp layinth eofficeForexample,a ga me roommighlinviteother-<lirectedandlight-heartedplay, wh ile adispla yofqui rkymemora bitiaortongu e-in-cheek s ign age mightencourage whims icalplay
IA)\IIM$1C,6,L
BEWARE OF "FAKE FUN"
2J
CatherinePrice,sciencejournalistandauthorof The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Aga in, ma kes a distinctionbetween "fakefun " and "truefun. " True fun, s hesays,happe nsat lhe intersectionofplayfu lness, connection,andflow.Fakefun,ontheotherhand,uses upteisure timebut is genera llypass ivean dun fulfitti ng lnthe office,ca rveoutspacesforactivitiesthatblend playfulness,connection,andflow.Playingcanhappen a lone,but moreoftenth an notthere isan important socia lcomponent.Pri oritize playful,low-stakesactivities t hal bringpeopletogethe r and are justchaflenging e noughto exciteandengage
3
FORCED PLAY • ISN'TFUN
Organized pl ay can fee l hollow and burdensome whe n e mployeesa re overworked,wh en team bondsa re lackin&, orwhen acultureof lea rning a ndgrowlhis not supportedfromthe top.lt'sessentialtoletemployees ca lltheshots whenitcomestooffice fun, especia lly when it encroachesontheirwork orleis urelime Thebestkindofplayisintrin sica llymotivated.To e ncourageplaywithoutdrivingpeopleupthewa ll,ma ke s ureemp loyees know they ca nopt outif theychoose Recruit team members to come up with activities that e mbodytheirownideaoffun, a ndprovideresources (includingtimel ) loplanandimplementthem
◄ J;·U► It Pays to Pl.AY: How Play !mproves BusinessCulluro KristiHerold
il!VilM+ "Hey ad ults. fun is one a ntidote to
l·iM Cultivate a "play mindset. " A playful
stress.Tryitmore "ln NPR'sTED
mind setp uts usinabetterposition to
founderandCEOofJAM, s hares
RadioHour,Sciencejournalisl
takeonchatlengesandlea rnfrom
practicaltipsloimproveworkculture,
CatherinePricetalksabout the
boost engage ment.and spa rk
importanceoftruefun a nd howto