HRTechNews.com » 25% of workers play games at their desks

25% of workers play games at their desks

July 22, 2008 by Sam Narisi
Posted in: Employee computer use, Latest News & Views

In a recent survey, almost a quarter of employees admitted to playing video games on their computers at work. Should companies be doing anything about this?

Playing games at work has been a common occurrence ever since computers first started coming with solitaire installed. But, thanks to more powerful processors and faster Web connections, the games have gotten more complex and accessible — and more time-consuming.

Some companies have responded by taking a firm stance against game-playing, while others have stayed passive. Who’s right?

Answer: It depends. Some things to keep in mind regarding the issue of workplace gaming:

  • Which breaks are allowed and which aren’t? If people can leave their desks for 10 minutes to smoke, is it wrong to stop people from playing a game for a few minutes at a time?
  • Are all employees going to be treated the same? Having a policy that’s not consistently enforced can be worse than not having one at all.

The best solution might be to take a performance-based approach; in other words, if someone’s screwing up or not getting the work done, it doesn’t matter why.

In fact, some even argue that allowing employees to play at work will boost productivity. A few big companies like Google have even gone so far as to create “gaming rooms” where employees can go for breaks to keep their minds sharp.

What do you think? Does your company have a policy on workplace games? Let us know by dropping us a comment.

Tags: , , ,

Leave a Reply


advertisement


advertisement

See what readers are saying...

  • Greg Nall: I strongly disagree with this article. I would venture to say that all municipalities have multiple free employment res...
  • Jim R: Shelley B got it right when she said it "only serves the sender and leaves the recipient feeling isolated and distrustfu...
  • Rick: I think it's a crying shame to give American jobs to third world companies. What are we doing to the USA and to the peop...
  • Justin: Interesting, 70% of sabatoge cases are 'normal people', maybe we should hire criminals......
  • Laura Lee: It doesn't surprise me but after the city of New London took residents' homes by eminent domain for Pfizer under the pre...
  • Nathan: If I got fired I would tell anyone anything. I wouldn't sabotage anything either....