In contemporary competitions in the corporate world, every company is trying hard to maintain the efficiency of their employees. There has been more evolution in the techniques to enhance the performance in the workstation and the science also has something to say about gamification of the workplace which can boost the productivity and the efficiency of the employees and ultimately the outputs of the company.
Table Tennis, or popularly known as Ping pong can be the perfect gamification for the workplace. Well, talking about the gamification, it is the proven method to increase the work efficiency of the employees as well as their overall potential.
If you will have a close look at the Facebook and Google like giant companies, you will come to know about their smart workplace culture. A complete balance between ‘Work Hard and Play Hard’ can be in many ways a winning-the-workplace technique. Keep reading and you will know how gamification in your workplace can be beneficial and how ping pong can be a perfect choice.
What Is Gamification?
According to Google dictionary, “gamification is the application of typical elements of game playing (e.g. point scoring, competition with others, rules of play) to other areas of activity, typically as an online marketing technique to encourage engagement with a product or service.”
When you’re trying to gamify your workplace the main aim of it is to motivate your employees. Game elements can be used to gamify but what if you can design your workplace with an actual game which almost all people can play and have fun!
There is no second thought for the fact that many of us just like to shoot birds on Angry Birds and many like to play 2048 or even GTA like games. People have choices and we can’t make them play the game we want them to. And the same way, if you’ll make the gaming elements compulsory, you can’t guarantee everyone in the workstation is gonna like it.
For many reasons, ping pong can fit perfectly the spot for the gamification in the workplace. Setting up your workstation for ping pong can be more than just the gamification. Let’s see how playing ping pong for 10 minutes can improve your mental and physical health at the workplace.
1. It’s an office workout
Let your muscles get active by playing a round of ping pong and see what wonders it can do to your body. Since it’s fast-paced gameplay, your muscle and joint movement can vastly be improved. You will go through super bursts of energy everytime you hit the ball in the desired direction limiting the power of the shot which will improve leg, arm, and the core strength. If you feel regret about at indulging at lunchtime, challenge your colleague and have a match to burn some extra calories. As a matter of fact, a 63 Kg person can burn around 272 calories per hour by constantly playing ping pong! This small incentives for your health can get inactive employees moving right?
2. It’ll keep your brain active
While a cup of joe can get you started in the mornings, ping pong can do the same for you, even better. It can get your mind working, a great mental workout. When you’ve indulged in playing ping pong you need to make strategies and execute them within seconds, as the speed, spin, and the ball movements are crucial for the gameplay.
Since playing ping pong needs snap thinking, it helps you elevate your concentration levels, creativity, and decision-making abilities in the shorter time. A round of game can also boost the happy hormone levels and keeps the brain fresh and young which can aid in slowing the process of cognitive decline in the long terms. Studies in Japan discovered that playing ping pong can increase the blood flow to the brain areas and help prevent dementia in older people.
A cup of coffee or a round of ping pong? What would be your choice? Or both? 😉
3. It’ll help you wind down
The last option works quite well if you’re a coffee aficionado like I am. The winning combination of coffee and ping pong can be superb to wind down at your workplace. You can use the ping pong table as the centerpiece in the staff breakout area. However, you can design it creatively because the design of the breakout area doesn’t have to do with maintaining the lightings and other standards of working. Your relaxation and chilling out area shouldn’t be so common. And make sure you keep it far from the workstation as cheerful matches of yours won’t disturb the colleagues working in the workstation.
4. Channel your inner Competitive Streak
The whole point of gamification in your workplace is here. Friendly challenges and the competitions are perfect for unleashing your skills and competitive performance, it would be harmless and yet you will explore about yourself!
And yeah once you have earned some pro badge thingy in the workplace it can motivate you and the others to play well thereby improving their health, decision-making skills, and eye-hand coordination as well. This ultimately will result in the better performance of yours and your colleagues.
5. It’s a great use of space
If space is the prime concern of your workplace, then a ping pong table will be one of the most versatile furniture investments. It can be in full swing by 9 in the morning, by 5 in the evening it can be transformed into the breakout centerpieces. It can be your dining area over your lunchtime and can fold it up and put away in the storeroom for open plan collaboration spaces.
ThoughtWorks office is a perfect example which is an on the go with all their furniture on wheels (ping pong table too). They are a small team who need to scale up or down their space to accommodate different project requirements.
6. Encourage social interaction
Social interaction is something employers seek in the workplace for their employees. Social interaction can be productive for the firm as it lets people socialize and understand each other well. Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of their colleagues can let them work with more productivity. Moreover, this can be a perfect place for the introverts, who knows a shy taciturn guy or a girl can be a pro ping pong player! In a nutshell, ping pong can help shape a unique office morale that other simply designed workplace would be envious of?
Well, the ping pong can be the perfect gamification and the mental and the physical workout for your workplace. There are no solid reasons for which you can kick out ping-pong out of your office. Ps. ping pong rules ain’t complicated!