When companies pay employees to play games | Economic Times

Motivation can be hard to muster up between rolling out of bed and turning on your computer. But top bosses have found fun ways to keep their employees enthusiastic.SOUL SPACESachin Saxena, founding member of unicorn healthcare company Innovaccer, even has a name for their downtime — Ministry of Fun. “[We play] Call of Duty (CoD) and Clash Of Clans to Scribble and Among Us. We kid around, rib one another; it’s our soul space,” he says.Suhasini Sampath, co-founder of YogaBar, says, “Who doesn’t love games?” Right from Scribble to Pictionary to quizzes, Sampath says the games engage the team.Shubhra Chadda, co-founder of Chumbak, says her team enjoys playing virtual Pictionary on Fridays. “We crack up when we look at each other’s drawings,” she says. Chadda also introduced a 4.5-day working week, with work ending at noon, along with a no-meeting policy on Wednesdays. “We have catch-up sessions twice a month to chat about everything under the sun [other than work],” she says. 84939655FRI-YAY FUNBosses are encouraging their employees by offering new experiences. Pravin Prakash, chief people officer at BYJU’S, says, “We have had workshops on creating a vibrant workspace at home or spine care tips and hosted sessions on yoga, zumba, bhangra, nutrition and Bollywood fitness.”Laughter is the best medicine for Kabir Siddiq, founder of SleepyCat mattresses, who says that working remotely has been a challenge. “We organised monthly sessions with stand-up comedy and music jamming, etc. The idea is to encourage laughs, unwind and be ourselves on a Friday evening,” says Siddiq, adding that sometimes Mondays begin with game sessions.Next up? A live music session. Mixing it up keeps employees more positive, which is why unicorn e-commerce company Moglix’s founder Rahul Garg says their team has virtual coffee catchups, along with yoga, dance and gaming sessions. “It helps mitigate the effects of isolation,” he shares.Employees all over the world missed their water-cooler and coffee chats. Shantanu Deshpande, founder of Bombay Shaving Company, found a solution. Open sessions were held between the team and management on topics apart from work. Steaming hot tea and snacks were delivered to their homes, right before the session. “These open chai-sessions helped us unwind,” says Deshpande.But it’s not just fun and games. Sampath says it helps break the ice and allows a free flow of ideas, as well as getting to know the team. “I learnt who is the better tactical planner and the better fighter [doer] in my team after several intense games of CoD,” he says. 84939645Top of the GamesPictionary Scribble Among UsCall of Duty Virtual Trivia