Building better connections through PLAY.

As a kid, did you buy those pharmacy-branded Valentine’s Day Cards with cheesy sayings like “Just speeding by with Valentine 'Hi'”?

Topics: Office Culture, Team Building, Holiday, Gratitude, Connection, Culture, Employee Experience, Company, Company Culture, Core Values, Tips, Human Resources, Games, Valentine's Day, Love

It’s that time of the year when renowned artists and entertainment industry titans come together to recognize the best of the best—it’s award season. The Grammys came and went, and the Academy Awards are around the corner, but award ceremonies don’t have to be limited to Hollywood. 

What if your office had its own fun way to recognize the stars who made significant contributions to the company’s success all year?

Topics: Office Culture, Employee Engagement, Work Culture, Gratitude, Culture, Company, Company Culture, Core Values, Human Resources, Empowerment, Employee Recognition, Awards

After Netflix and Hulu dropped dueling documentaries, the world is on Fyre. At every office, coffee shop, and happy hour, people can’t stop talking about Fyre Festival. And for good reason—what a complete and unmitigated disaster.

Topics: Business Strategy, Event Planning, Training, Reflections, Ideas, Culture, Lifestyle, Community, Company

I don’t usually care much for these designated holidays. But National Girls & Women in Sports Day? You got me there. I’ll play.

Topics: Play, Reflections, Gratitude, Connection, Community, Core Values, Sports, Women, Empowerment

Right now, there’s a buzz of excitement around the entire company—every office, every city, every single person is pumped. And I’m not just saying that. It’s REAL. You can feel the energy in every meeting, message, and email.

Topics: Team Building, Company Retreats, Employee Experience, Company Culture, Goals

Do you ever feel like you can’t get your events strategy right? Ever feel like you don't have the answers on how to make an event inclusive and still deliver an experience that is fun AND helps your team connect?

Topics: Employee Engagement, Company Culture, diversity and inclusion, company events

Earlier this week, we explored some of our staff’s favorite holiday traditions. As is the case with so many storied traditions, we learned some endearing, charming, and heart-warming things about the people we work with every single day.

Topics: Office Culture, Holiday traditions, Play

Adding some meaningful holiday cheer to the office doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming. Sometimes, all you have to do is ask. Hearing about your colleagues’ holiday traditions is a great way to learn more about them, and build even stronger, more intimate connections with the people in your workplace.

Topics: Office Culture, Holiday traditions, Play

Depression and anxiety can be terrifying. But if you want to feel better, you don’t have to face them alone. In fact, research shows it’s better that you don’t.

Instead of traveling down the winding road of recovery by yourself, what if you had a team behind you? What if you had a group of people invested in your well-being, regularly engaging with you on a meaningful level, all while playing a fun game you enjoy?

Topics: Play, Mental Health, Team

Ugh. "Fall back" is right. It’s dark before I leave the office and getting darker every day. The increasingly frigid weather means my days of biking to work are numbered. Everyone has a limit, and my hard limit is 35 degrees, no snow or ice. But pretty soon, slushy 20-degree days will be the norm.

Topics: Insider, Office Culture, Play

What if we told you that your childhood Halloween experiences helped influence your professional career? Witch hats, fairy wings, and Superman outfits may be more important in your professional development than you think.

This article will convince you on how you learned to be more risk — taking, creative, and detail-oriented — even when dressed as Dracula.

Topics: Office Culture, Play, Halloween

Extra innings. Do-or-die Game 7s. Grand slams. Miraculous catches. Heroic strikeouts. Safe to say, all our World Series memories can be found in a mental folder named “Fond — Do Not Erase.”

Every year around this time, the crisp weather gives way to the fiery intensity of the last two teams battling for supremacy on the diamond. It’s bigger than that, though.

Topics: Office Culture, Team, World Series

Maybe you already went all-out for your company’s summer picnic. Maybe you spared no expense on planning the company holiday party. But we get it — the Fun Committee’s budget might be looking a little meager by this time of year.

Topics: Insider, Office Culture, Low Budget

Burgers simmering on the grill while the bratwursts are slathered in a secret family recipe. Cheap beer and soda chilling in countless coolers. Games of corn hole, flip cup, and Spikeball for friendly competition. Lively chatter filled with jittery anticipation. Fellow fans flaunting your team’s colors, as far as the eye can see.

It’s officially tailgate season.

Topics: Play, Football, Team Building

To some, budgeting and planning are boring. To most they’re stressful. But to all, they’re a whole lot of work.

As the experts in Play At Work, we’re here to give you tips on how you can start to enjoy and be more creative, productive, and innovative as you think about where to spend next year.

Topics: Office Culture, Play, Team, Budgeting, Business Strategy