A whole day dedicated to play? Lego has the right idea.
Every year, the global toy company hosts a company-wide Play Day where all employees get to experience “the power of learning through play.” The tradition takes place across all Lego factories, stores, and offices around the world. It typically has a theme associated with it – last year, it was Mysteries of Play where employees got to act like detectives and figure out personalized clues.
The event not only complements the company’s mission, play promise and values, but it also helps build trust amongst teams, encourages experiential thinking, sparks inspiration, and alleviates stress. Plus, according to Lego, through the interactive learning experience, employees develop five playful skills:
5 Playful Skills
1) Physical: being active, building up sensory-motor skills, and developing an awareness of space.
2) Social: being collaborative, practising communication, and developing stronger relationships.
3) Creative: brainstorming and coming up with new ideas, and figuring out solutions to past, current, and future problems.
4) Cognitive: improving concentration, assessing a problem thoroughly, learning to adapt to changes, and understanding how to approach a difficult task.
5) Emotional: learning to be a better listener, understanding others, sharing emotions, and controlling reactions.
At Glass of Learning, our entire business is built on elements of play. From a learning and development perspective, we found that this approach improves awareness, motivation, participation, and learning retention. Furthermore, gamification can encourage efficiency and productivity in the workplace and foster employee development.
Investing in an interactive training program and setting aside some time for ‘fun’ is a great way for employees to connect with one another and their company. It shows that a company is not only concerned with its bottom line, but that it’s appreciative of its employees and committed to making them happy and successful.
