It is 9:00 a.m. and Anna turns on the computer. Anna does not consider herself just a data analyst: she is a detective about to start a new investigation. Today’s case is a sales report. At the crime scene is a mysterious drop in online transactions. She needs to gather evidence; the investigation begins!
Upstairs, Marco, a passive cycle manager, has a slew of supplier invoices to charge to his checking account. He challenges himself to complete the most in an hour. His record? Twenty-four invoices.
And then there’s Lucia, customer service specialist. To her, every dissatisfied customer is like the boss in a video game, but she doesn’t confront him with a sword and shield, because her skills are active listening and complaint handling. She wins only if she can crack a smile.
What do Anna, Marco and Lucia have in common? They have found a way to make their work playful. It is what is called Playful Work Design (PWD) in the literature, which is the ability to optimize one’s work experience so that it becomes more enjoyable through play.
When we play our brains release dopamine, the neurotransmitter of pleasure and motivation. By turning work activities into playful experiences we activate the same mechanisms that keep us glued to a good book or video game. But why does PWD work so well? Because play is our first form of learning. As children we learn by playing. This ability does not disappear with adulthood; we simply tend to forget it.
It is a process that triggers the state of flow. The flow occurs when we face a challenge that balances difficulty and skill while keeping us focused, motivated and productive. When we can turn work into a game, time seems to flow faster, fatigue is reduced, and a sense of satisfaction increases.
There are two ways in which we can “gamify” our work:
- Adding a “fun” component, with the use of fantasy and humor (e.g., Anna pretending to be a detective and Lucia wanting to crack a smile on customers’ faces).
- Adding a “competition” component, to test our skills (e.g., Marco challenging himself to beat his electronic invoice record).
The remarkable thing is that this approach fits any job, because we do not change the activity itself but the way we experience it. It is a mental process that anyone can put into practice.
Get a pen and paper and follow this four-step guide:
- Gain awareness. Our brains are naturally inclined to seek gratification and well-being. You are probably already applying some form of PWD without realizing it. Stop for a moment and ask yourself, “In whatways am I making my work more fun or challenging?” Maybe you try to finish a task in a record time or create small rewarding routines.
- Find your style. Observe recurring patterns in your approach to work and make them your strength. Do you like stories? Turn your activities into an adventure, assign a role or imagine a mission to complete. Do challenges motivate you? Set personal goals, create a scoring system and compete with yourself. Do you love to socialize? Engage colleagues in friendly challenges or shared activities.
- Raise the bar. Identify the tasks you find most tedious or burdensome: answering e-mails, filing documents, handling customer calls? These are precisely the best opportunities to experiment with new playful strategies. Use your style to give them a new interpretation.
- Compare yourself. Observe how your colleagues work and exchange ideas with them. Comparison is a valuable source of inspiration and can lead to surprising solutions. For example, one customer service team told me that they enjoy giving fancy names to the most demanding customers and rewarding those who handle the most difficult call with a good cup of coffee. Small changes like these can make all the difference in making work lighter and more engaging for everyone.
I will conclude by sharing some insights from my experience as an Instructional Designer, a role that drives me to design innovative and engaging training activities.
- Entertainment. I integrate my passions into training. For example, in courses I use clips from my favorite TV series, such as Camera Café or The Big Bang Theory, to make concepts more immediate and fun. Or, I adapt the mechanics of board games into training exercises. Is there a passion you could bring to your work?
- Competition. When I have a project to complete, I set a personal challenge: I put on headphones, choose a playlist , and try to finish the work within a set time. This approach turns the task into a game and helps me stay focused. Who knows, maybe music will become a productivity booster for you, too!
Now it’s your turn. Find ways to gamify the work, have fun, and entertain your co-workers and colleagues.
Andaf Magazine – April 2025
