The Power of Play in the Workplace
The power of play in the workplace extends far beyond simple team-building activities or casual Friday events, representing a fundamental approach to fostering creativity, innovation, and problem-solving.
When organizations integrate playful elements into their work culture, they create environments where employees feel more comfortable taking calculated risks, sharing unconventional ideas, and approaching challenges with fresh perspectives. This playful mindset can lead to breakthrough solutions that might never emerge in more rigid, traditional work environments. Research shows that play activates neural pathways associated with creativity and learning, making it a valuable tool for professional development and innovation.
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VIDEO: Leading Groups on Twennie; Assigning and Managing Prompt Sets
Prompt sets are structured collections of short, actionable learning tasks. They’re designed to be completed in small bursts of time... typically 20 minutes or less, and many take less than five minutes. They help teams build awareness, test ideas, and develop habits in a low-risk space. Twennie includes dozens of prompt sets covering a wide range of topics from proposal strategy to communication, leadership, and teamwork.
VIDEO: The Power of Play in the Workplace - Introduction
Studies and interviews confirm that play is not just for children—it is vital for adults too. Michele Rochon-Wood’s own interviews with professionals revealed a common progression of play: stress relief, restoration, creativity, engagement, and renewed confidence. Play preferences develop in childhood and shape career choices, preparing us for adult challenges. This video introduces Twennie’s strategies for weaving play into the workplace, where it can create healthier, more productive, and more creative teams.
PROMPT SET: Laughter is the Best Medicine in the Office Too
This prompt set is full of office-appropriate gags and activities that lighten the air, strengthen relationships, and relieve stress. Completing one of these prompts a week or month, either as an individual or group, promotes teamwork, creativity, and togetherness. Resist the urge to stop your team from having fun together once in a while! Teams that play together work more effectively together!
to use laughter and fun as a way to improve team work in our business unit
PROMPT SET: Stress Relief Through Play
Letting go is an important skill for anyone who works in teams or interacts with customers and clients...so it’s good for everyone. Release is about blowing off steam, yes, but it’s also about letting go. Anger and frustration are inevitable. Employees will disagree and sometimes, they must enforce unpleasant limits upon one another. Tension is inevitable. Confrontation will happen. Sometimes release is the one thing people need before they can move forward and start working as a team. If you want to blow off steam and learn to let go, register for this prompt set.
to learn and test techniques for relieving stress while working and during lunch and coffee breaks
PROMPT SET: Engaging Clients and Fellow Employees Through Play
Learn the skill of engaging others. This prompt set helps you engage people through the power of play. With 20 practical prompts, you’ll learn to use humor, curiosity, and simple games to build stronger connections with coworkers and clients. From playful conversation starters to energizing meeting challenges, these activities create laughter, reduce stress, and make interactions memorable. Play transforms ordinary moments into opportunities for trust, rapport, and collaboration.
to practice techniques for engaging others playfully, including both coworkers and clients
PROMPT SET: Stimulating Creativity Through Play
This prompt set offers 20 short, low-cost activities designed to bring a spark of playful creativity into your workday. From paper plane contests to Post-It galleries, to storytelling games with everyday objects, each prompt nudges you to see familiar materials in new ways. By incorporating small moments of creative play into daily routines, you’ll keep creative muscles active, strengthen team culture, and make the workplace more vibrant.
to use small creative activities to stimulate further creative ideas in our team, more often
PROMPT SET: Authenticity at Work Through Play
Authenticity is more than honesty — it’s allowing your quirks, stories, and real self to show up at work. This prompt set uses play to help you practice in small, approachable ways. You’ll rediscover childhood joys, share personal sayings, laugh about guilty pleasures, and create space for self-care and validation. These activities build confidence by reminding you that your true self — imperfect, funny, thoughtful. Whether you’re giving out notes of encouragement, swapping quirks with a coworker, or creating a silly award for yourself, each prompt brings a touch of humanity back to the workplace and strengthens your ability to engage with others authentically.
to give the team the opportunity to express their authentic selves more often at work
PROMPT SET: Productivity Through Play 1
This is an experimental prompt set designed to test how different types of playful breaks affect your mood and productivity. The activities focus on four areas: movement, laughter, creativity, and connection with others. Each prompt is a quick break-time exercise — from Fit-Bit step challenges to funny awards, sketching games, or meaningful conversations. After trying a prompt, notice how you feel: more energized, more relaxed, or more focused.
to test the productivity-inducing qualities of various break activities involving movement, laughter, creativity, and connection
PROMPT SET: Productivity Through Play 2
This experimental prompt set continues our research into how play can enhance productivity. This time we focus on authenticity, mental health, a sense of purpose, and stimulating environments. Each activity is designed to be short and practical: sharing quirks, taking mindful pauses, reflecting on the human impact of technical projects, or refreshing your workspace with small creative touches. After each prompt, notice how you feel: calmer, more motivated, or more connected to your work.
to test various break activities for their ability to energize and boost productivity, using activities that promote authenticity, mental health, a sense of purpose, and a stimulating work environment