Well-being Is The Long Game

Why Prioritizing Well-Being Makes a Difference

It wasn’t too long ago when employee well-being was just a hot new buzzword among Fortune 500 organizations. Then came the rise of the chief well-being officer, the explosion of well-being learning programs, and eventually, the subtle shift and convergence between recognition, rewards, and benefits and the space for well-being at work.

This shift reminds me a lot about past waves in the K-12 world of education when well-meaning, but possibly short-sighted administrators, would put drastic cuts on the amount of recess for elementary schoolers.

Listen, those kids needed to let off some energy. It made their classroom time better. Third graders don’t need 8 hours of intensive schoolwork a day.

By the same token, maybe it’s time we re-examine how work environments can be adapted to prioritize and value team well-being, helping us all play better and stay in the game longer.

The Corporate Parallel: Why Work Needs a Break

We can look at corporate well-being from a similar lens to the value of recess. On a spreadsheet, time outside on a swing set away from the classroom seems counterproductive to mastering multiplication tables. But it’s actually the juxtaposition of play with work that makes work even more effective. Research supports this, showing that employees who take regular breaks are more productive, more creative, and generally happier at work. Read more at Harvard Business Review.

Let’s go a little deeper into this topic to talk about the difference between work, rest, and recovery periods. I was first introduced to this energetic life cycle during the eight years I spent as a communication coach at the world-famous IMG Academy. On this epic campus, some of the world’s most elite junior and professional athletes train to become the best in their chosen sport. On any given day, I would observe champion tennis players practicing their serve while soccer players sprinted by, golfers teed-up, and the echoes of basketballs hitting the gym floor resonated across campus. It was impossible not to notice the balance between intense training and strategic recovery among these high-achieving athletes, and the balance between enjoying sport and thriving in life was key.

Applying Sports Science to Corporate Well-Being

It was through my IMGA colleagues on the Mental and Physical Conditioning teams that I first understood how sports science recognized that peak performance requires a balance between training and recovery. Whether on the field, the court, or in the workplace, our resiliency to push through challenges is directly tied to how well we recover. Just like those athletes at the sports academy, your team needs time to recharge so they can bring their best selves to the work they do.

This concept can be directly applied to corporate well-being. Encouraging breaks, fostering a playful environment, and integrating gamification into the workday aren’t just feel-good initiatives—they’re critical to maintaining energy and focus. Just as a coach wouldn’t expect an athlete to train nonstop without rest, leaders shouldn’t expect their teams to work at full throttle without opportunities for recovery. Learning initiatives, team off-sites, and events that focus on recognition and celebration can be another strategy to add to paid time off, and even better, progressive tactics like global well-being days and four-day workweeks (yes, I said it… check the research from the UK’s 4-day workweek trial.

The Role of Play in Enhancing Well-Being

Incorporating play into the workplace isn’t just about having fun—it’s about creating a culture where well-being is prioritized, and productivity thrives. Gamification, or the integration of game elements into work, can be a powerful tool in this regard. By turning mundane tasks into engaging challenges or rewarding team collaboration with points or badges, you’re not just adding a layer of excitement—you’re reinforcing the importance of balance and well-being.

For example, companies that have implemented gamification techniques report higher levels of employee engagement, satisfaction, and performance. This approach taps into our natural desire to play and succeed, making work more enjoyable and less stressful. By making play an integral part of your leadership philosophy, you create an environment where well-being is seamlessly woven into the fabric of the workday.

Bridging Well-Being and Gamification: A New Leadership Paradigm

When we talk about well-being, it’s not just about taking a break—it’s about strategically using play and recovery to enhance performance. Gamification helps bridge this gap by providing a structured way to incorporate play into the workday, keeping employees engaged and energized. This is where skills like resilience, adaptability, and optimism can be promoted through learning and culture. Leaders who embrace this approach can create a workplace where employees feel valued, motivated, and ready to take on the next challenge. Employees are better able to sustain high-performance because their workplace helps them actively fight burn-out and build pathways to work/life balance.

While well-being at work might still be an uncommon practice, I’d like to suggest that it’s common sense. Just like those schoolchildren needed their recess, your team needs time to recharge, play, and recover to perform at their best. By prioritizing well-being and integrating playful elements into the work environment, you can unlock peak performance and create a thriving corporate culture- that lasts.

Okay, Let’s Play!

Alright, here’s where the fun begins. Let’s take the principles we’ve discussed and put them into action:

Ready: Embrace the Concept of Well-Being

• Think about how you can incorporate well-being into your daily leadership practices. How can you ensure your team has the balance they need to perform at their best (and avoid burning out)?

Set: Identify Opportunities for Gamification

• Find ways to integrate playful elements into your team’s daily routine. Could you introduce a points system for collaboration or set up challenges that encourage creativity? Can you incentivize getting tasks done early by leaving room for recovery?

Go: Try any of these four actionable steps to get started:

• Encourage Regular Breaks: Just like in sports, balance intense work periods with recovery, such as taking Monday off after working a weekend. Time away keeps your team energized once back at work.
• Talk The Walk: Bring well-being practices and inspiration into everyday conversation- talk about simple things we can all get behind like drinking more water, sleeping better, and fighting tech distraction.
• Make It Social: Sometimes a shared laugh and connection can have as powerful of an impact as a team “count your steps” challenge. Whatever healthy activity you try, try adding friends.
• Fix Your Systems: Just like an athlete risks injury from over-training, help your team stay fit by encouraging their healthy time off. If people aren’t taking their PTO, work on fixing why not.

By making well-being and play a core part of your leadership strategy, you can build a resilient, high-performing team that’s ready to tackle any challenge.

Closing Call to Action: Make Well-being Your Long Game

As leaders, it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle, focusing on immediate results and deadlines. But if we truly want to drive long-term success, we need to think beyond the short game. Well-being isn’t just a checkbox on a to-do list—it’s a strategy for sustainable growth and peak performance. Prioritizing your team’s well-being is like playing the long game in leadership, where the real wins come from building a healthy, motivated, and resilient workforce.

Think of “playing well with others” not just as a childhood lesson, but as a leadership mantra. When you focus on the well-being of your team, you’re not just creating a happier workplace—you’re fostering an environment where everyone is empowered to perform at their best. Just as in any game, when everyone is playing well, the team thrives. By integrating well-being into your leadership approach, you ensure that your team is not only successful today but equipped to sustain that success well into the future.

So, as you move forward, embrace the power of play, the balance of work and recovery, and the importance of a culture that values the whole person. In doing so, you’ll not only enhance your team’s performance but also set the stage for enduring success and innovation. Let’s commit to playing well together—because when we do, everyone wins.

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Hey there! I’m Blair Bloomston, the creative mind behind the Play Uplifted blog, fueled by my 20+ years of experience as a game-based learning designer. The ideas and content? All mine. But I have to give a shoutout to my amazing assistant, ChatGPT, who swoops in to fix my typos and smooth out the grammar. Together, we’re here to elevate your leadership game. Cheers for collaborAItion at work!