3 weeks ago
Play at Work No Longer Taboo: Offices Add Recreation Spaces
Many offices are adding fun places where workers can take a break, like game rooms and quiet corners.
Playing games at work used to be seen as wrong, but now it is welcome.
A busy game of table tennis can help coworkers relax and become friends.
When people come back from the game table or break rooms, they feel more energized.
Companies like Amazon and American Express have built these spaces in their offices in India.
Amazon offices have table tennis, foosball, air hockey, video games, and even basketball courts.
There are also quiet and wellness rooms for resting.
Scientists say these spaces help workers feel happier and work better.
Even a short ten-minute break can lower stress and bring new ideas.
So a little bit of play at work can be good for everyone.
Office design across the world is shifting to include game rooms, wellness lounges, fitness areas, meditation rooms, cafés, and breakout zones.
American Express's Gurugram campus lets employees reserve recreation rooms; manager Janhabi Mukherjee's team blocks one for 30 minutes weekly for downtime.
A 2026 study in the New Era Journal says recreational and relaxation spaces have become essential to employee well-being as work-life boundaries blur.
The GBCI India and Saint-Gobain Research India study 'Healthy Workplaces for Healthier People' found wellness-focused amenities improve comfort, satisfaction, and productivity.
Amazon, Google, Microsoft, IBM, Swiggy, and 7-Eleven run recreation spaces in their Indian offices, including table tennis, foosball, air hockey, sports courts, and wellness rooms.
- Who
- Employees and executives at companies including American Express, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, IBM, Swiggy, 7-Eleven, Curriculum Associates, and The Executive Centre
- What
- Workplaces are incorporating recreational and relaxation spaces, seen as contributors to better employee well-being and mental health
- Where
- India, including company campuses in Gurugram and Bengaluru
- When
- Not explicitly stated; the article cites a 2026 study on office design
- Why
- To support employee well-being, mental health, creativity, and productivity as boundaries between work and personal life blur
Play at work is good for business
Play can hurt productivity
Recreation spaces in the office
Play at work is good for business
Recreation and wellness spaces support employee well-being, mental health, creativity, and productivity; even 10-minute breaks reduce stress and return workers with new ideas.
Play can hurt productivity
Games can stretch too long, leaving managers frustrated over lapsed deadlines and unmet work commitments.
Key facts
- Core trend
- Recreational and relaxation spaces in offices are now seen as contributors to employee well-being and mental health
- Companies with recreation spaces
- American Express, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, IBM, Swiggy, 7-Eleven, Curriculum Associates
- Key locations
- Gurugram and Bengaluru, India
- Recent research
- A 2026 New Era Journal study links office recreation spaces to employee well-being
- Industry study
- GBCI India and Saint-Gobain Research India: 'Healthy Workplaces for Healthier People'
- Amazon facilities
- Table tennis, foosball, snooker, air hockey, video games, basketball and pickleball courts, acupuncture paths, wellness rooms
- American Express example
- Employees at the Gurugram campus can reserve recreation rooms, e.g., 30-minute weekly team downtime
- Stated benefit
- Even 10-minute breaks reduce stress and help employees bond with colleagues
Quotes
Janhabi Mukherjee
Manager at American Express Gurugram campus
“Recreational and wellness spaces are not afterthoughts, they are intentional design choices rooted in our belief that when people feel their best, they do their best.”
financialexpress.com
“Even a 10-minute break helps you reset, reduce stress, and return to work with new perspectives or ideas. It also creates a good bond with colleagues beyond work.”
financialexpress.com
Sources
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