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Gamification Advocates Try Really, Really Hard to Make Work Fun

Companies want to lighten up boring day jobs with productivity-boosting games, but only a few are reaching the next level.

According to Adam Penenberg, editor of the delightfully critical tech news outlet PandoDaily, the world is moving rapidly towards an Ender’s Game reality. Not in the sense that we’re on the verge of militarization after a space war with insect-like alien invaders, but in the sense that, like that novel’s titular protagonist, rather than flying planes or toting around boxes or writing TPS reports, one day we may do all of our work by proxy, playing complex computer game simulations that translate mouse clicks into anything from menial to complex labor.

That’s currently a far-off reality, but it is the long-term goal of a new movement in American business. Described in Penenberg’s 2013 Play at Work, this trend of gamification aims to use the science behind games to harness their addictive and competitive drive, reengaging the 70 percent of U.S. workers who describe themselves as bored and disconnected.

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Easy Ways to Stay Healthy at Work

Americans are spending more time than ever sitting behind computer screens and in office chairs, which can lead to a sedentary lifestyle.

This is the fourth post in the GOOD Guide to Healthy Living and Eating, brought to you by GOOD with support from Naked Juice. Naked Juice drinks are made with one pound of all-natural fruit and veggies in every bottle with added boosts such as Vitamin B12, whey protein, and grape seed extract to help get you through a busy day.

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Can This App Help Workplaces Become Greener?

Earn badges, pins, points—and keep track of the dollars you're saving by making sustainable choices.

Not every workplace has great green policies. Some places—like my last job—are more than willing to make changes if employees show interest. We got compost bins, real dishes and a dishwasher, and even two pool bikes in that office. But sometimes it's hard to make those changes, too.

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Should Your Office Hold Recess? A Contest for Playful CEOs

Some of the most important business skills might start on the playground. A play promoting nonprofit is hunting for the most playful CEO in America.

Would you give Michael Scott of The Office an award? Well, the nonprofit Playworks might if he were real.

Playworks is a nonprofit that promotes healthy activity and "meaningful play." The fun-focused group is holding a competition to find the most playful CEO in America. "When adults play, kids play," says Cindy Wilson of Playworks. Know anyone you want to nominate?

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