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Got it in three!
Just like the millions of other people who play Wordle or some other word- or number-based puzzle each day, I love nothing better than to start my morning by completing thinking-oriented games rather than doom-scrolling through social media.
Puzzle games have enjoyed a meteoric rise in popularity since Wordle exploded from 90 players on November 1, 2021, to over 300,000 on January 2, 2022, and then to two million a week later, with perhaps the biggest yardstick for the puzzle game boom being Wordle’s seven-figure acquisition by the New York Times in January 2022.
Moreover, imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, several Wordle spin-offs have also gained popularity since then, including Heardle, where users attempt to guess the song, to SWordle, which is Wordle-but-make-it-Star-Wars.
Others have also jumped on the popularity of puzzles, with LinkedIn the latest to do so, announcing a new set of games – ‘Pinpoint,’ ‘Crossclimb,’ and ‘Queens,’ earlier this week.
The twist this time is that LinkedIn’s puzzle suite includes a ‘company leaderboard’ feature, designed to spark competition between co-workers and companies on their puzzle performance.
As these games increasingly edge into the corporate world, should HR leaders encourage their workers to take part in the puzzle-based competition to boost morale and engagement?
Puzzle performance ‘leaderboards’ – Is competition a morale-booster?
Lakshman Somasundaram, LinkedIn's Director of Project Management, explained in a post on Wednesday that users can compete against connections, as well as participate in company leaderboards against competitors in the industry.
“Nothing unites a team like some friendly competition, — and now it goes beyond that after-work softball league,” he wrote. “Each industry now has its own leaderboard, and you and your teammates can rally together to beat your competitors.”
Whether it’s Pinpoint, Wordle, or any of the other myriad puzzle games, competition both within and between organizations could certainly boost morale. For both team-building activities and training programs, puzzles and problem-solving have long been in the arsenal of HR and company leadership.
Beyond the fact they nurture skills, intellect, creativity, innovation, communication, and so on, puzzles are a simple source of fun. And, as the daily-game format has spiked in popularity, the time is ripe to push employees to kick off their day by engaging in some puzzle-based competition.
Somasundaram highlights it could be a great way to build team spirit, particularly across distributed divisions, describing it as a “fun, new way to kick off the day on your team, regardless of where you’re all located.
Daniel Wroth, LinkedIn’s Editor-in-Chief, also believes puzzles could improve worker morale. “We hope that these games spark banter, conversations, and even a healthy bit of competition among professionals around the world,” he wrote in a post.
But… be careful not to spoil the puzzle party
It doesn’t have to be a heavy-lift, complicated, laborious HR initiative. This would go against the reason why so many people love to play.
LinkedIn’s games, like Wordle and other puzzles, are designed to take a few minutes and fit around work, a morning commute, or a busy day of meetings. They are a light-touch mental break meant to help puzzlers unwind.
Employers that encourage their workers to take part in puzzles and share their scores to battle against colleagues or company competitors should be wary of putting in place too many rules, making it too “formal,” or pushing people who do not want to play to participate. There is nothing more frustrating than when a company tries to jump on a trend and spoils the fun.
However, by gently nudging employees who like to play these games to share their scores, and keeping it flexible and fun, puzzles could quickly become a quick collaborative yet competitive activity that offers an engagement lift for workers.
In the meantime, I’ll work on creating ‘WoHRdle,’ an all-new puzzle for HR professionals…
