Take a brisk walk around any place right now and you will notice a number of people walking and gazing at their cell phones. It was a sight of amusement for me initially trying to know what exactly they were trying to do, when later I realized they were engrossed capturing the elusive little creatures of Pokemon Go. 

The Pokemon fever is on and is spreading its revolutionary tentacles across the globe. It is in fact the most popular game after Nintendo’s Mario with more than 100 million downloads worldwide since its initial release. Without a doubt, Pokemon Go has taken the world by storm (and it hasn’t even been launched globally yet). 

When I read an article on Pokemon Go yesterday it really excited me to know the beneficial impact it can have on any organization and how HR department can implement some of the Pokemon lessons as a part of their managing strategies. But at the same time the unprecedented success of this game struck a nerve in me to bring out some of the negative effects it can pose on the working environment. 

Here in I bring 6 challenges faced by the HR department because of this legendary game Pokemon Go.

1) Lost productivity

For many organizations it has become a nightmare for the Human Resource department eating up working hours and draining the company’s profits. The problems with augmented reality games like Pokemon Go are that people get so much addicted to it that it becomes hard for them to turn off. So if you are noticing people hunched to their cell phones than usual or spending more time away from their desks, then it is time to alert the respective mangers about the issue or remind your employees about the official rules. 

2) Cyber security

This game has also turned some heads of the security experts towards data breach Pokemon Go could cause. If the employee is logging in with their company’s email id or using any company cell phone; this could cause risks to servers or data protection if there is a hack. Also one needs to incorporate language in the electronic use policy that could restrict downloading of any non-approved apps onto the company device. The HR should keep an eagle’s eye and inform the IT department to develop proper data encryption system.

3) Safety 

Pokemon Go puts the players in a blended reality state, in which you are not in the present reality state since your eyes are focused on the cell phone looking at something that isn’t actually there in reality. There had been a lot of news of accidents because of this augmented realty game hunting Pokemons. The same can occur at workplaces too leading to worker’s compensation claims. 

4) Non-disclosure

If you do not have a policy prohibiting taking pictures of confidential areas of your work place then try considering one. In an incident, an employee working for an IT firm was mistaken to be taking pictures in the office, a violation of a policy. He managed to somehow avoid termination by explaining the game to HR and the security department. 

5) Creating generation gap

What are all these young people doing? This might be a popping question in the heads of the senior employees in your office. The Pokemon Go has demographically limited its reach to only the teens and twenties leaving a large section of the people of advanced age in a puzzled state. The best solution is to nip in the bud any ageist comments by not encouraging Pokemon Go during work hours.

6) Uneasy work environment

This might be a little surprising for you but yes this over popular game has managed to create some distress at the workplace with the kind of inappropriate adult jokes on Pokemon Go. This is a serious issue and needs to curb by reminding the staff about appropriate humor in the workplace.

The game is causing more than a few headaches for Human Resource professionals. Although there is not much chaos expected because of Pokemon Go at work but it is always better to find a way to embrace the Pokemon Go craze at your company. Most of all it comes down to common sense. You can’t ban the game at work to avoid causing any bad vibe between the employee and the employer but you can always remind them to think twice before chasing a Bulbasaur or a Pikachu cross the road during working hours. 

Do you have any stories or thoughts to share about the phenomenal game Pokemon Go in your company? If yes, let us know in the comment box. 

Image source: Pawel Kuczynski