GTA 6 has Logitech telling its 7,000+ employees to log off and game for a day
The tech company is handing its employees an extra paid day off as "Grand Theft Auto 6" comes out. It argues that video games makes workers better.
Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images, Rockstar Games
- A lot of big video games are coming out this month — and some companies are facing a PTO logjam.
- Logitech has a very different answer: give all 7,000 employees an extra day off to play the games.
- The video game hardware-making company argues that gaming is actually good for work readiness.
Employers are facing down a potential rush of PTO requests amid a packed run of blockbuster video game releases — and Logitech has an unconventional answer.
The tech company is giving its more than 7,000 employees an extra day off to play a game of their choice, a new perk it calls "Logi Game Day."
Workers can use the day when they choose — but the initiative, announced on Tuesday, comes amid a surprisingly packed month of nostalgic AAA video game releases.
Last week, Blizzard Entertainment, owned by Microsoft, launched "World of Warcraft: Forever," a day before Nintendo published "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time." That's all ahead of the release of "Grand Theft Auto 6," the most anticipated video game in years, debuting on November 19, roughly 13 years after the franchise's runaway hit, "GTA 5."
Logitech isn't the only company that's turning major game releases into an extra holiday: UK-based Raptor PR recently told Business Insider that they've given their nine-person team an extra day off for gaming, and the US Army's 9th brigade engineer battalion in Georgia went viral for offering a four-day pass for reenlistees to boot up their consoles.
View this post on Instagram
Logitech, which builds some gaming hardware, is among the largest corporate employers to offer time off tied to video game releases.
The company says it benefits when its workers disappear into Vice City, Kalimdor, or Hyrule for a day: it cites company-commissioned surveys where gamers said playing builds real-world confidence.
"We believe that the time employees spend playing will enhance the time they spend working," Robin Piispanen, the general manager of the tech company's gaming brand, told Business Insider. "We know excellence doesn't come from constant grinding. It comes from having space to recharge and have fun."
Piispanen, himself a former competitive gamer, is set to host a community streaming event at the company's San Jose headquarters on the day of "GTA 6's" release.
Game day will transport Logitech employees into a bunch of virtual worlds.
"With 'World of Warcraft: Forever' just launching, my spouse convinced me to jump in with him," Heath Cleveland, the company's manager of marketing analytics and insights, said about his video gaming day off. "There's definitely a steep learning curve, but with some extra time on my hands, I'm ready to dive in and hone my skills."
Nina Cabuil Shariff, Logitech's European go-to-market and operations manager, said she and her husband plan to settle "household disputes" in "Call of Duty," while Steven Kuo, an electrical engineer, is eyeing a date with "Elden Ring."
Read the original article on Business InsiderThis story was first published by Business Insider. Read the original report