Should employers clamp down on Pokémon Go?

CIPD PM Online report that the release of the game, Pokémon Go, has prompted questions over use of personal devices in the workplace, as Boeing becomes first employer to ban it at work.

CIPD PM Online report that the release of the game, Pokémon Go, has prompted questions over use of personal devices in the workplace, as Boeing becomes first employer to ban it at work. The article highlights that the take-up of smartphone game Pokémon Go has been so remarkable that employers may need to revisit their policies to prevent a productivity glut. Though it has been available in the UK for just four days, the app – in which players use GPS to roam inside and outside and ‘catch’ characters – has been wildly popular, with lots of players sighted across the UK. Boeing, the aircraft manufacturer,  sent out an email to its workforce banning play during working hours after the company discovered the game app had been installed on more than 100 work phones since its release. A member of staff also came close to injury while playing the game at work.

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