Running RPGs at work
Lessons learned
Rules lite, accessible games are a must
Assume little RPG experience and large group sizes, as you don't want to exclude. To make that work you need a light, accessible game. Mausritter has worked particularly well for me here and I would highly recommend it. Others have put it better but it is an excellent OSR dungeon crawl that also happens to be accessible (and safe for work). I've been trying to think of other options (anything you can teach to kids should work), but anything with classes, spell lists, or point assignment is going to rule out new players unless they are highly engaged.
Short sessions are ok
This is one I didn't expect, but we naturally fell into the rhythm of one 60-90 minute session per week. Much beyond that and everyone starts feeling guilty for not working and you start to lose the crowd with short attention spans. This further reinforces how important it is for your game to be light and fast. If your system can't run a single encounter in an hour, it's a bad fit!
Use X cards
When playing with people you may not know well in a work setting, it is important to set boundaries. My group is a mix of employees and their managers, so even beyond the original reason for X cards there is a power imbalance. I wish I'd introduced X cards in my game, but thankfully Mausritter is pretty safe in terms of themes, and none of my players have done anything approaching inappropriate. Still, I'd highly recommend safety measures. If I started this again, I would definitely have led with them.
Players will rotate
There will be a decent amount of player turnover between weeks. Meetings, days off, and the like all will come up constantly, and with larger groups its even more common. I took a very free flowing approach and had the characters teleport in or out without even mentioning it in story. If someone is gone for a few weeks you can come up with an excuse, but frankly it doesn't matter.
Pre-built is preferable
Since I run such short sessions, I make up for it by running them weekly. This means we get through content at a fair clip. Since my players are inexperienced, I want to spend most of my brain power during the session attuned to their needs, whether they have questions about the rules, making sure everyone is included, etc. This is a pretty high mental workload, and I make things easier for myself but running existing adventures. In this case, I have been running the Mausritter Estate collection. This way I don't need to be making up crucial details while I am refereeing, or spend too much time each week prepping. An important caveat is that my GM style is very improv heavy, and I don't do much prep. Take from that what you will.
Let players get the rules wrong
During one session, I happened to glance at a player's character sheet and saw that one of my players wasn't using the inventory system correctly (Mausritter has physical slots). Since we were in the middle of a dungeon and having fun, I chose not to correct them. Being new to TTRPGs is hard! My main goal is for my players to have a good time. Sometimes you have to let some things go, and unless I feel like it is crucial they understand something I am more than happy to run things on vibes. Having a system with less rules makes that job even easier, so remember this. Don't rules lawyer your players, and don't let overzealous veterans do it either! This is true in all games, but especially so in this environment.
Benefits
Genuine team building
Our code word for our gaming sessions is "team building", but here is the secret: it actually is! What better way to teach people to work together than to have them solve problems collaboratively in a safe and fictional environment! It also increases team bonding, especially from the unspoken sense that we are all breaking the rules since we're playing during work. I've been pleasantly surprised by this, as I really was just playing it for fun (I mean of course I was, I wouldn't lie to you), but I have noticed a marked increase in team cohesion and familiarity. A win for the company after all!
Getting new people to try the hobby
Most of the group I am playing with is brand new to TTRPGS. They have no prior experience with the hobby at all, except maybe popular culture. Introducing new people to the hobby is an incredible gift to both them and, selfishly, myself. They don't know the tropes, they aren't jaded! They are experiencing everything for the first time, and they are really excited about it.
The ultimate reason
I can't stress enough: these sessions are fun! New players have brand new approaches to the hobby, and carry none of the baggage associated with gaming veterans (no offense, but some games imprint bad habits that cannot be scrubbed off, and believe me I've tried). My players are, largely without realizing it, engaging in good-old-fashioned OSR concepts in a way that seasoned GROG-nards would be impressed by. They're engaging hirelings! They are worried about torch timers and faction relations! This has been a success far beyond what I had hoped.
Suggestions if you are interested in re-creating this in your own workplace:
Get some sort of higher level buy-in
Ok, I get it, this is hard. In my case, we had a pretty senior manager give this his blessing and participate, as well as going above him to get permission from his boss. Your mileage may vary, and honestly if you are running a small enough group then maybe just going rogue would work (if you do this and get fired please know that I was rooting for you). Either way, having the sense that we weren't going to get punished for doing this went a long way towards incorporating more people.
Have a few experienced (or just excited) players
In my case that was 3 of the 9 or so people we've rotated through. Having at least 1 is very helpful, as it spreads out the teach and they can lead a bit while newcomers learn. That said it would be interesting to run a group with 100% new players as they may get up to even more unique shenanigans. Either way, having a few people who genuinely want to be there (even if they are inexperienced) is a must.
If you can't do it at work, do it right after or otherwise outside work
It may be a tough sell to game during work. However, what if you played during the last hour of a Friday? What if you played right after work? There may be options there. If your manager is at all reasonable, I would emphasize the actual, real life benefits of connecting and having fun with other human beings. If the office goes out to drinks after work, why not do this instead?
Conclusion
All in all, this experience has been extremely positive and reminded me why I love TTRPGs. We are having shared experiences that are unique, creative, and above all deeply fun for all involved. If your management needs extra convincing, please send them my way as I am happy to make up statistics from whole cloth that will convince them. Something like: "productivity up 10% month over month" or "team bonding increased by 60%".
Happy gaming!