How would you like to play touch football on company time, right outside the office? Or have the managers of your company wash your car?

If you’re one of more than 70 folks who work at Judd’s Online, an Internet-building company in Winchester that can boast Martha Stewart and Washingtonian magazine as clients, you’re probably enjoying such perks via the human resources department’s Committee for Activities, Recreation and Events, or CARE.

CARE’s purpose is to get employees and managers to "step back from the PC," says Rebecca Arnette, head of human resources and the only manager on the team. The other four team-members are employees who meet biweekly to review employee suggestions and to schedule events. The committee taps into workers’ Homer Simpson instinct by placing a box of donuts in a newcomer’s cubicle, encouraging current employees to get to know the newbee. Employees are frequently taken to lunch on the firm’s dime and cake-eating celebrations are par-for-the-course on birthdays. If stress arises during the day, a basketball and net are available in the break room, as is the option to play a video game.

"CARE tries to cultivate a fun workplace," she says. "We want our people to work hard and have fun while doing it." And the perks don’t stop just because the clock strikes 5 p.m. — activities are sponsored off-site as well. "We have family events once or twice a quarter," she says, "such as the summer picnic and bowling and movie night."

Is Judd’s Online worried that all of this time given to reduce employee stress during the workday will negatively affect the bottom line? Arnette says no. "The most important thing is to keep employees happy — if you have to drop a few bucks to accomplish that then do it. Employees are the most important commodity of any company."