Multiple studies show that engaged personnel are more productive, communicative, collaborative, fulfilled, and willing to go further for their companies and customers. Put, employee engagement is crucial for any business.
So, how can we make sure our employees are engaged?
Gamification is an approach worth exploring toward enhancing employee experience since it can provide personnel with a valuable sense of:
- Individuality. One major source of employee disengagement is feeling like a cog in the machine, mindlessly following orders for no reason other than a vague platitude like “It’s good for the company, so it’s good for you.” Gamification lends personnel a feeling of immediate purpose, with clear goals and rewards to pursue.
- Improvement. In a gamified system, participants get consistent updates on their progress. They don’t have to wait for supervisors to recognize their contributions or, worse, be frustrated with overlooking their efforts. Their development is rewarded, encouraging them to try to achieve even more.
- Integration. Even as individuals strive to improve, this can foster genuine camaraderie formed by relatable experiences—from triumphs to epic fails—shared tips and tricks, and more. Whether the games are collaborative or competitive, gamification can create a community mindset that lends itself brilliantly to the workplace.
All that said, it’s important that any gamification initiative should:
- focus on rewards, not penalties
- be based on objective, not subjective, criteria
- align with company vision and values, not gamification for its own sake
It may be wise to avoid substantial monetary or other lucrative awards in the real world, as this can, in turn, cause conflict. It’s safest to keep everything light and fun, with recognition coming in more niche forms, such as in-house badges and leaderboards, or small but meaningful treats, like an extra day off or a nice meal on the company tab.
But that’s enough talk about what not to do. Let’s talk about some easy ideas for incorporating gamification in your business:
- Quizzing. Every training program is bound to involve testing, but learners will find a gamified version more fun – and memorable. You can try sophisticated software that uses animations and sound to provide a real game-like experience or do something as simple as hand out coffeehouse gift certificates or candies for the top scorers of each training day. You might throw some fun questions—like “What’s your instructor’s favorite expression?”—among the work-related topics.
- Tiny rewards. With an ongoing points system, you can recognize every little good thing your employees do, from standard stuff—like reaching targets and showing up on time—to more unexpected accomplishments, like eating the most healthy lunches over the week, being the best-dressed on casual Friday, or, for teams, something like ‘loudest bunch in the office.’ This not only delivers the benefits of gamification but can also underscore your corporate culture and values.
- Third-party team-building. This doesn’t have to be the typical multi-day excursion, replete with trust falls, heart-to-hearts, etc. You can spend an afternoon in an escape room or play a board game or collaborative video game – anything that gets your people to switch gears and gain a different perspective on what each team member brings and what they can do together. It can also give your leaders insight into previously undiscovered potential among their staff members.
There are endless possibilities for letting your people get their game on – and stay engaged with your company.
