In the fast-paced working environment, introduction to the hybrid model, and continuously evolving business and tech trends, it has become increasingly important to help employees stay motivated and connect better at work. Undoubtedly, a great team delivers great results. So how do you make a productive team? Currently, the UK has a 15% employee turnover rate. One huge challenge for HR managers and upper-level management is to frame a policy that doesn’t let your employees say ‘GoodBye’.
Interestingly, a new concept called ‘Gamification’ has attracted enough attention from managers. What is Gamification, and how is it helping HRs? Let’s have a look.
Gamification: The Future of the Workplace
Gamification focuses on creating a ‘game-centric’ workplace where game rules and dynamics are used to engage employees differently. It helps to bring the organisation’s entry-level employees to executive workers, all under one roof and helps bring them together to create a combined sense of community.
Which areas of an organisation can Gamification be used?
Gamification can be used in different departments of an organisation to improve productivity and operations. It includes-
Human Resources
Human Resource Professionals can use gaming methods to improve leadership skills, send payouts, boost employee engagement, attract a skilled workforce, and automate workflows, etc. Common gamification techniques in the business context include recreational games like Chess, challenges, puzzles, online feedback, simulation activities, icebreakers, and others.
Moreover, the employees are ultimately governed by HR employment law which include the company policies, hiring and termination processes and workplace ethics. Suppose an HR wants to change a policy but doubts its results. In that case, they can apply the policy in the simulated environment and ask employees to participate in checking the results and feedback.
Sales
Sales personnel can be given virtual targets in games and rewards for each customer conversion. These rewards can then be converted into cash and added to the final incentives.
Team Management
Gamification helps employees perform better and promote enhanced communication within their teams. It allows teammates to know each other and promotes cross-functional learning.
The benefits of playing Games at Work
Gamification isn’t just about using games for fun in the workplace. In a broader sense, games are used in the learning and development framework to educate employees on learning new skills. There are many benefits of Gamification, including-
- Help employees stay motivated
- Effective communication
- High employee engagement
- Offer a relaxed work environment
- Boost morale of employees
- Increased productivity at work
- Learn new skills
How are big companies using Gamification in their framework?
- Cisco uses Gamification to impart social media training to its employees. HR managers learn to use LinkedIn. Social Media Managers learn to use Facebook and Instagram to learn about the new trends and so on.
- At Marriott, Gamification is used in the hiring process. How? Marriott International created a game- My Marriott Hotel, where the candidates are asked to run their hotel in a virtual and simulated environment. They need to manage the inventory, operate the office equipment and manage the F&B department. Points are awarded then for each satisfied guest. Hiring depends on the final score.
- Nike + has used Gamification to create a community of over 12 million members. Users of the game can share and compare their workouts with other community members, make new friends, engage with them in conversations, and earn fuel points. It has helped Nike increase their revenue and attract more customers.
The Future of Gamification
Gamification can be very powerful and holds potential for employees, provided the training input is high-quality. Additionally, it is a time-consuming process that requires consistency and determination to chalk out new and innovative methods for the company. Companies must constantly evolve with new ways of incorporating games into talent development programmes.
