Workplace gamification has become increasingly more popular over the past couple of years, especially when it comes to eLearning and training strategies.
In fact, almost half (48%) of UK employers offer some form of gamified rewards to staff, with 20% doing it via a set bonus for reaching a goal and a further 17% use it as a surprise gesture to demonstrate their gratitude towards an employee.
One of the biggest appeals of workplace gamification is the positive impact it can have on productivity and staff retention.
Giving your employees the extra incentive to push towards goals and making the workplace fun is refreshingly different from the traditional methods.
With this in mind, how can you put it into action in your business?
Below, you’ll find some cool examples of workplace gamification, which you can implement immediately.
What is workplace gamification?
If you’re new to the term, don’t fear.
Here’s a quick overview of what workplace gamification is and how it can make a positive impact on your business.
In layman’s terms, gamification in the workplace is the strategy of applying game-orientated thinking to ways of working to make the process more engaging and fun for employees.
It can be used in many ways to educate, engage and motivate employees, as well as optimise workflows and attract new top professionals.
When technology is used to monitor results, it also removes favouritism/unconscious bias out of the equation too.
The results are easily measured, so a manager can’t deny an employee their bonus if they’ve hit their targets.
Although, the real reason why workplace gamification is so popular nowadays is down to the behavioural effects it has on employees – including:
- Motivation – employees are spurred on by the thought of getting rewards and recognition in exchange for their efforts.
- A sense of competition – a lot of people thrive on good, healthy competition. Having set goals in place and competing with their colleagues is brilliant for boosting productivity and keeping the employees focused.
- Control – when you use gamified platforms or apps, employees feel in control of their progress and are reminded about where they are and what they’re aiming at.
Examples of gamification in the workplace
Fitness-focused workspaces
Credit to trendhunter.com, 'Fitness-Focussed Workspaces'
First, we travel to Bangkok, Thailand, where the architecture firm Onion created a fitness-friendly design for an IT firm.
The health-conscious workspace encourages employees to use the monkey bars to swing from desk to desk.
It’s pretty wacky, but it definitely boosts employees’ fitness and makes attending meetings a pleasure!
Wheel of Fortune
This next workplace gamification example is perfect in a sales environment.
Up the ante by incorporating a Wheel of Fortune prize system into the office.
And every time they get a sale, the employee has the chance to win a small prize.
This can be anything from a free Kit Kat to a five minutes extra on their lunch break!
Be creative and add a bit of fun into the sales process.
Ping-Pong Fight Club
The UK-based company called Ping-Pong Fight Club is challenging the way businesses run team-building events with their fresh concept.
Teaming up with Tsingtao Beer, they offer a competitive, team-building event hosted in secret locations based on the hit film, Fight Club.
As well as playing table tennis, employees can enjoy cool DJs, cinematic visuals, pop-up and speed networking bars, food stalls and buy branded merchandise.
While this isn’t one you can implement yourself, it is a perfect way of meeting other businesses and having a good time in the process too.
Happster platform
Forget time-consuming paper surveys, the Happster platform enables employees to submit what they like and allow others to agree or submit their own opinions.
This handy platform makes giving feedback fun.
You can also get an analytical view of trends to give you a clearer idea of what you need to change in the business.
If your employees fully-utilise Happster, it’ll keep staff turnover at a minimum.
You can even access it via Slack – result.
Poll Everywhere
Does the sound of training send shivers down your back?
Then give the boring process a face-lift by turning it into a quiz competition.
With Poll Everywhere, you can ditch all the paper, pencils and score totalling – because it does it all for you.
This platform lets you make your own quiz and allows employees to access it via their mobile phones.
What’s more, the results appear as animated charts to add a real level of suspense to the competition.
Summary
Providing you implement the right ideas and stick to your principles, workplace gamification can significantly help your business’ productivity and staff retention rates.
However, you should always remember to keep tabs on the execution of projects.
If you cut corners and push the competitive element too far, your employees might start to cut corners just to get their reward or recognition.
If this is something you’re worried about, stick to the fun training platforms and spontaneity rewarding.
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