What Is Employee Gamification?
Employee gamification is the use of game-like elements, such as points scoring, rewards, and competitive platforms to boost employee engagement. Gamification for employee engagement makes the workplace more fun, rewarding, and collaborative. Consider the results of the following experiment published in Harvard Business Review:
With gamification, employees in the study met their goal 25% more often, increased clients 16%, and increased opportunities 22%. Just think of the impact that kind of improvement would have on your workplace!
Plus, as millennials take over more of the U.S. workforce, employee gamification is only going to become more important.
10 Examples of Gamification for Employee Engagement
Looking for employee gamification ideas? You came to the right place. Below are 10 examples of gamification that will boost employee engagement:
1. Game-Based Learning and Employee Training
Gamification makes employee learning and training more interactive and engaging. Using points-based quizzes and trivia is an effective way to help employee quantify their learning and spot areas for improvement.
2. On-the-Spot Recognition
Intermittent rewards increase employee engagement by adding an element of spontaneity. Plus, unexpected rewards make it more likely that employees will learn and repeat behaviors that are good for your business. On-the-spot recognition certificates are an easy and powerful gamification tool to make the workplace more exciting!
3. Interactive Leaderboards
A little bit of friendly competition can go a long way towards increasing employee productivity and making the workplace more engaging. Creating a points-based leaderboard is a way to gamify (and quantify) this competition. This employee gamification technique is especially effective for sales reps and top-performing employees who have a desire to the be best!
4. Spin-to-Wins and Scratch Off Bonuses
Everyone loves an unpredictable bonus! Spin-to-wins and scratch offs are a great gamification technique to boost employee engagement.
5. Social Media-Style Recognition Platforms
Social media is an inherent part of your employees’ lifestyle. You should make it a part of their work life as well! Social media-style recognition platforms let employees share likes and shout-outs. This enhances the social aspect of your recognition program.
6. Goal-Tracking Progress Bars
Employees are more engaged and productive when they feel like they are making progress toward their goals. Achievement and a sense of progress are important elements of gamification. Goal-tracking software lets employees (and you!) see how close they are to leveling up.
7. Badging and Achievements
Gamification for employee engagement involves being able to quantify and visualize achievement in a socially visible way. Badging and achievements check all of those boxes and are able to work with or without reward points!
8. Rewards for Company Competitions
Not every employee gamification technique has to be centered around productivity. Sometimes just kicking back and having fun as a company can drastically improve employee morale. Hosting company competitions, such as costume competitions or chili cook-offs, give employees a chance to compete against each other and earn rewards.
9. Qualification-Based Travel Events
Incentive travel is a powerful motivator. Employees will work really hard for the chance to qualify for an exclusive travel promotion. Limited, high stakes rewards are an important part of gamification for employee engagement. You want to make sure every segment of your workforce has something to aspire for!
10. Employee Points Reward Programs
Are you looking for an all-encompassing employee gamification solution? While all of these examples work on their own, they are even better when they’re incorporated into a cohesive employee incentive program.
Increase Employee Engagement and Productivity
Extu (formerly Incentive Solutions) has been recognized as a one of the Best and Brightest Companies to Work For®. So what’s our secret? In addition to our commitment to growth, we mix in a healthy dose of employee gamification.
If you’re interested in using gamification and incentives to increase employee engagement and productivity, we’d love to help! Just give us a call or shoot us your email address, and one of our incentive experts will take the time to discuss your organization, your goals, and create a plan for growth!
