There is a reason why work is known as work. For the most part, it isn’t fun. Yet the new trend of gamification in the workplace stands to change that.
What is gamification and how does it help employees? What are the impacts of gamification at the workplace?
Gamification is the application of game mechanics and principles to a task with the intention of making it more engaging.
These principles include a points system, the ability to level up, and competition or collaboration. It also includes fast feedback, clear goals, and finally rewards and achievements.
Working from home or office…?
Did you know that Monday.com is one of the best tools for productive teams? Collaborate as if you’re right next to each other and keep the momentum going. [(Start your free trial here!)]
Using gamification to motivate employees
Nowadays, people are using gamification for many different purposes and across many industries. A company might create a rewards program for its customers in order to encourage them to spend more.
A small business might implement a scoreboard for their top salespeople to compete. A business may use a level-system in online training to encourage users to advance through training courses.
Wherever gamification pops up, it’s sure to make a difference in the success of any program. Here’s how to apply gamification to keep your team engaged remotely:
#1]. Promote collaboration
Separated from their co-workers and working remotely, it’s easy for an employee to become demotivated.
To combat this, you can leverage the motivation of working with (and in competition with) others.
Gamification is all about team building, encouraging and enhancing communication in the workplace. Assign projects that require collaboration or competition for completion. Schedule small calls and chats frequently to make it easy for team members to collaborate.
#2]. Set clear goals and provide fast feedback
Just like completing a level of a videogame, people become more motivated when they feel they are close to reaching a certain goal. This requires you to set clear, attainable goals that are small enough that they can be reached each week.
In addition, you should make it easy for employees to see how close they are to reaching their goals as a form of positive feedback.
For example, if you’re working on launching a new marketing campaign, assign a percentage completion to each step, and update the team daily with the progress.
#3]. Set rewards and achievements
Though it likely isn’t realistic to give every employee monetary rewards, there are many free ways to reward and recognize employees that can go a long way.
Do you know that you can set certain stretch goals? Set goals like making a certain number of sales or answering a tough client question. You can then award “badges” for achievement. These can be virtual nametags or Slack icons that employees can collect.
Do you want more insights on gamification and how to use it to help your team succeed? Check out the infographic below courtesy of Turbo Intuit.
