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How Gamification Can Boost Employee Engagement

• Adrian R. Camilleri
• Ananta Neelim

Research on what works — and what to avoid.

Employee disengagement is a persistent problem, and attempts to inject excitement often fall flat. However, gamification — using elements of games to motivate — has serious potential when thoughtfully executed. This article explores the psychology behind gamification, successful examples, and how to leverage probabilistic rewards (like lotteries tied to performance) to increase employee motivation.

A core responsibility of every manager is to motivate and engage their employees. This is because disengaged employees show lower productivity and exhibit higher absenteeism. Traditional approaches to increasing employee engagement include giving workers more  autonomy , a higher sense of  belonging and purpose , and  additional growth opportunities . Nevertheless, employee disengagement in the workplace hit a nine-year high in 2022 in the U.S. ,  with approximately three-fourths of employees reporting being disengaged.

• AC Adrian Camilleri is an associate professor of marketing at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Business School. He uses experimental and survey research methods to understand, explain, and predict the cognitive processes underlying judgment and decision-making, and the application of this knowledge to environmental, financial, managerial, and consumption contexts.
• AN Ananta Neelim is a senior lecturer in economics at the University of Tasmania. His research specializes in employing behavioral economics to understand and tackle issues of diversity, discrimination, and workplace productivity.

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Employee Engagement » Employee Engagement Case Study

25 Most Impactful Employee Engagement Case Studies for 2024

Introduction to employee engagement.

In today's highly competitive business environment, employee engagement has emerged as a critical driver of business success. It represents the level of commitment, passion, and investment employees have in their work and their organization. More than just job satisfaction, employee engagement is about employees feeling valued, involved, and connected to their work and workplace.

Engaged employees are not merely satisfied with their jobs; they are enthusiastic, motivated, and committed. They are the ones who are willing to go the extra mile, contribute their best ideas, and stay with their organizations in the long run. They are the backbone of any successful business, and their engagement is the key to unlocking a company's full potential.

Defining Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is a complex concept that encompasses a range of factors, from the emotional connection an employee feels towards their organization, to their level of satisfaction with their role and their motivation to perform to their best ability. It's about creating an environment where employees feel empowered, respected, and part of something bigger than themselves.

Why Employee Engagement Matters

Research has consistently shown that organizations with high levels of employee engagement are more profitable, have higher productivity levels, and experience lower turnover rates. Engaged employees are more likely to stay with their organization, reducing the costs associated with staff turnover. They are also more likely to be productive and deliver high-quality work, which can drive business growth and success.

Moreover, engaged employees are more likely to be advocates for their organizations, promoting their company's products and services to others and enhancing the company's reputation.

At its core, employee engagement is about creating a positive, inclusive, and inspiring workplace culture where employees feel valued, heard, and motivated to contribute their best. It's a win-win situation: employees are happier and more fulfilled, and businesses are more successful.

In this blog post, we will delve into 35 impactful case studies that illustrate the power of employee engagement in driving business success. From leveraging technology to fostering a culture of engagement in diverse workforces, these case studies will provide valuable insights and practical strategies for boosting employee engagement in your organization.

The Importance of Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is more than just a buzzword in the corporate world. It is a vital element that drives productivity, fosters innovation, and ultimately, contributes to a company's bottom line. In this section, we will delve into the significance of employee engagement and why it should be a priority in every organization.

1. Driving Productivity

Engaged employees are not just working. They are passionate, enthusiastic, and committed to their work. They strive to exceed expectations and continuously seek ways to improve their performance. As a result, their productivity levels are significantly higher than those of their disengaged counterparts. According to a study by Gallup, businesses with high employee engagement levels have 21% higher productivity.

2. Enhancing Employee Retention

Employee engagement is intrinsically linked to employee retention. When employees feel engaged, they are more likely to stay with the company. A sense of belonging, feeling valued, and being part of a purposeful mission can significantly reduce turnover rates. This not only saves costs associated with hiring and training new employees but also preserves the valuable knowledge and experience within the company.

3. Fostering Innovation

Innovation is the lifeblood of a company's growth and sustainability. Engaged employees, with their high levels of commitment and enthusiasm, are often the source of innovative ideas. They are more likely to take the initiative, think outside the box, and contribute to the company's innovation efforts.

4. Improving Customer Satisfaction

Engaged employees are more likely to provide exceptional customer service. They understand that their role is crucial in shaping the customer's experience and perception of the company. Hence, they invest more effort in serving customers, leading to higher customer satisfaction and loyalty.

5. Boosting Profitability

All of the above factors - increased productivity, improved retention, enhanced innovation, and better customer service - contribute to boosting a company's profitability. A study by Towers Perrin found that companies with engaged employees had a 19% increase in operating income over a 12-month period.

In conclusion, the importance of employee engagement cannot be overstated. It is a critical factor that influences a wide range of business outcomes. By prioritizing employee engagement, companies can reap substantial benefits, from increased productivity and innovation to improved customer satisfaction and profitability.

6 Case Studies on Boosting Employee Engagement with Technology

In this digital age, technology has become an integral part of our lives, influencing how we work, communicate, and engage with our surroundings. The same holds true for the corporate world, where technology has emerged as a powerful tool to boost employee engagement. Here, we present six compelling case studies that shed light on how various organizations have leveraged technology to enhance employee engagement.

1. Tech Titan: A Gamified Approach

Tech Titan, a leading technology company, used gamification to boost employee engagement. They developed an internal mobile app that transformed mundane tasks into exciting challenges. Employees could earn points, badges, and rewards for completing tasks, sparking competition and fostering a sense of achievement. This innovative approach led to a 25% increase in employee engagement within a year.

2. HealthCare Plus: Virtual Reality Training

HealthCare Plus, a renowned healthcare provider, introduced virtual reality (VR) for employee training. The VR simulations provided a realistic, immersive experience, allowing employees to practice procedures and protocols in a risk-free environment. This training method not only improved employee skills but also boosted engagement levels by making learning more interactive and enjoyable.

3. FinServ Corp: Harnessing AI for Personalized Learning

FinServ Corp, a financial services firm, used artificial intelligence (AI) to create personalized learning paths for its employees. The AI system analyzed each employee's skills, strengths, and areas for improvement to develop tailored training programs. This personalized approach made learning more relevant and engaging for employees, leading to increased participation in training programs.

4. EcoEnergy: IoT-Driven Employee Wellness Program

EcoEnergy, a sustainable energy company, launched an Internet of Things (IoT)-driven wellness program. They provided employees with wearable devices to monitor their health metrics, encouraging them to adopt healthier habits. The program created a sense of camaraderie among employees as they collectively worked towards their wellness goals, leading to higher engagement levels.

5. GlobalComm: Collaborative Tools for Remote Work

GlobalComm, a multinational communications company, implemented collaborative tools to engage its remote workforce. Tools like Slack and Microsoft Teams facilitated seamless communication and collaboration, making remote employees feel more connected to their teams. This initiative resulted in a significant increase in engagement among remote workers.

6. Retail Giant: Augmented Reality for Employee Onboarding

A leading retail company used augmented reality (AR) for its employee onboarding process. New hires could use AR glasses to virtually explore the company's facilities and learn about its processes. This innovative onboarding experience made new employees feel welcomed and engaged from day one.

These case studies demonstrate the transformative power of technology in boosting employee engagement. By embracing digital tools and solutions, companies can create more engaging, rewarding, and meaningful work experiences for their employees.

8 Case Studies on Employee Engagement in Diverse Workforces

Diversity and inclusion have become a crucial part of organizational culture. A diverse workforce brings a variety of perspectives and approaches to the table, fostering innovation and creativity. However, managing a diverse workforce and ensuring high levels of employee engagement can be a challenge. Here, we present eight case studies that illustrate successful strategies for engaging diverse workforces.

1. IBM's Diversity Networking Groups

IBM, a multinational technology company, has implemented Diversity Networking Groups (DNGs), which are employee-led groups formed around common interests, backgrounds, or demographics. These groups have played a significant role in promoting diversity and inclusion, leading to higher employee engagement levels.

2. Johnson & Johnson's Employee Resource Groups

Johnson & Johnson, a multinational corporation, has leveraged Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) to engage their diverse workforce. These ERGs, which include groups for women, veterans, and the LGBTQ+ community, have fostered a sense of belonging, thereby enhancing employee engagement.

3. Coca Cola's Global Office of Diversity

Coca Cola established a Global Office of Diversity, which focuses on fostering an inclusive culture and promoting diversity. This initiative has led to increased engagement as employees feel valued and recognized for their unique contributions.

4. Accenture's Inclusion and Diversity Strategy

Accenture, a leading global professional services company, has implemented an inclusion and diversity strategy that focuses on creating a culture of equality. This strategy has resulted in increased employee engagement and a more innovative work environment.

5. Microsoft's Autism Hiring Program

Microsoft has introduced an Autism Hiring Program, which offers inclusive interview experiences for candidates with autism. This initiative has not only diversified their workforce but also increased engagement among these employees who feel valued and included.

6. Starbucks's Inclusion Academy

Starbucks has created an Inclusion Academy, a training program focused on providing people with disabilities with the skills they need for logistics roles within the company. This initiative has resulted in increased engagement among these employees.

7. Deloitte's ALL IN Diversity Strategy

Deloitte, a multinational professional services network, has implemented an ALL IN diversity strategy. This strategy focuses on fostering an inclusive culture where everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed, leading to higher levels of employee engagement.

8. Google's Employee Resource Groups

Google has leveraged Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) to engage their diverse workforce. These ERGs, which include groups for women, veterans, and the LGBTQ+ community, have fostered a sense of belonging, thereby enhancing employee engagement.

In conclusion, these case studies demonstrate that fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment can significantly boost employee engagement. By implementing appropriate strategies, organizations can ensure that every employee feels valued and included, leading to higher levels of productivity and innovation.

6 Case Studies on Employee Engagement through Team Building Activities

Employee engagement is not just about work; it's also about fostering a sense of camaraderie, trust, and mutual respect among team members. Team building activities are a tried-and-true method of achieving this. Here are six case studies that showcase the power of team building activities in boosting employee engagement.

1. A Tech Giant's Approach to Team Building: Google

Google, one of the world's leading technology companies, is renowned for its unique approach to team building. They've implemented a program called "gPause," which encourages employees to take part in mindfulness exercises together. This initiative has led to enhanced team cohesion, reduced stress levels, and improved productivity, proving that team building activities don't always have to be grandiose or expensive to be effective.

2. Building Trust through Adventure: Johnson & Johnson

Healthcare conglomerate Johnson & Johnson turned to adventure-based team building activities to foster trust and collaboration. They organized a series of outdoor challenges, including rock climbing and rafting. These activities required employees to rely on each other for success, thus strengthening their trust and rapport. The result? Improved team performance and higher employee engagement levels.

3. Creative Engagement: Pixar

Pixar, the renowned animation studio, uses creative exercises as team building activities. By encouraging their employees to take part in sketching sessions and storytelling workshops, Pixar fosters a culture of creativity and collaboration. This approach has not only resulted in some of the most successful animated movies of all time but also in a highly engaged workforce.

4. Team Building through Social Responsibility: Salesforce

Salesforce, a global leader in CRM, has integrated social responsibility into their team building initiatives. They offer their employees seven paid days off each year to volunteer for a cause of their choice. This unique approach to team building has fostered a sense of unity and purpose among employees, leading to increased engagement and job satisfaction.

5. Virtual Team Building: Scavify

In the era of remote work, Scavify has taken team building to the digital realm. Our interactive scavenger hunts not only foster team collaboration but also inject fun into the workday. These virtual activities have proven effective in maintaining high levels of employee engagement, even when teams are physically apart.

6. Physical Fitness as Team Building: Reebok

Reebok, a global athletic footwear and apparel company, uses fitness challenges as a team building activity. They offer CrossFit classes to their employees, promoting both physical health and team spirit. This approach has resulted in a more engaged, healthier, and more productive workforce.

These case studies illustrate the significant impact of team building activities on employee engagement. Whether it's through mindfulness exercises, adventure activities, creative workshops, social responsibility initiatives, virtual games, or fitness challenges, team building can effectively foster a sense of unity and engagement among employees.

8 Case Studies on Employee Engagement Initiatives in Large Corporations

As we delve deeper into the subject of employee engagement, it's essential to consider the unique challenges and opportunities presented by large corporations. These behemoths of the business world often have thousands, if not tens of thousands, of employees spread across multiple locations, sometimes even spanning continents. Given this, fostering a sense of engagement and connection amongst employees can be a daunting task. However, numerous large corporations have successfully implemented innovative engagement initiatives. Let's look at eight such case studies.

1. Google's '20% Time' Policy

Google, known for its innovative work culture, introduced a '20% Time' policy. This initiative allows engineers to spend 20% of their working hours on any project they choose. This policy has not only boosted engagement but also led to the creation of some of Google's most popular products, including Gmail and Google News.

2. Microsoft's 'Hackathon'

Microsoft hosts an annual Hackathon, where employees from all over the world come together to work on passion projects. This event fosters a sense of camaraderie and engagement amongst employees, while also promoting innovation and creativity.

3. Ford's 'Employee Resource Groups'

Ford has established multiple Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) to promote diversity and inclusion. These groups, which include Women at Ford and Ford Employees Dealing with Disabilities, provide support, encourage engagement, and foster a sense of belonging amongst employees.

4. Apple's 'Blue Sky'

Apple introduced the 'Blue Sky' program, which allows a select group of employees to spend a few weeks on a project outside their usual work scope. This initiative boosts engagement by allowing employees to explore new areas and bring fresh ideas to the table.

5. Amazon's 'Peculiar Culture'

Amazon has created a 'peculiar culture' that encourages employees to be innovative and think outside the box. This culture, which includes practices like writing six-page memos and banning PowerPoints, keeps employees engaged and invested in the company's success.

6. Starbucks' 'Bean Stock'

Starbucks offers a program called 'Bean Stock', which gives eligible employees company shares. By making employees part-owners, Starbucks not only boosts engagement but also ensures that employees have a vested interest in the company's performance.

7. Salesforce's '1-1-1 Model'

Salesforce follows a unique '1-1-1 model', where it contributes 1% of its equity, 1% of its employee's time, and 1% of its products to philanthropic efforts. This initiative fosters a sense of purpose and engagement amongst employees, who take pride in their company's commitment to social responsibility.

8. Unilever's 'Sustainable Living Plan'

Unilever has implemented the 'Sustainable Living Plan', which aims to halve the environmental impact of its products by 2030. This initiative has boosted employee engagement by aligning the company's goals with the personal values of its employees.

In conclusion, these case studies highlight the innovative strategies large corporations are using to boost employee engagement. While the specifics vary, the underlying theme remains the same: when employees feel valued, supported, and part of something bigger, they are more likely to be engaged.

Conclusion on Employee Engagement Case Studies

In a rapidly evolving business landscape, these employee engagement case studies serve as a testament to the power of effective engagement strategies. They highlight how various organizations, regardless of their size or industry, have successfully harnessed the potential of their workforce by fostering a culture of engagement.

It's clear that employee engagement is no longer a luxury, but a necessity for businesses aiming for long-term success and sustainability. From leveraging technology to facilitating remote work, fostering diversity, and implementing team-building activities, businesses are exploring innovative ways to keep their employees engaged and motivated.

The case studies we've explored have demonstrated that employee engagement is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Each organization has to consider its unique circumstances, workforce dynamics, and strategic objectives to shape its engagement initiatives. However, the common thread running through all these case studies is the positive impact of genuine and consistent employee engagement on overall organizational performance.

As we move into 2024, the importance of employee engagement is only set to increase. With the rise of remote work and the increasing emphasis on diversity and inclusion, businesses will need to continue innovating and adapting their engagement strategies to meet the changing expectations of their workforce.

In conclusion, these case studies underscore the transformative power of employee engagement. They serve as a powerful reminder that when employees feel valued, heard, and engaged, they are more likely to contribute their best work, leading to increased productivity, improved employee satisfaction, and ultimately, heightened business success. As such, employee engagement should be at the forefront of every business leader's strategy moving forward.

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Using Gamification to Boost Office Productivity [5 Case Studies]

In today’s workplace, boosting productivity increasingly depends on innovative strategies that enhance efficiency and employee engagement. Gamification has proven to be an effective approach, transforming routine tasks into engaging experiences by incorporating game mechanics into office environments. This not only creates a dynamic and motivating atmosphere but also boosts participation and commitment among employees. Across various industries, gamification has been successfully implemented to improve productivity and job satisfaction. We will explore five case studies that demonstrate the varied applications and significant benefits of gamification in enhancing office productivity.

Related: AI in Game Development Case Studies

Case Study 1: Cisco’s Social Media Training Program

Cisco, a global leader in networking technology, sought to better its social media presence and engage more effectively with customers online. To achieve this, the company recognized the need to improve its employees’ social media skills across various departments.

The main goal was to empower Cisco employees with the skills to effectively leverage social media for business, thereby enhancing brand presence and engaging more robustly with customers and partners.

Implementation:

• Interactive Learning Modules:  The training consisted of interactive modules that covered various aspects of social media, including strategic content creation, platform-specific tactics, data analytics for measuring engagement, and best practices for digital communication. Each module was designed to be short and actionable, making it easier for employees to apply what they learned in real-world scenarios.
• Gamification Elements:  The program incorporated various gamification strategies to increase participation and completion rates. Employees earned points for completing modules, participating in quizzes, and engaging in practical exercises. These points could make badges and levels visible on the internal leaderboards, sparking healthy employee competition.
• Real-World Application:  The program encouraged employees to apply their new skills in actual business contexts. This included creating content for Cisco’s social media pages, engaging with customers, and collaborating on online projects with their peers.
• Feedback and Rewards:  Feedback mechanisms were built into the program to provide employees with insights into their performance and areas for improvement. Top performers were recognized monthly, and rewards included accolades and tangible incentives such as additional training opportunities, attendance at social media industry events, and even involvement in high-profile projects.

Key Features of the Gamification System:

• Modular Training:  The training was divided into various modules covering different aspects of social media marketing and technology use.
• Points and Badges:  Employees earned points and badges for completing modules and passing quizzes. These points could be used to track progress through levels, with each level offering more complex training materials.
• Leaderboards:  To foster a sense of competition and community, leaderboards were displayed, showing who had earned the most points and badges.
• Certifications:  On completing certain program levels, employees received certifications, which helped their career progression within the company.
• Increased Engagement:  The gamified elements of the program led to high engagement rates among employees, with thousands participating and completing the training within the first year.
• Skill Enhancement:  The program significantly improved the social media skills of Cisco’s workforce, which translated into more effective and coherent brand messaging across platforms.
• Cultural Shift:  The program helped instill a digital-first mindset among employees, aligning with Cisco’s broader digital transformation goals.

Long-Term Impact:

The success of the social media training program inspired Cisco to implement similar gamification strategies in other training programs. This initiative also set a benchmark within the industry for using gamification to enhance employee skills and engagement.

Case Study 2: Microsoft’s Language Quality Game

Microsoft, a leader in software development, continuously seeks ways to enhance the accuracy and quality of its software localization across multiple languages. The challenge was ensuring high-quality translations with few in-house expert linguists.

To enhance the quality and consistency of software localization while engaging a broader set of employees in the process.

• Interactive Learning Modules:  The game featured interactive learning modules that educated employees on common translation errors and their detection. These modules were concise and informative, tailored to specific languages and cultural contexts relevant to Microsoft’s global software releases.
• Gamification Elements:  Participants earned points for accurately identifying and correcting translation errors, with more complex errors yielding higher points. The system included levels and badges to motivate continued engagement, and leaderboards were used to foster a competitive environment among participants.
• Real-World Application:  The game was integrated directly into Microsoft’s localization processes, allowing employees to work on actual text from upcoming software releases. This integration ensured that the contributions of employees had a direct impact on the quality of Microsoft products.
• Feedback and Rewards:  Immediate feedback was provided for each correction, helping employees learn and improve their translation skills. Top performers received rewards such as professional development opportunities, gift cards, and company-wide recognition, which included awards and mentions at corporate events.
• Task Design:  Employees were given texts to review in their native languages, looking for grammatical errors, context mismatches, and cultural inaccuracies.
• Points System:  Participants earned points for each error they identified correctly. Additional points were awarded for errors that others had missed.
• Leaderboards:  Real-time leaderboards were maintained to encourage a competitive environment among participants.
• Rewards and Recognition:  High performers were acknowledged in company communications, and top contributors received rewards such as gift cards or a mention in the company newsletter.
• Enhanced Localization Quality:  The game significantly improved the linguistic accuracy and cultural appropriateness of Microsoft’s software in various languages.
• Wider Engagement:  Employees from non-linguistic backgrounds participated enthusiastically, contributing diverse perspectives that improved overall translation quality.
• Cost Efficiency:  By involving a broader base of employees, Microsoft reduced the need for external linguistic consultation, saving on costs associated with localization.

The success of the Language Quality Game prompted Microsoft to consider other areas where gamification could be used to solve complex problems by harnessing the diverse skills of its global workforce. The project demonstrated that gamification could effectively mobilize many employees toward achieving specific quality improvement goals.

Case Study 3: Deloitte’s Leadership Academy

Deloitte, one of the world’s leading professional services firms, sought to enhance the leadership skills of its employees globally. Traditional training programs were not meeting the engagement levels or scalability required by the rapidly growing organization.

The goal was to develop a high-impact, engaging, and scalable training program for current and future leaders within the firm using gamification strategies.

• Customized Learning Modules:  The academy featured a variety of interactive learning modules focused on leadership, management, and business skills. These modules were tailored to accommodate diverse learning preferences and schedules, incorporating high-quality content from leading educators and industry experts. This ensured the training was relevant and aligned with global leadership standards and real-world challenges.
• Gamification Strategy:  Gamification elements such as points, levels, and badges were integrated into the platform to encourage course completion and participation. Employees earned these rewards by completing modules, passing assessments, and engaging with the community, fostering a competitive yet collaborative environment through leaderboards.
• Real-World Application and Integration:  Practical assignments required participants to apply their new skills directly within their current roles, effectively bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application. The platform was also integrated with Deloitte’s internal systems, allowing seamless tracking of employee progress and facilitating managerial support.
• Feedback Loops and Rewards System:  The DLA provided continuous feedback through quizzes and interactive assessments, helping participants identify areas for improvement and reinforcing their learning. Top performers were recognized with certifications and professional endorsements, and exceptional achievers could access advanced career opportunities within the firm.
• Modular Courses:  The platform featured a series of modular courses covering various aspects of leadership and management. These courses were designed to be completed at the user’s pace.
• Digital Badges:  Users earned digital badges upon completing each module, which could be shared on professional social networks like LinkedIn.
• Leaderboards:  To foster a sense of competition, leaderboards tracked participants’ progress across different regions and global offices.
• Rewards:  Achievements within the academy could lead to real-world rewards, such as invitations to exclusive leadership conferences and advanced training sessions.
• Increased Engagement:  The gamified elements of the DLA significantly increased completion rates of leadership training modules compared to traditional methods.
• Leadership Development:  Participants reported improved leadership skills, including better decision-making and enhanced strategic thinking.
• Global Reach:  The DLA allowed Deloitte to effectively train many employees across different geographical locations, ensuring consistent leadership quality and preparation.

Following the success of the gamified learning platform, Deloitte expanded the use of gamification in other internal training programs. The Leadership Academy has become a model for similar initiatives within and outside the firm, showcasing the benefits of integrating game mechanics in professional development programs.

Related: AI use in India Game Development

Case Study 4: SAP’s Community Network Gamification

SAP, a global leader in enterprise software solutions, aimed to increase engagement and collaboration among users of its SAP Community Network (SCN). This online network allows SAP users, developers, and consultants to share knowledge, solve problems, and collaborate on projects.

By incorporating gamification strategies, the goal was to enhance user participation, knowledge sharing, and overall engagement on the SCN platform.

• Point System and Digital Badges:  SAP introduced a point system where community members earned points for posting articles, answering questions, and participating in community discussions. These points were visible to all members, encouraging a sense of accomplishment and ongoing participation. Additionally, digital badges were awarded for specific achievements, such as being a top contributor in a particular topic area or participating in special community events. These badges served as symbols of expertise and contribution within the community.
• Leaderboards and Levels:  SAP implemented leaderboards that ranked members based on their point totals to further drive engagement. These leaderboards were updated in real-time and were visible to all community members, fostering a competitive environment that motivated users to increase their contributions. Levels were also assigned based on point thresholds, providing members with goals to strive toward and a clear path of progression within the community.
• Rewards and Recognition:  Members who consistently topped the leaderboards or reached high contribution levels were eligible for rewards and recognition. Rewards included exclusive access to beta software, invitations to special SAP events, and opportunities to meet with SAP executives. Additionally, high achievers could receive public recognition through features in community newsletters and on the community website, enhancing their professional reputation both within and outside the community.
• Feedback Mechanisms:  SAP incorporated mechanisms for members to receive feedback on their contributions from peers and from SAP itself. This feedback was crucial for improving the quality of contributions and personal development within the community. It also helped SAP identify and address gaps in information or expertise within the community, ensuring that the SCN remained a valuable and up-to-date resource.
• Point System:  Users earned points for contributing valuable content, such as answering questions, writing blogs, and participating in discussion forums.
• Badges and Levels:  Various badges and levels were awarded based on accumulated points, signifying the user’s expertise and contribution level within the community.
• Leaderboards:  Leaderboards displayed the top contributors in various categories, fostering a competitive and cooperative environment.
• Rewards and Recognition:  Top contributors could earn special privileges, such as access to exclusive events, beta testing opportunities, and visibility in community newsletters.
• Increased User Activity:  The introduction of gamification led to a measurable increase in user activity, including a rise in the number of posts, solutions provided, and overall interactions within the community.
• Enhanced Knowledge Sharing:  The quality and quantity of shared knowledge improved as users were motivated to contribute more substantive and helpful content.
• Community Growth:  The SCN experienced growth in its user base, with more users joining the community to participate in the gamified activities.

The gamification of the SAP Community Network proved to be a pivotal strategy in enhancing user engagement and loyalty. The success of this initiative has been recognized within the industry, and SAP has continued to refine and expand its gamification features to maintain a vibrant and active community.

Case Study 5: Google’s Code Jam

Renowned for its innovative technology and employee engagement approaches, Google hosts an annual coding competition called Google Code Jam. This global contest is designed to challenge and engage developers worldwide in solving complex algorithmic problems.

The main goals of Google Code Jam are to identify top programming talent, foster a sense of global community among coders, and showcase algorithmic challenges’ complexities and excitement.

• Competition Structure and Challenges:  Google Code Jam is organized into multiple rounds, each with increasingly difficult problems that challenge participants’ coding and problem-solving skills. The initial rounds feature foundational problems to ensure broad participation, while later rounds introduce extraordinarily complex challenges that require advanced algorithmic knowledge. This structure keeps the competition accessible to newcomers while providing rigorous challenges for seasoned coders.
• Live Leaderboards and Real-Time Updates:  Google Code Jam uses live leaderboards that update real-time during competitions to enhance the competitive spirit. These leaderboards display rankings based on participants’ solutions’ speed and accuracy, adding excitement and urgency to the competition. Real-time updates keep participants informed about their standings and motivate them to improve their rankings as the competition progresses.
• Global Participation and Scalability:  The competition is open to programmers worldwide, allowing participants to compete from the comfort of their homes. This global reach not only enhances the diversity and inclusivity of the competition but also scales the impact of gamification by involving a vast network of programmers. The online nature of the competition facilitates a scalable model that can accommodate an unlimited number of participants.
• Rewards and Professional Opportunities:  Participants who perform well in Google Code Jam can earn rewards, including cash prizes and exclusive Google merchandise. Additionally, standout performers often attract attention from Google and other tech companies for potential employment opportunities, making the competition a valuable platform for career advancement. Furthermore, finalists are typically invited to a world-class onsite final, which is a significant incentive, providing networking opportunities with some of the best minds in the tech industry.
• Levels of Difficulty:  The competition is structured with multiple rounds, each increasing in difficulty, challenging participants to sharpen their skills progressively.
• Live Leaderboards:  Real-time leaderboards encourage competition by displaying participant rankings throughout the event, updating after each round.
• Rewards and Recognition:  Top performers are rewarded with prizes, including cash and potential job opportunities at Google. Participants also gain recognition within the global coding community.
• Community Building:  The competition fosters a community among programmers through forums, discussion groups, and live events, encouraging collaboration and knowledge sharing beyond the competition.
• Enhanced Engagement:  Code Jam consistently attracts tens of thousands of participants annually, highlighting its success in engaging a global audience.
• Skill Development:  Participants often report significant improvements in their coding and problem-solving skills due to the competition.
• Talent Identification:  Google has successfully identified and recruited numerous talented individuals through this platform, enhancing its workforce quality and diversity.

Google Code Jam has established itself as one of the most prestigious coding competitions globally. It helps Google in its talent acquisition efforts and contributes to the ongoing development and celebration of coding skills in the technology community.

Related: Digital Detox Tips for Increasing Productivity

The case studies of Cisco, Microsoft, Deloitte, SAP, and Google Code Jam underscore the effectiveness of gamification in boosting office productivity. These examples reveal that well-implemented gamification strategies can significantly enhance employee engagement, skill acquisition, and operational efficiency. By leveraging intrinsic motivations and fostering a competitive yet collaborative environment, gamification is valuable for creating a more dynamic and fulfilling workplace. As businesses evolve, gamification remains a key strategy for building a motivated, high-performing workforce.

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European Business Review

ISSN : 0955-534X

Article publication date: 10 July 2021

Issue publication date: 1 February 2022

The purpose of this paper is to analyze how the application of gamification promotes employee motivation and engagement in the workplace. This study sought to identify gamification characteristics, examine motivation and engage at work to relate them to different game designs.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative exploratory study of multiple cases involving four companies located in Brazil’s southern region. These companies use gamification with their employees or companies whose business offers gamification solutions focused on people management.

This multiple case study presented aspects and different approaches to gamification and serious games. Of the four case studies, the Bravi Quiz application was the most satisfactory case because of its attractive design.

Research limitations/implications

The research instruments prioritized the topic of gamification with its tools and applicability. The themes of motivation and engagement at work have been addressed but need further research.

Practical implications

The planning and application of gamification with the appropriate score, feedback and rewards are necessary to promote motivation and engagement in the workplace. Gamification must be linked to its systems and processes on its excellent progress because it is taken in isolation; it does not increase engagement and motivation.

Originality/value

This is one of the few studies dealing with gamification in human resource management by involving developers/instructors, managers and employees/users and different companies’ tools. This study served as a comparison between the tools of gamification and serious games.

• Gamification
• Serious games
• Engagement at work
• Motivation at work

Acknowledgements

This work is being supported by the University of Caxias do Sul (Universidade de Caxias do Sul – UCS), the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico – CNPq, scholarship PQ 303915/2019–6 and MCTIC 429195/2018–4), IMED Business School and the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento do Pessoal de Nível Superior – Capes).

Miri, D.H. and Macke, J. (2022), "Gamification, motivation, and engagement at work: a qualitative multiple case study", European Business Review , Vol. 34 No. 2, pp. 263-276. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-04-2020-0106

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Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited

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The Impact of Gamification on Employee Engagement

Discover how gamification can revolutionize employee engagement in the workplace.

In today's fast-paced and highly competitive business world, organizations are constantly exploring new ways to motivate and engage their employees. One approach that has gained significant attention and popularity is gamification. By incorporating game elements into non-game contexts, gamification aims to enhance motivation, boost productivity, and foster a sense of achievement among employees. In this article, we will explore the impact of gamification on employee engagement and its implications for organizational success.

1. Introduction to Gamification in the Workplace

Defining gamification and its role in employee engagement.

Gamification, in the context of the workplace, involves applying game design principles and mechanics to engage and motivate employees. It harnesses the intrinsic human desire for competition, achievements, and rewards, making tasks and processes more enjoyable and engaging.

By incorporating elements such as points, badges, leaderboards, and challenges, gamification provides employees with a sense of progress, accomplishment, and recognition, fostering a deeper level of engagement and motivation in their work.

Brief History of Gamification in the Workplace

Gamification has its roots in the 1970s, where companies like IBM started using games in training programs to improve learning outcomes. However, it was not until the early 2010s that gamification gained widespread attention, thanks to the advancement of technology and the increasing popularity of mobile devices.

Since then, organizations across various industries have embraced gamification as a powerful tool to drive employee engagement, improve productivity, and achieve business objectives.

Importance of Employee Engagement for Organizational Success

Employee engagement plays a crucial role in the success of any organization. Engaged employees are more committed, productive, and motivated to contribute to the company's goals. They are also more likely to stay with the organization, reducing turnover rates and attracting top talent.

Studies have shown that engaged employees outperform disengaged employees in terms of productivity, customer satisfaction, and profitability. Therefore, organizations are continually seeking innovative strategies to enhance employee engagement, and gamification offers a compelling solution.

Factors Affecting Employee Engagement

Before diving into the details of gamification's impact on employee engagement, it is essential to understand the factors that influence engagement levels in the workplace. These factors can vary from person to person and from organization to organization. However, some common factors include:

• Workplace culture and values
• Opportunities for growth and development
• Recognition and rewards
• Effective communication and feedback
• Healthy work-life balance

By addressing these factors, organizations can create an environment conducive to employee engagement, laying the foundation for the successful implementation of gamification strategies.

2. Motivating Employees through Gamification

Enhancing learning and development with gamification.

One of the key benefits of gamification in the workplace is its ability to enhance learning and development initiatives. Traditional training programs can often be monotonous and fail to capture employees' attention and interest.

Gamification adds an interactive and engaging element to the learning process, making it more enjoyable and memorable. By integrating quizzes, challenges, and leaderboards, employees are motivated to actively participate in their own skill development, leading to improved learning outcomes.

For example, the HIVO digital asset management platform leverages gamification elements to train employees in efficient and effective digital asset management practices. Through interactive quizzes and challenges, employees are encouraged to enhance their knowledge and skills, ensuring the organization's digital assets are managed optimally.

Fostering Collaboration and Teamwork through Gamification

Collaboration and teamwork are vital for organizational success. Gamification can be used as a tool to encourage collaboration by creating opportunities for employees to work together towards a common goal.

By incorporating team-based challenges, leaderboards, and rewards, gamification fosters a sense of camaraderie and healthy competition among employees. This not only strengthens relationships but also enhances overall team performance.

The HIVO digital asset management platform also embraces gamification to encourage collaboration. Through the platform's collaborative features, employees can work together to update, organize, and retrieve digital assets, earning points and rewards along the way. This gamified approach incentivizes teamwork, resulting in more efficient and effective asset management processes.

Setting Clear Goals and Objectives for Gamification

Clear goals and objectives play a pivotal role in the success of gamification initiatives. When employees have a clear understanding of what is expected of them and how their performance will be measured, they are more motivated to actively participate and strive for success.

Organizations should clearly communicate the purpose of gamification initiatives, outline the specific goals and objectives, and provide employees with the necessary resources and support to achieve them. Additionally, organizations should ensure that the gamification experience is aligned with the overall organizational strategy and values, reinforcing the desired behaviors and outcomes.

Designing Engaging and Rewarding Gamification Experiences

The success of gamification initiatives heavily depends on the design and execution. To create engaging and rewarding experiences, organizations need to carefully consider the following elements:

• Storytelling: Incorporate narratives and themes that resonate with employees, making the experience more immersive and relatable.
• Challenges and Progression: Strike a balance between attainable and challenging goals to keep employees motivated and promote a sense of achievement.
• Rewards and Recognition: Provide meaningful rewards, both intrinsic and extrinsic, to acknowledge and celebrate employees' accomplishments.
• Feedback and Communication: Offer timely feedback and clear communication channels to guide employees' progress and address any concerns or questions.

By carefully designing gamification experiences that align with employees' preferences, motivations, and aspirations, organizations can maximize employee engagement and drive positive outcomes.

3. Integrating Gamification into Existing Employee Engagement Programs

Company a: how gamification increased employee productivity.

Company A recognized the importance of employee engagement and implemented a gamification strategy to drive performance and productivity. By incorporating leaderboards, challenges, and rewards into their project management system, employees became more motivated and engaged in their tasks.

The gamified approach not only increased productivity but also fostered healthy competition and collaboration among employees. The transparent and visible nature of the leaderboards encouraged individuals to strive for improvement and learn from their peers, resulting in a more innovative and efficient work environment.

Company B: Using Gamification to Improve Employee Satisfaction and Retention

Company B faced challenges with employee satisfaction and retention. To address these issues, they introduced a gamified employee recognition program. Employees were encouraged to recognize and appreciate their peers' efforts through a points-based system with rewards.

The gamified recognition program not only boosted employee morale but also strengthened the sense of belonging and camaraderie within the organization. Employees felt valued, appreciated, and motivated to contribute their best work, leading to increased job satisfaction and reduced turnover rates.

Overcoming Resistance to Gamification in the Workplace

Despite the numerous benefits of gamification, some employees and organizations may resist its implementation. Resistance can stem from various factors, such as fear of change, skepticism about the effectiveness of gamification, or concerns about fairness and transparency.

To overcome resistance, organizations should focus on transparent communication, education, and involvement. By clearly articulating the purpose, benefits, and potential challenges of gamification, employees can gain a better understanding and acceptance of the strategy.

Addressing concerns about fairness and transparency is equally important. Organizations need to ensure that gamification initiatives are designed to be fair, inclusive, and free from biases that may hinder employee motivation and engagement. Regular feedback loops and open dialogues can also help identify and address any issues or concerns that arise during the implementation process.

4. Evaluating Gamification Success and Future Trends

Key metrics and indicators for evaluating gamification success.

When implementing gamification initiatives, organizations need to measure their impact to assess their effectiveness and make informed decisions for future improvements. Some key metrics and indicators for evaluating gamification success include:

• Participation rates and levels of engagement
• Performance metrics and productivity levels
• Employee satisfaction and motivation
• Retention and turnover rates
• Quality of work and customer satisfaction

Evaluating these metrics can provide valuable insights into the impact of gamification on employee engagement and overall organizational success.

Conducting Surveys and Gathering Feedback from Employees

In addition to quantitative metrics, organizations should also gather qualitative feedback from employees to gain a deeper understanding of their experiences with gamification. Surveys, focus groups, and one-on-one interviews can provide valuable insights into employees' perceptions, preferences, and suggestions for improvement.

Actively involving employees in the evaluation process demonstrates a commitment to their opinions and promotes a culture of continuous improvement.

Gamification and Digital Asset Management: The Next Frontier

The rise of digital asset management (DAM) platforms has opened up exciting opportunities to integrate gamification principles into the management and utilization of digital assets.

The HIVO digital asset management platform, for instance, leverages gamification techniques to ensure employees efficiently manage and utilize digital assets. Through interactive challenges and rewards, employees are incentivized to adhere to best practices and contribute to the overall success of the platform, resulting in improved digital asset management processes.

As technology continues to evolve and organizations increasingly rely on digital assets, gamification in the context of DAM will likely become an integral part of employee engagement and performance strategies.

Personalization and Customization in Gamification Experiences

Personalization and customization are key trends in gamification, allowing organizations to tailor experiences to individual preferences and goals. By offering choices, allowing employees to create their avatars, or providing personalized challenges, organizations can enhance engagement and motivation.

For example, the HIVO digital asset management platform enables employees to personalize their user experience by customizing their dashboards, selecting preferred themes, or setting individual goals within the platform. This level of personalization helps create a more immersive and enjoyable environment for users, further enhancing engagement.

Recap of the Benefits and Challenges of Gamification

Throughout this article, we have explored the various benefits and challenges of gamification in the workplace. Some key benefits include:

• Increased employee engagement and motivation
• Improved performance and productivity
• Enhanced learning and development outcomes
• Fostered collaboration and teamwork
• Positive impact on employee satisfaction and retention

However, it is crucial to acknowledge and address the potential challenges, such as resistance to change, concerns about fairness, and the need for well-designed experiences.

Recommendations for Organizations Considering Gamification

If your organization is considering implementing gamification initiatives to enhance employee engagement, here are some recommendations to ensure a successful implementation:

• Clearly define your goals and objectives for gamification
• Align gamification experiences with organizational culture and values
• Design gamification experiences that resonate with employees
• Provide meaningful rewards and recognition
• Communicate the purpose and benefits of gamification to employees
• Collect feedback and continuously improve the gamification strategy

By following these recommendations, organizations can leverage the power of gamification to maximize employee engagement, motivation, and ultimately drive their success in the digital asset management landscape.

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Gamifying the employee experience

Encourage team-based engagement, build a culture of empowerment and foster productivity with gamification. It’s more than a perk - it’s a new approach to work.

In decades past, companies paid little attention to how their employees experienced the interaction with their workplace; work was seen as a simple transaction in which employees traded their time in return for a paycheck, and how they personally felt about the way they spent the hours between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. was of little importance.

But as the 9-to-5 job increasingly becomes an artifact from a bygone age, workers are beginning to measure their jobs not only by the size of their paycheck, but also by how valued they feel within the organization, whether their workplace supports their personal values, and how the time they spend at work is nurturing their personal and professional development.

Ignoring the employee experience is a recipe for high turnover. For theMillennial generation, there will always be another job. Networking sites like LinkedIn make it easy for your competitors to poach talented employees. Informal income, from freelancing to driving for Uber, give workers a fallback option. These days, telling an employee “if you don’t like it, leave” is as good as asking for their resignation.

Gamification, as part of an engagement and performance solution, can give you the tools you need to create a positive employee experience by encouraging team-based engagement, building a culture of empowerment, and fostering productivity. It’s more than a perk - it’s a new approach to work.

Better than Free Lunch

Many attempts to improve the workplace experience focus on providing tangible perks that boost morale, like employee appreciation luncheons or tweaking the workplace environment with something like an open floor plan. But too often, these initiatives feel like empty gestures - employees want  actual appreciation , not free pizza. Your employees need to feel like you’re truly aware and appreciative of their contributions to the team, not simply that they are working within your line of sight.

Gamification can help build the four pillars of a positive employee experience:

• Teamwork:  A team-based culture forms the foundation for an outstanding employee experience. Gamification can encourage teamwork by tracking and rewarding collaboration. Traditional employee performance metrics like annual peer reviews do a poor job of quantifying the true time and effort employees put into helping each other succeed. Our  Bunchball Nitro platform  uses big data analytics to identify your team’s best players, helping you group workers with complementary skills and design an incentive structure that encourages interaction and collaboration that fits your workplace.
• Validation:  Bunchball can improve employee experience by giving you the tools to recognize and reward workers’ achievements. Traditional winner-take-all contests risk alienating novice workers who might become discouraged when competing with seasoned veterans. By tracking and rewarding incremental improvements in performance, Bunchball inspires productivity, progress and mastery.
• Empowerment:  Empowered employees are more likely to have a positive workplace experience, and a well-designed gamification program will provide workers with channeled flexibility, allowing them to tackle the tasks they’re most motivated to take on. The Nitro gamification platform gives your employees autonomy with accountability, keeping them productive and in control.
• Purpose:  Finally, maintaining a sense of purpose is crucial for improving your employees’ experience. Workers are most satisfied when they are sharpening their skills and working towards shared goals. Gamification can help you cultivate your workers’ sense of purpose by quantifying their progress as they develop new proficiencies and take on greater responsibility in the workplace. They will also be able to see how their individual efforts are supporting your organization’s broader success.

Read more on gamification

Getting started with gamification

What is holding companies back from adding gamification to their organization? The simple answer most often heard is, “I don’t know how to start”.

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Gamification in The Workplace: 7 ways to Boosts Employee Engagement

• Written by: Rinaily Bonifacio
• Last updated: 29 August 2024

Employers of the current business world we're in know that keeping employees engaged  has become more critical than ever.

A disengaged workforce can lead to reduced productivity , increased turnover , and even a toxic company culture . This is where gamification enters the picture.

It's not just a trendy buzzword, it's a strategy that injects a sense of competition and fun into mundane tasks , creating a more dynamic and involved workforce. And guess what? It works.

In this blog, we're diving deep into gamification tactics in the workplace. We'll explore the psychology that makes it so effective, hear from companies that have successfully implemented it, and arm you with practical tips to roll out your own gamification strategies.

Whether you're a manager looking to supercharge your team or an HR professional exploring new engagement avenues, there's something here for you.

Get ready to turn your workplace into a more engaging, and dare we say, enjoyable space.

Psychology Behind Gamification

The psychology behind gamification is grounded in neuroscience, starting with dopamine. Often called the "feel-good hormone," dopamine flows through your brain when you achieve a goal, providing a natural high. Translating this reward system into a professional environment is the crux of gamification.

Game Mechanics: More Than Just Points and Badges

How do you actually trigger these dopamine releases in the workplace? That's where game mechanics come into play. These could be as simple as earning a badge for finishing a project ahead of schedule, or as involved as a point system that offers various rewards. These elements transform mundane tasks into challenges, creating a real sense of accomplishment.

Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic: The Two Faces of Motivation

Motivation is a complex beast, and not all types are equal. First up, we have intrinsic motivation—this is your internal drive, the joy you get from doing something well. Then there's extrinsic motivation, which is all about tangible rewards—think promotions or bonuses.

A successful gamification strategy cleverly balances these two forms of motivation. Intrinsic motivations can be catered to with challenging tasks that offer personal satisfaction upon completion. For extrinsic motivations, tangible rewards like gift cards or an extra day off can be very effective.

Keeping Engagement Authentic

Striking the right balance is crucial. Too much focus on external rewards may reduce the work to a mere grind, while depending solely on intrinsic rewards could leave some team members feeling underappreciated. The art lies in integrating these motivational aspects seamlessly, making gamification a potent tool for elevating employee engagement .

Useful Read:  6 Metrics to Measure Employee Engagement: The Employers Guide

Benefits of Gamification

Gamification is a strategy that delivers real benefits when applied thoughtfully. Here's how it can make a difference in your workplace:

Must reads:

• How to Engage and Motivate Your Gen Z Workforce
• Millennial Work Ethic explained: Strategies for Loyalty and Engagement
• Employees More Likely to Stay: Job-hopping is common these days, but gamification can give employees a reason to stick around. It creates an interactive and dynamic work environment that can boost morale and employee satisfaction . Happy employees are more likely to stay, simple as that.
• Makes Learning Fun and Engaging: Let's face it: traditional corporate training programs can be boring. Gamification changes this by injecting a dose of fun into the learning process. Whether it's through point systems, challenges, or interactive lessons, game elements make the educational content more absorbing. Employees are more likely to engage deeply with the material, not just because they have to, but because they want to.
• Increasing Productivity: Employees are more productive when they're engaged. Gamification can turn routine tasks into challenges, making them more enjoyable. When people look forward to completing their tasks, it's only natural that they'll get more done.
• Reducing Stress: Gamification can ease workplace stress by making tasks feel less like work and more like, well, games. A point-based system or team competitions can make deadlines seem less daunting and inject a little fun into the workday.

Wondering which tasks could benefit from a gamification overhaul? Identify low-engagement activities by looking at:

• Tasks that employees often procrastinate on
• Projects that lack visible progress or feedback
• Areas where performance metrics consistently dip

Once you've identified these tasks, you're in a prime position to gamify them. Doing so can make a world of difference in how employees view their responsibilities and how efficiently they work.

Real-World Case Studies

Seeing is believing, right? Let's dive into some real-world examples that showcase how companies from diverse sectors and settings have leveraged gamification to bolster employee engagement and productivity.

Google masterfully employs gamification to both engage users and drive measurable outcomes. From awarding up to 500 badges to frequent Google News readers to transforming their iconic logo into interactive games during special events, Google amplifies user interaction and boosts site traffic. For instance, the playable Pac-Man logo for its 30th anniversary captured significant user attention. These tactics serve as excellent case studies, illustrating how even tech giants like Google find value in strategically adding elements of play into their business model.

Microsoft seamlessly integrates gamification into its training programs and employee engagement strategies. Using Microsoft Teams, employees can earn Dynamics, Azure, and Office 365 certificates through gamified training modules that include practical labs, video content, and exam prep. The company has also developed a "Language Quality" game to fine-tune language localization across its global operations. Employees are challenged to spot poor translations, turning an otherwise tedious task into a competitive endeavour. In an extraordinary move, Microsoft Japan even dedicated an entire workday for employees to engage in this game and compete on the leaderboard, underscoring the importance they place on gamification.

Domino's Pizza employs gamification to enhance various aspects of its business, from speeding up delivery times to boosting employee engagement and streamlining training. Their innovative Pizza Maker course uses gamification and simulations to not only train but also assess and reward employees. By adding a competitive element, the course has successfully reduced onboarding time and motivated staff to continually beat their own performance records, thereby increasing competency, speed, and accuracy—key factors in meeting customer demand.

7 Examples of Gamification in the Workplace

So, you're intrigued by the power of gamification, but what does it actually look like in action? Let's dig into some common ways businesses are turning the daily grind into a more engaging experience.

• Points, Badges, and Leaderboards (PBL): The PBL trio is like the bread and butter of gamification. Employees earn points for achieving various goals, from closing sales deals to timely project submissions. These points can then be showcased via badges, creating a sense of pride and recognition . Leaderboards add that competitive zest, motivating employees to climb to the top and keep their game strong. It's a straightforward yet effective approach, especially when combined with tangible rewards.
• Challenges and Missions: Think of this as the next level of PBL. Instead of just gaining points, employees are given specific challenges or missions they must complete. Whether it's solving a complex problem in a team or hitting an ambitious sales target, the key is to make it fun and rewarding. The experience becomes an engaging narrative rather than a list of tasks. When a mission is accomplished, the sense of victory is profound.
• Employee-of-the-Month, Gamified: Traditional 'Employee-of-the-Month' awards are great, but they can be taken up a notch with gamification. Create a points system that rewards a multitude of activities and behaviours, not just sales performance or project completions. Now, the title has become a coveted trophy, won through diverse achievements and skills, including teamwork , punctuality, and creative problem-solving.
• Time-Tracking Games: Some companies have introduced time-tracking games where employees compete to accurately estimate how long tasks will take them. It's a fun way to improve project management skills and productivity.
• Virtual Scavenger Hunts: Ideal for remote teams, a virtual scavenger hunt can involve clues related to company history, team members, or industry knowledge. It's a great way to foster team unity and impart important info in a fun, engaging manner. Useful Read:  How to engage remote employees: Tips and Strategies
• Health and Wellness Programs: Gamified health challenges can boost employee well-bein g. Whether it's a step-count competition or a healthy eating challenge, gamifying wellness activities can lead to better health outcomes and lower healthcare costs for the company.
• Skill-Building Quizzes: Some companies offer quizzes that employees can take to earn badges or certificates in various professional skills, ranging from software proficiency to leadership skills. The digital badges can sometimes even be displayed on internal profiles or LinkedIn, adding an element of prestige and motivation.

Did You Know?

The gamification market worldwide grew from $14.87 billion in 2022 to $18.63 billion in 2023 according to the Gamification Global Market Report 2023 . The gamification market size is expected to grow from $9.1 billion in 2020 to $30.7 billion by 2025, according to Markets and Markets research. This rapid growth aligns with current studies showing that companies using gamification have seen up to a 60% increase in employee engagement. That's a stat worth paying attention to!

Practical Tips for Implementation: A How-To Guide

So you're sold on gamification. The next step is making it happen. Here are some actionable tips to get your gamification program up and running.

Defining and Measuring Processes

First thing first: Know your goals. Are you looking to boost productivity? Increase retention ? Once you've nailed down what you want to achieve, the next step is deciding how to measure it. For instance, if productivity is the goal, maybe it's a points system tied to completed tasks. Just remember, you can't improve what you can't measure.

Providing Quick Feedback

One reason video games are so addictive? The immediate feedback. Players know instantly whether they've won or lost, levelled up, or found a valuable item. Employee feedback often comes in the form of yearly reviews or quarterly assessments—far too infrequent to be engaging. Implement real-time feedback via scorecards, dashboards, or even simple email notifications to keep employees in the loop and motivated.

Getting Employees Invested

The reality check here is that gamification will flop if your employees don't care. You've got to make it meaningful. Get them involved in the design process. Ask them what challenges they'd like, and what rewards would actually be rewarding, and then build those into the system.

FYI: Gamification in Everyday Life

Remember, gamification isn't just for the workplace. Apps like Duolingo make learning a new language more engaging by using points and streaks. Even social media platforms offer badges for certain types of interactions. These systems are designed to keep you coming back for more because they tap into the same elements of motivation and reward that you can leverage in your company.

Navigating the Pitfalls

As promising as gamification may sound, a poorly executed system could backfire. The competitive landscape can turn toxic if not managed well, discouraging those who lag behind. It's also tempting to lure employees with flashy external rewards like gift cards or bonuses, but tread carefully.

The true power of gamification lies in intrinsic rewards—the sense of achievement and personal growth that comes from a job well done. Overemphasizing extrinsic rewards might lead to a lacklustre company culture , where the prize becomes more important than the work itself. So as you venture into gamification, keep your focus on fostering genuine engagement and motivation.

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Unlocking the Potential of Gamification

Gamification is a potent tool to spark employee engagement and drive productivity. From leveraging neuroscience to offering real-world benefits, this strategy holds the promise of transforming the workplace into a more dynamic and rewarding environment. If you're pondering how to take the first step, remember: start small. You don't need an elaborate system from day one. Begin with one or two elements, like leaderboards or quick feedback loops, and refine as you go. As you iterate and listen to your team's feedback, you'll uncover the perfect blend of game elements to keep everyone motivated and engaged.

Enjoyed reading this blog? Find more helpful tips for employers at our Shiftbase blog .

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Gamification for positive organizational change – a case study

Written by Kristin Delgado, Managing Research Consultant Previously published by PSI Talent Management or Cubiks, prior to becoming Talogy.

Gamification is an emerging trend that has been touted as a driver of measurable productivity improvements for all types of industries. If you haven’t heard of gamification, it is defined as the application of game mechanics, elements, and features to non-game situations. In the organizational context, it takes the “fun” aspects of a game and applies them to business processes. The aim of gamification programs in the workplace is to boost employee involvement and commitment to organizational goals, which in turn will enhance productivity and reduce employee turnover.   

How Does It Work?

Gamification systems take typical work activities and present them in a game-like situation. The game is made possible by defining engaging, tangible goals to pursue and exceed. Different achievements allow employees to attain rewards defined within the gaming system. For example, sales employees might get achievement badges for identifying a requisite number of sales leads or medals for surpassing sales goals. Moreover, these systems allow for employees to be recognized among their coworkers, and therefore, may encourage healthy competition. Creating competition among employees not only helps increase productivity and profitability, but also fosters stronger social ties among employees. Strong social ties among coworkers are associated with better performance and lower likelihood of turnover.

In a recent study, we partnered with a large retail organization that employs gamification principles in its training platform. Employees compete with one another by completing training and learning modules. The training interface rewards employees with medals and badges that are achieved by meeting and exceeding goals associated with completing learning modules. The platform had high visibility within the organization, as all employees were encouraged to participate and could observe the levels of achievement among their colleagues.

If involvement in gamification systems increases productivity and engagement, we would expect to see higher levels of job performance and retention likelihood in the individuals who are more involved and successful in the gamification system. Thus, we compared the job performance and retention likelihood of employees who achieved high, moderate, and low levels of success on the gamification system.

As expected, employees who achieved a greater number of medals and badges were twice as likely to be rated as “Top Performers” by their supervisors. These individuals were also over three times more likely to be rated as very likely to stay with the organization. So, it seems that, at least in this organization, the gamification system is linked to some positive organizational outcomes.

If You Want to “Gamify,” Consider These Four Things

Inspired by these results? Before introducing gamification into your organization, we have a few suggestions based on our research:

• Have well-defined goals and behaviors the organization wishes to achieve and encourage. Proper planning is important. Don’t neglect to consider company culture when determining what will be effective motivators for employees. 
• Include activities that are tied to tasks that have meaning to your employees. Rewarding employees for mundane, simple tasks may not be effective. The organization in the illustrative study discussed earlier was successful at gaining engagement because the tasks were tied to an enriching learning experience that contributed to overall career development. Ultimately, gamification is about engaging people and motivating them to achieve goals. That cannot be successfully achieved with uninteresting elements that do not intrinsically motivate employees. 
• Ensure that the program has high visibility and is inclusive of many in the organization.  This is critical to engagement and success of the gamification program.
• Expect modifications to the system. Consistent monitoring will ensure gamified programs stay in line with organizational goals and strategic objectives.

If done correctly, organizations can employ gamification principles to influence their employees’ behaviors which can lead to improved business outcomes.

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Comprehensive List of 90+ Gamification Examples & Cases with ROI Stats (2024)

It’s all about the Gamification Examples & Case Studies

Below is a list of gamification examples and cases with ROI (Return On Investment) stats and figures, with many links to the case studies, so you can see for yourself the tremendous impact it is having on businesses.

I want this list to focus on cases that can confidently be measured as ROI.

The current gamification market size is estimated between $3 billion and $12 billion, depending on sources.

The Octalysis Group: Yu-kai Chou’s Case Studies

• A  712% uplift in sales for a well-known hotel chain, through our human-focused designs that boost product attractiveness and market performance.
• A loyalty program for a Major Airline with a  175% performance enhancement  through a well-crafted reward system.
• An employee engagement platform for sales staff led to 28.5% more revenue  and  59% higher KPIs .

Read the case studies done by the Octalysis Group of our clients.

The Octalysis Group has a decade-long track record of success working with clients across industry and service verticals. We specialize in creating engagement in areas where this is difficult to achieve.

Enterprise Gamification Case Stats and Figures

1) Caixa Bank (Brazil) Their initial goal of a 5% increase in annual sales (R$ 8.6 billion to R$ 9 billion) was surpassed, achieving a remarkable 49% increase in just six months. This resulted in an additional USD 1 billion in revenue for the bank.

2) SAP: The SAP Community Network gamified its already-mature reputation system, increasing usage by 400% and community feedback by 96%

3) Onmicare:  introduces gamification to its IT service desk, getting a  100% participation rate from team members

4) Astra Zeneca : gamified medicine training gets 97% of their large network of agents to participate, with a 99% Completion Rate

5) CaLLogix:  reduces attrition by 50% and absenteeism by 80% . The company saves $380,000 per year

6) SAP Streamwork: added gamification in brainstorming groups and grew generated ideas by 58%

7) Galderma : a pharmaceutical company, uses gamification to train their sales division regarding new products. Despite the voluntary participation, n early 92% of targeted employees ended up playing

8) Spotify  and  Living Social:  replaced annual reviews with a mobile, gamified solution with over 90% of employees participating voluntarily

9) Objective Logistics : the company motivates the employees through behavioral rewards and increases their profit margin by 40%

10) Inside View:  gamifies their employee social media usage and increased Twitter updates by 312%

11) Keas:  employment wellness program that increased employee engagement with healthy activities by 10,000% (100x)

12) Danske Statsbaner:  through their “Engaged” platform, employees share their actions that support the value and strategy of the company, resulting in 92% positive ratings in content

13) Google:  designed a  Travel  Expense System  resulting in close to 100% employee compliance for travel expenses

14) Deloitte:  training programs that are gamified took 50% less time to complete and massively improved long-term engagement

15) Engine Yard : increased the response rate for its customer service representatives by 40% after posting response-time leaders to all employees

16) Nextjump : uses gamification to get 67% of their employees to go to the gym

17) Bluewolf:  gamified online conversations and posting increased employee community activity by 57%

18) Ford Canada: gamified its learning portal for employees and increased actions per user by 100% within 5 weeks

19) Blue Shield’s Wellivolution:  Team gamified system resulted in 80% of employees participating in at least one wellness program, and 50% of employees dropped smoking behavioral

20) Idea Street : the Department of Work in the UK used game mechanics to get 120,000 people to contribute 4,000 ideas , with 63 of them implemented in the marketing department

21) EMC RAMP : with their gamification platform, the company rewarded positive behavior from employees, partners, and customers which led to a 10% increase in documentation, 40% more videos watched, and 15% more discussions

22) DirecTV : uses gamification to overcome the fear of failure

23) HCL : decrease new hire “Pre Join” dropout rate by 90%

24) T-Mobile : dials up employee engagement by 1,000 percent

25) Royal Caribbean Cruises:  All-time high customer satisfaction with facial recognition.

26) Slalom Consulting: participation in the employee name recognition program increased from 5% to 90%, and recognition scores improved from 45% to 89%

 Sales Gamification Case Stats and Figures

1) A utodesk: gamified the free trial, incentivizing users to learn how to use the program and offering both in-game and real word prizes, increasing t rial usage by 54%, buy clicks by 15%, and channel revenue by 29%

2) ePrize:  increased the participation in their sales event by 10% by creating a participation-based point economy 

3) LiveOps:  call center reduces call time by 15% and increases sales by over 8%

4) Step2: children’s retailers used PowerReviews’s social loyalty scheme to boost s ales with a 300% increase in revenue from Facebook and 600% in content uploaded

5) Domino’s Pizza : created the gaming app Pizza Hero and increased sales revenue by 30% by letting customers create their pizza with an app

6) Moosejaw , a clothing company, used an innovative gamified system that saw 76% of sales revenue come from gamified activities, including 240k social media impressions, resulting in a 560% ROI from initial marketing expenditures

7) Sil ver Grill Cafe:  received a 66% Return on Investment for having its waiters/waitresses play a cross-selling game)

8) Cisco:  used gaming strategies to enhance its virtual global sales meeting and call centers to reduce call time by 15% and improve sales by around 10%

9) Popchips : uses games to personalize mobile advertising and has seen its sales rise 40% leading to $100 million in sales.

10) Teleflora  gamified its store with a social engagement scheme offering points for actions, increasing traffic from Facebook by 105% and conversion rates by 92%

11) America’s Army:   30% of Americans aged 16 to 24 had a more positive impression towards and recruited more people than all the other methods combined while costing a fraction of the marketing cost

12) Extraco Bank:  raised customer acquisition by 700% through a gamified system

13) Lawley Insurance : with a 2-week contest, the company closed more sales than the previous 7 months combined

14) Playboy : in its Miss Social game, 85% of its users play more than once, with 50% returning a month later, resulting in a 60% increase in monthly revenue

15) Kill The Paper Invoice : increased website visits by 108.5%, and a conversion rate of 9.38% through a gamified system

16) Sneakpeeq.com : increased their conversion rate by 18% with a 3000% lift in the total number of click-per-buy

17) Ford Escape Route : with this game, Ford’s customers bought over $8 million in vehicles, with 600% increased likes on the FB page  and over 100 million impressions on Twitter

18) Investorville : with a property-investing game, Australia’s Commonwealth Bank created 600 new loans

19) Hewlett Packard: launched Project Everest to give rewards like holidays and other goods to the best reseller teams and saw  56.4% .

20) Grouper.MK: A 600% increase in monthly signups.

Product Gamification Case Stats and Figures

1) Microsoft: improved its translations for Windows OS through the Language Quality game with over 900 employees completing 26,000 tasks with 170 additional errors reported

2) Leadership Academy : within three months, daily visitors increased by 46.6% with one user earning the Leadership Academy Graduate Badge, which was expected to take 12 months

3) Microsoft: obtained 16x more feedback from people through its Communicate Hope gamified system

4) EMC2:  increased the amount of feedback it received by 41%

5) Dosomething.org:   got a 26% response rate from the teen audience to a scavenger hunt game

6) OpenText:  implementation of a leaderboard contributed to a 250% increase in business usag e and adoption

7) Volkswagen:  got 33 million webpage hits and 119,000 ideas through its People’s Car Project which lets people design their “perfect car”

8) Samsung Nation : 500% increase in customer product reviews, and a 66% increase in site visits when using a gamified system

9) Beta One : Microsoft’s Testing Division got a 400% increase in participation for the pre-release testing

10) Uber: The rideshare app gets more drivers on the road using gamification.

11) Arcade City: Challenger to Uber and Lyft getting its start in Austin, TX, with smart contracts (Ethereum) and guilds to protect drivers: “Think Habitica meets Uber,” says its CEO. 

12) Audible : Audible uses badges to keep readers reading, even though they already have a strong product.

Lifestyle Gamification Case Stats and Figures

1) OPower : reduced measurable energy consumption by over $100M

2) Aetna : increased daily healthy activities by 50% with an average engagement of 14 minutes on the site

3) ClinicalAdvisor.com:  embedded a social platform that improved user submission by 300% , comments by 400%, and Slideshow Visualizations by 53%

4) Bottle Bank Arcade:  gamified bottle bank was used 50 times more than conventional bottle bank.

5) The World’s Deepest Bin : 132% more trash collected  compared to conventional bin

6) Piano Stairs:   66% more people use the stairs  if they can produce music with it

7) Speed Camera Lottery : a lottery system that causes a 22% reduction in driving speed

8) Toilette Seat : 44% increase in lifting the toilet seat when urinating

9) Nike:  used gamified feedback to drive over 5,000,000 users to beat their personal fitness goals every day of the year

10) Recycle Bank  grew a community of 4 million members by providing a gamified recycling platform.

11) Chevrolet Volt : uses a green/amber indicator to give drivers visual feedback of their driving style and reduces the number of people exceeding the speed limit by 53%

12) Diet DASH at Drexel University shown to reduce sugar intake, and over half the players lost 3% body weight over 2 months

Consumer Behavior Gamification Case Stats and Figures

1) MTV My Chart : lets users create their video chart based on various game dynamics, and obtained 500,000 votes and 150,000 videos viewed within 3 months

2) Joiz:  a Swiss television network increased sharing by 100% and social referral traffic by 54% with social infrastructure and gamification technologies

3) Muchmusic.com : increased their music userbase by 59%

4) Marketo : layered a game platform on their community and saw a 71% lift in daily activities , a 36% increase in ideas submitted, and a 48% increase in question replies.

5) Interscope Records : the company obtained a 650% increase in engagement and interaction with the website

6) Verizon : users spend over 30% more time on-site with social login games versus a regular site login

7) Allkpop : during the week-long promotion of game mechanics, the online news site experienced a 104% increase in shares, 36% in comments, and 24% in pageviews

8) SessionM : offers mobile publishers a platform for adding game mechanics into apps, increasing 35% retention and reducing bounce rate by 25%, all while seeing a 40x increase in engagement rate in social activities

9) Buffalo Wild Wings : the campaign generated more than 100 million social impressions on SN, as well as a 500% increase in participation rate

10) Green Giant:  generated 420,000 likes on Facebook through their gamified system

11) NickTV : introduces a game-based role-playing platform as heroes and within 2 months obtained 750,000 page views (200% the amount of the usual traffic for the entire nickel. it website ), over 50,000 users, and over 4,000,000 sessions on the website, with an increase in time spent on site by 25%

12) More than a Game:  The interviewer changed the formulation of surveys, obtaining a 98% response rate and an 87.5% in descriptive words within answers

13) BlurbIQ:  introduced Interactive Video Interruptions and within two weeks obtained 915% more interaction, 1400% increase in click-through rate, and 95% increase in recollection

14) Bell Media:  increased customer retention by 33% by incorporating “social loyalty” rewards on its website

15) Club Psych USA:  saw a 130% jump in page views and a 40% increase in return visits to the game 

16) American Express :  the company has gotten over 2 million likes on Facebook through their Nextpedition gamified system

17) Boyd Game:  the casino gets over 700,000 visits each month by introducing gamification on its website

18) Verizon Wireless : more than 50% of the site’s users participate in this gamified environment and spend 30% more time on the site

19) Topliners : introducing gamification in the community lifted active users by 55%

20) SAP ERP : introducing game mechanics improved user participation with telepresence increasing by 29.75%

21) GetGlue: Has built a community of 2 million users around a gamified TV. feedback platform, 20% of all social media posts to dedicated TV. show pages during primetime come through GetGlue.  (Link in Italian)

22) Ask.com  uses game mechanics to increase user engagement through real-time notifications and activity streams, increasing answered questions by 23% and votes by 58%

23) MuchMusic.com implemented a social loyalty program, rewarding users with tangible gifts such as concert tickets which led to a weekly activity increase of 59%

24) Badgeville & Kendall-Jackson : increase customer engagement by 65%

25) Patient Partner : uses gamification to improve medication adherence

Education Gamification Case Stats and Figures

1) Beat the GMAT:  students increase their time spent on site by 370% through a gamified system

2) OTT , an e-learning provider, increased by 65% user engagement, with some users peaking at over 300% , by adding a reward system

3) Deloitte Leadership Academy,  an executive training program, increased by 46.6% the number of users that returned daily to their platform by embedding gamification mechanics into it

4) Stray Boots & A.L.Penenberg : the professor taught journalism through gamification and saw student grades increase by more than a letter grade

5) Devhub : a place for Web developers, added gaming feedback and watched in awe as the percentage of users who finished their sites shot up from 10% to 80%

6) Foldit : gamers have solved a 15-year AIDS Virus Protein problem within 10 days

7) Duoling:  Grew to 300 million users and 10 minutes per day per user.

Scientific research related to the effect of Gamification

1) Research findings support the impact of levels, badges, and a (dummy) feedback system connected to a study course, results were significant, with 18.5% higher average grades for students enrolled in the gamified course

2) Research findings support the impact of levels, points, leaderboards , streaking, and visual storytelling to improve participation in crowdsourced assessments. Results were significant with an increase of 347% of participants returning for recurrent participation. (compared to the control group)

3) Research findings support the impact of point-based levels (Status titles) and leaderboards on IBM’s internal social network service. Short-term impact showed a 92% increase in comments posted,  within this research long-term engagement was also measured and a rise  of 299% more comments posted was found compared to the control group

4) Subsequent research in the same social network service above showed the effects of removing the point-based levels, status titles, and leaderboards. The removal of the game mechanics showed a significant result as across-the-board activities on the social network service dropped by 52%. 

5) Research findings support the impact of narratives, leaderboards, and countdown timers on online training. Results were significant with a 61% increase in participation in online training.

6) Research findings support the impact of narrative, levels, quests, countdown timers, immediate feedback, guidance systems, visual storytelling, surprise events, and flow (matching ability and difficulty) to an online tutorial. Results were significant with users learning via the gamified tutorial showing increased ability by finishing tasks 135% faster than the control group. Additionally, the users expressed much higher satisfaction in regards to using the system.

The Octalysis Group: Case Study Collection

Updated by Howie Ju: Oct. 10, 2023

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The impact of gamification on training, work engagement, and job satisfaction in banking

Marcelo Magioli Sereno

Southern Institute of Technology (SIT), Invercargill, New Zealand

Corresponding Author

Huat Bin (Andy) Ang

• [email protected]
• orcid.org/0000-0002-4951-4737

Faculty of Health, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand

Correspondence Huat Bin (Andy) Ang, Southern Institute of Technology (SIT), 133 Tay St, Invercargill 9810, Private Bag 90114, Invercargill 9810, New Zealand.

Email: [email protected]

This study contributes to the comparative analysis of outcomes between gamified and traditional training systems in the banking sector. On-the-job training is a vital aspect of the process of enhancing work performance within organizations. Thus, by employing a case-based asymmetric configural approach rooted in nonlinear and contrarian case analysis, this research investigates the impact of gamified training on human resource development. A global empirical survey of 388 banking employees revealed that a combination of complexity theory and configural analysis provides valuable insights into the outcomes of both gamified and conventional training methods. In the face of increasing competition, banks are compelled to enhance their professionalism by boosting employee motivation. It becomes apparent that there is no straightforward, necessary and sufficient path available to guarantee high levels of engagement and job satisfaction. Notably, some of these results challenge the expectations of self-determination theory (SDT), which posits the satisfaction of three basic psychological needs during training. These findings contribute to an enriched understanding of the nuanced application of complexity theory in the context of SDT research, particularly regarding the training and development of gamified systems for banking organizations and other service-oriented sectors that can benefit from such innovative training approaches.

INTRODUCTION

Gamification refers to the application of game-design elements and game principles in nongame contexts (Deterding,  2011 ). Despite this apparent link, gamification is not specific to games. Instead, it is a tool in which game elements are used to generate results similar to those associated with games. The intention underlying this approach is to increase the likelihood of the desired results being generated using this technique. Gamification has been widely used in various industries and platforms, not only in digital environments (Deterding et al.,  2011 ). Evidence has supported its efficacy in human resource-related contexts, such as training and behavioural change (Silic & Lowry,  2020 ).

Numerous researchers have suggested that gamification increases motivation and engagement (Brigham,  2015 ; De-Marcos et al.,  2014 ; Glover,  2013 ; McIntyre,  2018 ; Singh & Prasad,  2018 ). As banks strive to adapt to demographic shifts, environmental changes and competitive pressures, the development of well-prepared professionals is essential. Training, which is a crucial component of adaptation, intersects with the promising tool of gamification, which is known for its ability to enhance engagement and motivation.

However, previous research has reported that 85% of employees in the banking industry worldwide are not engaged at work (Gallup Inc,  2019 ). When team engagement and motivation decrease, job satisfaction decreases, employee loyalty decreases, production shrinks and profits fall (Nink & Robison,  2016 ). Given the significant effects of gamification in the context of employee training, organizations are increasingly encouraged to use gamification as a tool in their attempts to develop a more engaged and motivated workforce. However, despite the substantial contributions of research on gamification and studies investigating gamification in organizational training (Deterding,  2011 ; Deterding et al.,  2011 ; Glover,  2013 ; Simões et al.,  2015 ) as well as individual differences in gamification (Shen et al.,  2016 ), studies on the effects of gamified systems in the banking industry are still scarce (Nasirzadeh & Fathian,  2020 ).

Although answers to inquiries on such effects have not yet been found, numerous organizations have implemented gamification, viewing it as an opportunity rather than an unnecessary risk. Certain emblematic cases, such as Xerox, Allstate and Bridgestone Tires, demonstrate the benefits of this approach. However, 80% of current gamified applications in the business domain are estimated to fail to meet their objectives due to poor design and a lack of innovative effort (Burke,  2014 ). Bogost ( 2015 , p. 65) called gamification a ‘terrifying yet appealing medium for businesses’.

Gamification is relevant to employee satisfaction and engagement. Employers may perceive that gamifying training can improve their employees' motivation and engagement; on the other hand, the same employers fear the uncertainty associated with the results of applying gamified systems. However, job satisfaction is likely to influence work engagement (Thomas et al.,  2022 ). The relevant literature has discerned the ability of gamification to increase motivation in the workplace through its capacity to satisfy intrinsic needs (Xi & Hamari,  2019 ). The influence of extrinsic motivation on gamification has been highlighted as an area of research given its ability to influence its impact. Similarly, the impacts of external regulatory styles and their relevance to the need for satisfaction require additional research (Mitchell et al.,  2018 ). This reasoning has led to calls to investigate the characteristics of motivation that align with Deci and Ryan's ( 2002 ) model of self-determination theory (SDT).

The objective of this study is to explore how gamification addresses the evolving demands of the banking sector, thereby offering valuable insights for banks attempting to navigate change. The key questions that this study pursues concern the outcomes of applying gamification in the banking sector—does it truly increase employee engagement, motivation and job satisfaction? How does it compare to conventional training? In particular, this research aims to identify the antecedent conditions that influence the desired outcomes of a training system, with a particular emphasis on the effects of gamification or non-gamification on behavioural factors as well as the demographic characteristics of employees.

The next step in this research is to analyse the effectiveness of these measures. This study also sought to determine whether gamified training indeed produces superior results compared to standard methods. Rather than applying the conventional and pervasive variable-directional relationship approach to the tasks of modelling and testing via the null significance test, this study employs a case-outcome approach to answer the research questions (Hsiao et al.,  2015 ).

The conceptual influence of gamification

Gamification has also been observed in contexts that are not considered playful (Ferri,  2014 ). This definition differentiates gamification from other game-related subjects, such as serious games, game-based learning, and the design of playful interactions. Defining the design of this research in this way makes it easier to understand how real-world settings increase the necessity of satisfying related needs. Organizations should thus select gamification features in accordance with their business objectives and ensure that those features are aimed at satisfying individuals' intrinsic needs (Xi & Hamari,  2019 ).

Deci and Ryan ( 2002 ) divided motivation into intrinsic and extrinsic needs. Intrinsic motivation refers to the desire to direct one's own activities, whereas extrinsic motivation pertains to an external cause that drives the individual to perform these activities. The literature has presented a great deal of evidence (Armstrong & Landers,  2018 ; Pereira et al.,  2018 ) indicating that gamification enhances motivational processes in the workplace.

Intrinsic motivation is the primary target of gamification because it has longer-lasting effects and because it increases perceived autonomy. Torres ( 2016 ) emphasized that in the context of learning and controlled environments, game elements must be simple. Otherwise, if the flow of experience is interrupted, the participants do not enjoy the programme. Moreover, if the activity to be gamified does not have sufficient value, further gamification does not increase participants' motivation (Simões et al.,  2015 ). Thus, the target of gamification must have motivational value. Mitchell et al. ( 2018 ) found that the extrinsic motivation elicited by gamification may initially reduce autonomy and competence; however, the opposite effect is achieved when this extrinsic motivation is internalized.

Gamification has been studied from the perspective of the SDT model of work motivation, a theory developed by Deci and Ryan ( 2002 ); this model proposes that human beings are naturally inclined to explore unknown points of view and pursue challenges while incorporating and remodelling cultural conventions because of their intrinsic desire to perform well and increase their impact. The SDT model has supported the use of gamification in diverse scenarios (Leclercq et al.,  2020 ; Perryer et al.,  2016 ; Seaborn & Fels,  2015 ; Torres,  2016 ). Based on the assumption that all individuals exhibit an innate tendency to develop a unified sense of self, according to the SDT model, individuals are oriented toward personal growth; thus, they seek challenges in their environment in an attempt to achieve their true potential (Deci & Ryan,  2002 ). However, insights into how individual differences directly influence the results of gamified activities are lacking (Shen et al.,  2016 ). Furthermore, the SDT model assumes that individuals exhibit three basic psychological needs: competence, autonomy, and relatedness.

Deci and Ryan ( 2002 ) defined competence as the ability to do what is necessary to interact with one's social environment. The need for competence drives individuals to explore challenges that are compatible with their skills and to use their full potential to achieve a particular goal. The individual is motivated when his or her skills are in balance with the challenges associated with a given object. Furthermore, the individual is satisfied when competency is achieved through interactions with this object. In the context of gamification, an object enables users to learn new skills, set clear goals, and receive prompt feedback (Deterding,  2011 ; Xi & Hamari,  2019 ). This motivating aspect of the object can fulfil the individual's need for a sense of achieved competence. A single task can affect the satisfaction of one or more intrinsic needs. However, depending on the underlying dynamics, the impact may be greater regarding one need than another. If an activity performed in isolation generates competency feedback, this activity is likely to impact the satisfaction of the need for competence more substantially than the satisfaction of the need for a relationship. Therefore, the context in which the activity occurs influences the need that may be satisfied.

Deci and Ryan ( 2002 ) defined autonomy as the feeling that one is acting in accordance with one's wishes. Deterding ( 2011 ) referred to the voluntariness of play, i.e., the autonomy to play, as a component of the more granular level of the game-design pattern that is essential for motivating people. Furthermore, he suggested that the autonomy to play is the primordial element of personal interfaces or game-design patterns and that it motivates players. When people perceive themselves as acting according to their own interests and integrated values (Deci & Ryan,  2002 ), such autonomous experiences enhance the effectiveness of gamification systems since employees feel engaged in the content and responsible for their learning path (Torres,  2016 ). Deterding ( 2011 ) claimed that to provide autonomy, gamification systems must be voluntary and free of consequences. Several independent sources of evidence have supported the conclusion that the foundation of gamified activity lies in the principle of autonomy, whether the activity in question is performed voluntarily or involuntarily (Deterding,  2011 ; Perryer et al.,  2016 ).

Relatedness

Relatedness refers to the feeling of being connected to others and one's community (Deci & Ryan,  2002 ) as well as to the need of an individual to be satisfied with social features such as social networks, groups, competition, or cooperation. These components support user relationship building in the same gamified system and are positively related to autonomy and competence (Xi & Hamari,  2019 ). Gamification focuses on the creation of meaningful experiences and the establishment of a sense of relatedness among team players as well as improving their social recognition, offering them autonomy, and allowing them to take purposeful actions that provide a satisfying experience.

The simultaneous employment and expression of a person's ‘preferred self’ in task behaviours that promote connections to work and others, personal presence (physical, cognitive, and emotional) and active, full performances.

Involving only one dimension—physical, cognitive, or emotional—in one's tasks does not always result in engagement since engagement requires involvement in all of these ways simultaneously and synergistically (Kahn,  1992 ). Engaged team members are often perceived as psychologically present, attentive, feeling, connected, integrated, and focused on their role performance. Theoretically, individuals use their personal engagement and detachment to address their ambivalence regarding group participation. Thus, the value of gamification with respect to its ability to appeal to high intrinsic motivation can increase engagement in learning, but gamification cannot be implemented without other mechanisms and tools (Glover,  2013 ; Kahn,  1990 ). Therefore, adequate planning is essential for efficient and effective gamification. Careful planning should occur before the implementation of gamification to ensure that the correct game mechanics for both the system and the user are applied. Substantial evidence has indicated that gamification can foster engagement through correct implementation in training and development research. These findings are in line with those of Glover ( 2013 ) and Lee et al. ( 2017 ), who reported that the impact of gamification on learning engagement in human resource contexts is contingent on the use of other strategies and tools.

Job satisfaction

Schaufeli and Bakker ( 2004 ) emphasize the fact that engagement is closely associated with job satisfaction as a result of gamification. When defining job satisfaction, Weiss and Ilgen ( 2002 ) focused on the evaluative judgement of affective responses to the overall experience of a job and found that task performance is central to jobs in human resource contexts. Individuals may consider working to be more pleasurable when it fits their values. Similarly, when gamification satisfies employees' intrinsic needs, they may feel that their needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness are met by the work environment (Mitchell et al.,  2018 ). Furthermore, Torres ( 2016 ) argued that game elements affect employees' psychological needs satisfaction. In addition, Perryer et al. ( 2016 ) noted that gamification supports the satisfaction of multiple needs via a single application.

THE RELEVANCE OF COMPLEXITY THEORY TO GAMIFICATION IN HUMAN RESOURCE CONTEXTS

Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fs/QCA) is a technique that uses Boolean algebra instead of matrix algebra to establish principles for comparison. The asymmetry test reflects the possible combinations of causal conditions that generate outcomes (see Ragin,  2008 for further details). This test describes deep configurational models that include ingredients covering all the constructs, including the demographic information that should predict gamification or non-gamification (Zadeh,  1996 ). In this study, fuzzy-set analysis was conducted to investigate the relationships among various sets of antecedents (motivation, engagement, and job satisfaction) and their intensity as well as how these relationships develop in human resource contexts, a topic that has implications pertaining to the type of training system. This analysis enhances the clarity of this investigation by establishing whether a set of causal conditions or antecedents is responsible for a given outcome, with a focus on influencing factors in training and development interventions. The relationships among sets are defined in terms of necessity and sufficiency. Causal conditions of necessity must be present, either alone or in conjunction with other antecedents, for an outcome to occur. In this case, the causal condition is necessary for the outcome to occur.

Complexity theory poses that in the same data set, a simple condition can be related to an outcome either positively or negatively, and the relationship between this outcome and the causal condition in question depends on the combination of other simple conditions (Ang & Woodside,  2017 ). Established algorithms are attributed to a given result, and this attribution is known as a recipe (Ragin,  2008 ). A recipe can include any number of causal conditions that are necessary for an outcome. Often, negations of causal conditions are included in the recipe for achieving an outcome. Therefore, a recipe is the factor that determines the occurrence of an outcome. In general, the characteristics of the participants and the antecedent conditions related to gamified and non-gamified systems are formulated based on the core tenets of complexity theory (Woodside,  2014 ) with the goal of providing insights into the impact of gamified training in the realm of human resource practices.

The tenets of complexity theory are the foundation of case-based predictive modeling of various configurations of conditions (motivation ( M ), engagement ( E ), job satisfaction ( JS ), and demographic ( D )) that result in a somewhat specific or exact arrangement in the context of gamification ( G ) non-gamification (~ G ). The basic tenets of asymmetric theory building rely on the core tenets of complexity theory to generate a new understanding of gamification in the human resource domain. Reflecting this tenet ( T ), five sets of tenets relevant to this study are proposed.

Model (2) indicates that all ingredients that exhibit high scores in the complex antecedent condition also exhibit high scores in the outcome condition.

T4: The equifinality principle holds that a few complex antecedent conditions indicate positive or negative outcome scores. Thus, positive or negative gamification is likely to be achieved based on certain demographic characteristics and complex antecedent conditions (motivation, engagement, and job satisfaction). Equifinality refers to the different configurations of causes that indicate the desired outcomes in either the gamification or non-gamification conditions.

Note: M is the motivation; E the engagement; D the demographic; G the gamification; JS the job satisfaction, and (*) indicates the combination. The horizontal arrow (“→”) indicates an outcome of either acceptance or rejection; (~) indicates negation.

This study focused mainly on employees in the banking and finance sectors in the participating nations. The participants were asked 45 questions drawn from a combination of three scales as well as demographic questions. The survey included items drawn from the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) (Ryan & Deci,  2000 ), the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) (Schaufeli & Bakker,  2004 ), and the Job Satisfaction Index (JSI) (Brayfield & Rothe,  1951 ). The IMI was developed by members of the Rochester Motivation Research Group (Ryan & Deci,  2000 ). Subscales that were unrelated to this study (such as the pressure/tension subscale) were eliminated. The intrinsic motivation inventory included 34 items, which were shuffled according to the instructions in the scale manual. The respondents were instructed to rate their level of motivation on a scale ranging from 1 (not at all) to 7 (completely). The instrument developed by Schaufeli et al. ( 2002 ), that is, the UWES, is a self-report questionnaire that measures aspects of work engagement: vigour, dedication, and absorption. Due to the availability of numerous measures pertaining to this factor, we note that the three dimensions of the UWES are valid and reliable measures of work engagement (Viljevac et al.,  2012 ). The UWES employs a scale similar to that used in previous research; it features a seven-point response scale ranging from 1 (never) to 7 (every day). The JSI, which was developed by Brayfield and Rothe ( 1951 ), gauges respondents' attitudes toward work using 18 items that are scored on a five-point Likert-type scale ranging from 1 (strongly agree) to 5 (strongly disagree). Researchers such as Bowling and Zelazny ( 2022 ) have validated a scale for global job satisfaction to assess whether employees are satisfied with their jobs.

Participants and sampling

A total of 448 responses were collected via the online survey; 47 individuals (11%) responded to personal and social network invitations, and 341 respondents (76%) were recruited through Mechanical Turk (MTurk). As an online service provided by Amazon, MTurk offers a superior way to collect data rather than through email or face-to-face meetings (Casler et al.,  2013 ). The use of an online data collection platform enabled this study to employ an extended outreach strategy and to obtain responses from different cultures and locations.

The first question, which was eliminatory, asked whether the participant works or has worked in the finance sector. If the answer to this question was no, the questionnaire was considered invalid since the respondent did not belong to the survey's target audience; the respondent's answers were thus irrelevant. This step was necessary to ensure that the respondents recruited via MTurk were part of the target audience and to minimize the possibility that the respondents would be limited to a few organizations. Sixty questionnaires (13%) were excluded due to invalid responses. Finally, 388 individuals who either participated in a gamification system or had no experience with such a system provided valid responses, and their questionnaires were considered for analysis.

Data analysis

The process of data analysis involved asymmetric algorithm construction with fs/QCA testing:

Fuzzy-set analysis

Fuzzy-set analysis defines a group of recipes that enable a causal condition to occur. Each recipe is defined in terms of its raw coverage, unique coverage, and raw consistency. The criteria used to verify whether a recipe is relevant or irrelevant to the outcome are a solution consistency greater than 0.85, a raw consistency greater than 0.85, and a raw coverage greater than 0.20, provided that the value is different from zero (Ragin,  2008 ). Boolean operators are used to communicate the relationships among causal conditions, recipes, outcomes, and set relations. More information about fuzzy-set analysis can be found in the work of Ragin ( 2008 ) and Ang and Woodside ( 2017 ).

Calibration

Calibration in the context of fs/QCA refers to the process of transforming data from conventional interval-scale variables into fuzzy-set data by using external criteria to set the calibration (Ragin,  2008 ). Three qualitative breakpoints are set that correctly display the degree of membership of each variable in the target set when the data are calibrated: full membership (0.95), full nonmembership (0.05), and the crossover point (0.50). A value of 1 means ‘totally part of the set’, while a value of 0 means ‘totally out of the set’. For example, age was calibrated as follows: the greater the declared age was, the closer to one; conversely, the lower the declared age was, the closer to zero.

The truth table

After calibration, the second stage of this process consisted of performing a truth table analysis; in this study, this analysis involved three steps. In the first step, we selected the outcome and the causal conditions, considered all possible combinations, and set gamification among the causal conditions. After we produced the truth table with fuzzy data, the set thresholds for the number of cases and raw consistency could be defined, fitting to fit an asymmetric sufficiency distribution. The frequency threshold was established by analysing the distribution of cases to determine the highest frequencies, capturing at least 75% of the cases. The next threshold that was necessary to determine was raw consistency, which involved deleting combinations in which gamification did not occur or was below the threshold.

Standard analysis

The causal condition that contributed to the outcome was selected. Following the gamification literature, a value of ‘present’ was assigned when gamification was present, and a value of ‘negation’ was assigned when gamification was not present. It was necessary to indicate how each causal condition should theoretically contribute to the outcome.

Background of the sample

Demographic data and gamification were cross-tabulated to enable the researchers to draw more meaningful conclusions (Table  1 ) by comparing participants who had participated or had not participated in gamified activities in organizational training. Regarding job tenure, 54.6% of the respondents who had 1–5 years of experience in the industry were experiencing gamification for the first time. Among the participating nations, 91.3% of Latin American respondents reported having experienced at least one gamification system in the banking context. In total, 70.9% of the European participants and 61.9% of the North American participants had experienced gamification systems in their work environments.

• Note : Yes, gamification; No, non-gamification.

Descriptive statistics

The descriptive statistics and correlations among the variables are shown in Table  2 . Two separate correlation analyses were performed on the gamified and non-gamified respondents to identify patterns of symmetric associations. The patterns of the correlations indicate nomological validity for these symmetric findings. For example, similar effect sizes (average =0.65) among the three psychological needs were positively associated with motivation. These findings support the conclusion that the psychological need for satisfaction in SDT influences motivation (Ryan & Deci,  2000 ). The three psychological needs exhibited by the participants appeared to represent central linkages with motivation, engagement, and job satisfaction. When an individual who is intrinsically motivated pursues engagement in either traditional or gamified training in the workplace, he or she is likely to be more satisfied and engaged with the activities at hand.

Note that examining the patterns of correlations is insufficient to predict the psychological needs of participants in either the gamified or non-gamified system. The lack of any correlations between autonomy and gamification or any other variable, whether in gamified or non-gamified systems, indicates that the variable does not have a great deal of influence and is not strongly influenced by other variables. Rather than examining these three psychological needs for satisfaction to explain the central linkage, the present study investigates which configurations of the three psychological needs for satisfaction can sufficiently and accurately indicate high job satisfaction and engagement scores.

The causal orientation of this situation suggests that individuals exhibit needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness (Gagné & Deci,  2005 ). These findings support Ahn and Back's ( 2019 ) observations that symmetric tests of the corresponding structural paths indicate statistical significance among these psychological needs for satisfaction. The red dotted box shown in Table  2 indicates key patterns among the demographic variables. The significant effect sizes associated with the age of the respondents (maturity) are positively associated with the number of years spent working in the finance sector ( r  = 0.49). As expected, the results imply that younger staff members often have shorter job tenures.

SDT is empirically based and focuses on motivation and well-being. Basic psychological needs theory identifies three psychological needs for satisfaction that significantly influence human growth, wellness, and achievement (Seaborn & Fels,  2015 ). Research has even suggested that the core field of human resources is related to employee wellness (Chalofsky et al.,  2014 ; Han et al.,  2017 ), which represents fundamental success in gamified training (Baxter et al.,  2016 ). The findings of the asymmetric empirical analysis reveal deep configurational models that include demographic and principal constructs that can predict gamification or non-gamification (gamified vs. conventional training).

The following tables summarize the configurations and outcomes pertaining to the participants in the gamified and non-gamified conditions, specifically indicating high job satisfaction, engagement, motivation, and the three satisfaction needs. The cases exceeded the thresholds that had previously been established for consistency and coverage and exhibited consistency values ranging from 0.86 to 0.99. The coverage values ranged from 0.20 to 0.31. These attributes of high consistency and raw coverage indicate the relationships among subsets that support sufficient conditions pertaining to a given outcome (Ang & Woodside,  2017 ; Ragin,  2008 ). The outcomes pertaining to non-gamified systems revealed by the simulations exhibited consistency values ranging from 0.91 to 0.99 and coverage values ranging from 0.20 to 0.54. The coverage values were greater in this context than in that of gamified systems.

These findings support tenet 1; that is, demographic recipes alone cannot be used to determine whether a case is suitable for gamification. A demographic recipe alone is insufficient for grounding a judgement regarding the appropriateness of gamification due to low consistency indices (CIs). All CIs were less than 0.85. (Additional findings, including nonsignificant results, are available from the authors upon request.)

When the demographic contextual configurations and gamification component were included among the causal conditions, motivation emerged as an outcome on one occasion (Table  3 ). According to the model, motivated older employees appear to be engaged and satisfied with their jobs in the context of a gamified training system. Gender did not contribute to the consistency of the model and was not identified as a contributory condition for high motivation scores. In contrast, the contextual configurations did not indicate a relatively acceptable consistency level of motivation in the non-gamified training system. The model exhibited a relative consistency level below 0.85, thus indicating that the configurations are insufficient to explain a large portion of motivation as an outcome in the non-gamified training system.

• Solution coverage: 0.30; solution consistency: 0.92.

Table  4 presents the general composite models that yield high consistency and high solution coverage, leading to high job satisfaction among participants in the gamified approach (support T2). Among participants in the gamified approach, high job satisfaction scores consistently indicated that the cases were restricted to 2 to 3 satisfaction needs. In Table  4 , high relatedness and competence scores appear in 2 of the 3 models. Negation scores for autonomy appear in 2 of the 3 models. Employees' satisfaction relies on the three personal psychological needs that determine their level of engagement in various activities (Gagné & Deci,  2005 ). At least two empirical studies have demonstrated that participants in the gamified approach appear to exhibit high job satisfaction when they perform a particular task without fulfilling their wishes or volition (autonomy) (Hagger & Chatzisarantis,  2011 ). However, the model does not support several complex demographic configurations (such as gender, age, and tenure) or motivation in the context of non-gamified systems (raw coverage <0.20 and solution consistency <0.85). This finding is consistent with the results of previous research suggesting that participants who feel highly satisfied with their jobs but nevertheless experience their jobs as undermining their autonomy may experience diminishing extrinsic motivation (Deci et al.,  2001 ).

• Solution coverage: 0.32; solution consistency: 0.91.

Tables  5a and  6 present a model of the gamified training system that consistently predicts high competence and relatedness with only marginal support. Older participants are likely to exhibit engagement and to be satisfied with their jobs. It can thus be inferred that maturity is necessary for the ability of gamification to enhance relatedness and competence.

• solution coverage: 0.27; solution consistency: 0.89.

• Solution coverage: 0.66; solution consistency: 0.88.

Since no simple condition consistently produced high competence scores among the participants in the non-gamified approach, the study included 2-factor job satisfaction; job interest and job enjoyment, with the goal of identifying high competence. Table  5b includes the competence models that exhibited high consistency among the participants in the non-gamified approach. The need for competence among these participants is likely to lead to reports of job enjoyment or job interest in the context of non-gamified training, which has implications pertaining to human resource practices. Four of the six models included gender as an ingredient in the recipes; two models with female (cgender) employees and two models with male (~cgender) employees were identifiable based on the configurations. Interestingly, in Model 2, the male employee indicated enjoying his job. In Model 5, the female employee indicated experiencing interest in her job. Thus, a few specific demographic combinations, subtraits of motivation, job satisfaction, and engagement indicate that gamification does not support non-gamification (support causal asymmetry, T3).

Table  7a includes a model indicating that gamification can help identify highly engaged employees. However, these two simple conditions in combination do not ensure high engagement. The most notable observation in this context is that the older participants were identified based on the configurations necessary for high engagement in the gamified training system.

• Solution coverage: 0.27; solution consistency: 0.94.

Table  7b includes four models that are valuable for identifying participants in the non-gamified approach who exhibit high engagement. However, non-gamified training alone is insufficient to ensure high levels of engagement. In line with the conclusions of Hammedi et al. ( 2021 ), the critical point in this context is that the configurations of demographics, motivation, and job satisfaction are necessary to identify employees who exhibit high engagement. Interestingly, younger employees emerged in one of the four models, thus indicating high engagement in the non-gamified group. Attempts to predict gamified and non-gamified groups without including demographic configuration failed (solution consistency <0.85 and raw coverage <0.20). These findings are available from the authors upon request. Both Tables  7a and  7b demonstrate the contrarian principle (T5) and strongly support the tenet of equifinality (T4).

• Solution coverage: 0.58; solution consistency: 0.91.

Tables  8a and  8b illustrate 10 models indicating that highly engaged individuals are likely to be engaged in gamified or non-gamified systems because these individuals believe that they can perform better and are satisfied with their jobs (support T5). This set of models includes eight models that apply to employees with high scores in engagement in the non-gamified system. Competence is an ingredient in six of these eight models, although it is absent in Models 4 and 7. In contrast, in the gamified training system, competence is an ingredient in all the models. Moreover, relatedness is an ingredient in five of the ten models, and autonomy is an ingredient in four models. In other words, satisfied employees who feel that they lack autonomy exhibit high perceived competence in the context of engaging in a gamified system (see Model 1 in Table  8a ). However, employees who exhibit briefer tenures or junior employees are likely to exhibit engagement in a non-gamified system (see Model 5 in Table  8b ). These employees may largely participate in gamified activities of their own volition and obtain good results. Model 8 in Table  8b illustrates that the three psychological needs are the core building blocks for indicating engagement in the context of a non-gamified system. SDT is developed for employees who exhibit intrinsic needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness when seeking activities (Studer & Knecht,  2016 ). Non-gamified training provides substantial evidence to support an association with demographic recipes that include individuals with senior status who are perceived as exhibiting high engagement. No demographic data are associated with the gamified system. Such one-off findings concerning banking employees may have limited relevance to the issue of intrinsic needs. Competence, relatedness, and autonomy are locally necessary ingredients, but these conditions did not affect scores in gamified or non-gamified systems. Tenure was a causal condition in 6 of the 8 models, thus suggesting that non-gamified systems tend to result in high engagement. This finding supports the contrarian relationship tenet (T5) among antecedent conditions (such as the relationships of high or low tenure and autonomy with high engagement in a non-gamified system). Table  8b includes Models 5 and 8.

• Solution coverage: 0.29; solution consistency: 0.95.

• Solution coverage: 0.58; solution consistency: 0.94.

Tables  8a and  8b provide all 10 models that include the three psychological needs for satisfaction as preconditions; however, these psychological needs were insufficient to ensure high engagement either individually or jointly. The non-gamified system contributes to high engagement depending on the additional antecedents of each of these 10 complex antecedent conditions, including various demographic characteristics. Three models include job satisfaction, which indicates that the impact of antecedent conditions is not always present or absent regarding high engagement. Model 2 in Table  8b represents a highly satisfied male employee with a high level of competence who also exhibits a high level of engagement in the non-gamified system. The results highlight the fact that the complex configuration of modeling helps clarify whether high or low engagement is related to satisfaction needs in gamified and non-gamified systems. According to human resource-driven studies, employee engagement enhances job satisfaction, which appears to be essential for employee well-being (Hammedi et al.,  2021 ). Thus, if employers are responsible for increasing engagement among employees, gamification might be used to increase job satisfaction and well-being (Robertson & Cooper,  2011 ).

GENERAL DISCUSSION

This study extends the understanding of gamified and non-gamified training systems, thereby enhancing our understanding of employees' work engagement and well-being. Moreover, this study contributes to theory and practice by identifying the outcomes of motivation, job satisfaction, and engagement based on the type of training in question, which depends on the configuration of the financial service employees at hand. Rather than seeking to explore SDT in depth, this study aims to identify the antecedent conditions that influence the desired outcomes of gamification, particularly by emphasizing the effects of gamification on behavioural factors and the demographic characteristics of employees in the human resource context. It thereby offers additional information concerning how employees achieve the desired outcomes in both gamification and non-gamification training systems. Using the SDT model developed by Deci and Ryan ( 1985 ) and Ryan and Deci ( 2008 ), which focuses on engagement, motivation, and job satisfaction, we examined whether gamified or non-gamified types of training meet these needs for human resource interventions more effectively.

Previous research has employed linear techniques to explore engagement and motivation as outcomes of gamification. For example, Xi and Hamari ( 2019 ) found that gamification increases motivation by satisfying intrinsic needs. The SDT model aims to explicate employees' needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness when seeking activities (Studer & Knecht,  2016 ). Interestingly, autonomy is not a precondition of either type of training. Training at the organizational level is unlikely to be viewed as something done autonomously. The findings of this research suggest that employees engage in such training because of their status as employees and not because of their genuine willingness to participate.

Furthermore, the key findings of this research are that specific demographic characteristics (e.g., older participants and gender) and intrinsic motivation needs may affect engagement differently based on the type of training in question. Similarly, Baxter et al. ( 2016 ) found that gamified training reinforced different types of behavioural outcomes among employees than did conventional training sessions, which do not offer such gaming experience.

Prentice et al. ( 2019 , p. 63) correctly observed that individuals pursue different goals in life and that ‘their prior orientation to traits was primarily one of the autonomy, control, or impersonal’. This variation suggests that banking employees employ various motivational strategies to pursue specific goals. Generally, in a gamified system, motivated employees are engaged in and satisfied with their jobs. Job performance and psychological adaptation are influenced by the satisfaction of intrinsic needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness at work (Baard et al.,  2004 ). Employees who feel that they are competent and highly engaged in the context of gamified activities may exhibit better task performance. Such employees are motivated (either by competence or relatedness) and satisfied in the workplace (due to either job interest or job enjoyment). In line with the findings of Deci et al. ( 2001 ), highly engaged and satisfied employees do not depend on a motivational drive. Instead, they are distinguished based on demographic conditions, including gender, job tenure, age, and a specific need for competence. Furthermore, competence, relatedness, engagement, and job satisfaction can be achieved through gamification only through a combination of components that entail participants already being engaged and satisfied in the workplace (Armstrong & Landers,  2018 ; Silic et al.,  2020 ).

The findings of this research support the five tenets of configural theory and enhance our understanding of training and development. The first tenet of a single configuration may be necessary, but it is not sufficient to accurately predict gamification or non-gamification (T1). Thus, none of the specific demographic combinations predicted high gamified or non-gamified training scores. The second tenet of configural theory indicates that both gamification and non-gamification can be achieved by developing useful models consisting of two or more single antecedent conditions (T2). No findings support the view that competence, relatedness, and engagement levels are more significant in either gamified or non-gamified training systems. A high level of employee motivation is important for ensuring that gamification has high impacts on variables such as job satisfaction, competence, relatedness, and engagement. The findings of this research confirmed the third tenet of causality. The configurations associated with positive gamification are not the opposite of those associated with non-gamification (T3). Similarly, high levels of job satisfaction or motivation in gamified systems do not reflect low satisfaction or low motivation in non-gamified systems. Thus, multiple configurations produce the desired outcomes in either the gamification or non-gamification conditions and confirm the fourth tenet of equifinality (T4). The fifth configural analysis of contrarian cases indicates that the same ingredients can influence the same outcome in gamification or non-gamification both positively and negatively (T5). This study advances the understanding of the antecedents and outcomes that further characterize the nonlinear and synergistic effects associated with the core tenet of complexity theory and thereby enables us to develop interventions focused on training and development.

Implications for practice, limitations, and suggestions for future research

The findings of the present study and the corresponding discussion clarify the operational concept of human motivational processes in the context of SDT highlighted by Deterding ( 2011 ) and Thomas et al. ( 2022 ) regarding the relevance of gamified systems in organizational training. The present study has essential practical implications for banking services, particularly regarding identifying individuals' differences in the context of training and development. Since participants in the gamified and non-gamified approaches have different antecedent conditions, their demographic profiles suggest that attention should be given to the characteristics of employees and the specific training classes in which they participate. Notably, the role played by demographics in gamification research has been highlighted by several studies. Consistent with the findings of prior research, our findings indicate the presence of gender differences in the use of a gamified system (Koivisto & Hamari,  2014 ; Orji et al.,  2017 ; Shen et al.,  2016 ), thereby revealing the essence of human resources. This finding can be considered in the context of the potential implementation of a personalized gamified system, suggesting that each individual (whether male or female) can be motivated and engaged in accordance with his or her job interest or job enjoyment. To avoid a one-size-fits-all system, the differences among the users of gamification could be considered; the consideration of such differences could influence our ability to predict different effects according to gender. Thus, human resource practitioners can benefit from the identification of the core focus of the training system by this study, as it promotes global human resource development, particularly in multinational organizations.

This study has three significant implications. First, since insufficient evidence is available to support the claim that autonomy represents a precondition in either gamified or non-gamified training approaches, designing comprehensive training programmes is crucial. These programmes may instill a genuine sense of autonomy in participants, ensuring that employees perceive that they are undertaking the training voluntarily and that their actions transcend their employment status. Second, the task of ensuring competence, relatedness, and engagement is contingent upon a situation in which employees already possess high levels of motivation in the context of gamification. This situation highlights a challenge for companies, as it emphasizes the necessity of assessing and guaranteeing pre-existing motivation, engagement, and job satisfaction among employees before implementing gamified training. Finally, this study indicated that the impact of traditional training on engagement and competence satisfaction is closely tied to demographic factors. This situation offers an opportunity for companies to customize training strategically based on measurable demographic conditions. By understanding this ‘recipe’, companies can separate classes from specific demographic groups with the goal of producing targeted training outcomes. Furthermore, this approach provides a tangible way to optimize training effectiveness and outcomes.

Our research has several limitations, particularly regarding our use of a cross-sectional survey and our reliance on participants' memories. Although the questionnaire approach was the most viable option (in terms of resources) for administering a worldwide survey, it did not account for the time elapsed since the employee had last participated in a gamified system. Nevertheless, this study employs an alternative research design to reduce the strength of such potential cross-sectional biases by focusing on theory-based complex causal recipes consisting of antecedent conditions (Ang & Woodside,  2017 ). A second limitation of this study is that this research did not assess the quality of the gamified systems that the respondents reported having experienced. There is also a possibility of respondents' training being limited to a few organizations. Since we did not verify details concerning the respondents' training, respondents who had genuinely participated in genuine gamified approaches were mixed with those who had not done so. According to Werbach and Hunter ( 2012 ), training that merely features points, badges and leaderboards may be called gamification when it is actually not similar to that approach. Thus, it was not possible to determine whether a respondent had genuinely participated in a genuine gamified system.

The use of analysis to diagnose a shift in best practices pertaining to a specific outcome has been studied by numerous researchers (Ang & Woodside,  2018 ; Baxter et al.,  2016 ; Hsiao et al.,  2015 ; Woodside,  2014 ). Given the growing prevalence of gamification, future research should conduct analyses similar to this study by using configurational analysis of complexity theory to understand the long-term viability of gamified training and conventional training systems. Future research can also explore the effects of employee well-being on the maintenance of training systems over longer periods.

The configural theory and empirical findings presented in the present study extend the SDT model recommended by Ryan and Deci ( 2008 ) and Thomas et al. ( 2022 ) for human resource practices. Asymmetric configurational analysis conducted using a Boolean algebra approach identified specific outcomes of case-based modeling, thus indicating the type of training system that is appropriate for workers. According to the conclusions, with the exception of autonomy, all the outcomes tested may result from gamified training implications for international training and development practices. The three psychological needs for satisfaction do not always represent the core building blocks in either gamified or non-gamified training systems. However, the importance of these factors depends on their interaction within the employee's pre-existing motivational conditions, such as intrinsic motivation, competence, relatedness, engagement, and job satisfaction. Moreover, the outcomes of the models depend on additional ingredients that must be standardized in specific configurations.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors thank colleagues and Arch Woodside for feedback and comments to improve this article. Open access publishing facilitated by Auckland University of Technology, as part of the Wiley - Auckland University of Technology agreement via the Council of Australian University Librarians.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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15 Brilliant Gamification Examples for Employee Engagement [2024] 🎮

• March 22, 2024
• Gamification Case Studies

Quick Answer: Gamification is a powerful tool for boosting employee engagement and productivity in the workplace. By incorporating game elements and mechanics into work processes, companies can motivate employees, foster collaboration, and drive performance. Here are 15 brilliant gamification examples for employee engagement that can transform your organization.

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Imagine a workplace where employees are excited to come to work, highly engaged in their tasks, and consistently delivering exceptional results. Sounds like a dream, right? Well, with the power of gamification, this dream can become a reality! Gamification is the process of incorporating game elements and mechanics into non-game contexts, such as work environments, to motivate and engage individuals.

In this article, we will explore 15 brilliant gamification examples for employee engagement that can transform your organization. From leaderboards and badges to team challenges and continuous learning, these gamification strategies will help you create a highly engaged and productive workforce. So, let’s dive in and level up your employee engagement game!

Table of Contents

• Quick Answer

Quick Tips and Facts

Background: the power of gamification in employee engagement, 1. leaderboards and recognition gamification, 2. achievement unlocks and badges, 3. points system and rewards, 4. team challenges, 5. training quests and continuous learning, 6. recognition wall and peer appreciation, 7. mystery rewards and surprise incentives, 8. feedback games for improvement, 9. storytelling challenges and company culture, 10. gamified wellness challenges, 11. trivia competitions for company knowledge, 12. virtual reality simulations, 13. gamified onboarding, 14. gamification in performance management, 15. gamification in learning and development, recommended links, reference links.

• Gamification in the workplace can boost employee engagement and productivity.
• Companies using gamification are reported to be seven times more profitable. (source: Poppulo )
• Employee agreement: 72% say gamification motivates them, and 90% say it makes them more productive. (source: Poppulo )

Before we dive into the gamification examples, let’s understand why gamification is such a powerful tool for employee engagement. Human beings are naturally drawn to games. We love challenges, competition, and the sense of accomplishment that comes with winning. By incorporating game elements into work processes, organizations can tap into these intrinsic motivators and create a more engaging and enjoyable work environment.

Gamification leverages various game mechanics, such as points, badges, leaderboards, and rewards, to motivate employees and drive desired behaviors. It transforms mundane tasks into exciting quests, fosters collaboration and healthy competition, and provides instant feedback and recognition. The result? Increased employee engagement, productivity, and overall satisfaction.

Now that we have a solid understanding of the power of gamification, let’s explore 15 brilliant examples that you can implement in your organization to level up your employee engagement game!

✅ Rating: 9.5/10

Leaderboards are a classic gamification technique that inspires competition and boosts morale. By displaying the performance rankings of employees or teams, leaderboards create a sense of urgency and drive individuals to outperform their peers. They also provide visibility and recognition for top performers, fostering a culture of healthy competition and camaraderie.

To implement leaderboards effectively, ensure they are transparent, up-to-date, and accessible to all employees. Consider incorporating various metrics, such as sales targets, customer satisfaction scores, or project completion rates, depending on your organization’s goals. Additionally, provide regular feedback and recognition to individuals or teams who achieve significant milestones or climb up the leaderboard.

✅ Rating: 9/10

Humans have an innate desire for recognition and accomplishment. Badges and achievement unlocks tap into this desire by visually representing progress and rewarding employees for their achievements. These virtual badges can be earned by completing specific tasks, reaching milestones, or acquiring new skills.

When implementing badges, make sure they are visually appealing and meaningful. Each badge should represent a significant accomplishment or skill acquisition. Consider creating a badge hierarchy, where employees can unlock higher-level badges as they progress. This not only motivates employees to strive for higher achievements but also provides a sense of pride and accomplishment.

A points system is a transparent way to track performance and drive productivity. By assigning points to specific tasks or achievements, employees can see their progress and compete with themselves or others. Points can be accumulated over time and exchanged for rewards, such as gift cards, extra vacation days, or exclusive experiences.

When implementing a points system, ensure that it aligns with your organization’s goals and values. Define clear rules and criteria for earning points and communicate them to all employees. Consider implementing leaderboards or a rewards catalog to provide additional motivation and visibility.

Team challenges are a fantastic way to build collaboration, communication, and problem-solving skills within your organization. By dividing employees into teams and assigning them specific challenges or goals, you create an environment that fosters teamwork and alignment towards common objectives.

To implement team challenges effectively, ensure that the goals are clear, achievable, and aligned with your organization’s mission. Provide regular updates and feedback to teams, and celebrate their achievements along the way. Consider incorporating rewards or recognition for the winning team to enhance motivation and engagement.

Training quests transform skill development into engaging and interactive experiences. Instead of traditional training methods, such as lectures or presentations, employees embark on quests that require them to acquire new knowledge or skills. These quests can be in the form of interactive e-learning modules, simulations, or real-world challenges.

When designing training quests, ensure that they are relevant, interactive, and aligned with your organization’s learning objectives. Incorporate game elements, such as levels, achievements, and rewards, to enhance motivation and engagement. Provide regular feedback and assessments to track progress and celebrate employees’ learning achievements.

Peer-to-peer recognition is a powerful tool for boosting employee morale and creating a culture of acknowledgment and motivation. A recognition wall is a virtual space where employees can publicly appreciate and recognize their colleagues’ achievements, hard work, or positive behaviors.

To implement a recognition wall effectively, ensure that it is easily accessible and user-friendly. Encourage employees to regularly recognize and appreciate their peers by providing clear guidelines and examples. Consider incorporating a voting or nomination system to involve the entire organization in the recognition process.

Mystery rewards and surprise incentives turn routine tasks into fun opportunities for recognition and motivation. By incorporating unexpected rewards or incentives, you keep employees engaged and excited about their work. These rewards can range from small tokens of appreciation, such as gift cards or personalized notes, to larger surprises, such as team outings or special experiences.

When implementing mystery rewards, ensure that they are meaningful and aligned with your employees’ preferences. Consider conducting surveys or gathering feedback to understand what types of rewards or incentives would be most appreciated. Keep the element of surprise alive by varying the timing and nature of the rewards.

Feedback is a crucial component of personal and professional growth. However, traditional feedback sessions can often be dull and uninspiring. By gamifying feedback sessions, you can make them interactive, engaging, and fun for both the giver and the receiver.

When gamifying feedback, consider incorporating game elements, such as quizzes, challenges, or simulations. Provide clear guidelines and criteria for giving constructive feedback and encourage employees to actively participate in the process. Celebrate growth and improvement by recognizing individuals who actively seek feedback and demonstrate a commitment to personal development.

Storytelling challenges are a fantastic way to strengthen company culture and highlight common values and goals. By encouraging employees to share their experiences, successes, or lessons learned through storytelling, you create a sense of belonging and foster a deeper connection within your organization.

To implement storytelling challenges effectively, provide clear guidelines and themes for the stories. Consider incorporating voting or judging mechanisms to involve the entire organization in the storytelling process. Celebrate the best stories by sharing them on internal communication channels or during company events.

Employee wellness is a critical aspect of overall employee satisfaction and engagement. Gamified wellness challenges transform wellness initiatives into engaging quests for healthier lifestyles. By incorporating game elements, such as points, leaderboards, or rewards, you motivate employees to adopt healthy habits and take care of their well-being.

When designing gamified wellness challenges, consider incorporating various wellness dimensions, such as physical, mental, and social well-being. Provide regular updates and feedback to participants, and celebrate their achievements along the way. Consider partnering with wellness experts or organizations to provide additional resources and support.

Promoting a deep understanding of your company’s mission, values, and culture is essential for employee engagement. Trivia competitions are a fun and interactive way to celebrate learning and align employees with your organization’s core values.

When organizing trivia competitions, ensure that the questions are relevant, challenging, and aligned with your organization’s goals. Consider incorporating various formats, such as live quizzes, online platforms, or team-based competitions. Celebrate the winners and provide feedback to participants to encourage continuous learning and engagement.

Virtual reality (VR) simulations provide immersive and interactive experiences that enhance learning and skill development. By simulating real-world scenarios, employees can practice and refine their skills in a safe and controlled environment.

When implementing VR simulations, ensure that they are relevant, engaging, and aligned with your organization’s learning objectives. Provide clear instructions and feedback to participants, and track their progress over time. Consider partnering with VR experts or organizations to develop customized simulations that meet your specific needs.

Onboarding is a critical phase for new employees, as it sets the tone for their entire employee journey. Gamified onboarding transforms the traditional onboarding process into an engaging and interactive experience that helps new hires quickly adapt to their roles and the company culture.

When gamifying onboarding, consider incorporating interactive modules, quizzes, or challenges that introduce new hires to key information, policies, and procedures. Provide regular feedback and support to new hires, and celebrate their successful completion of the onboarding process. Consider incorporating mentorship programs or buddy systems to provide additional guidance and support.

Performance management is a critical aspect of driving employee engagement and productivity. By gamifying the performance management process, you can make it more transparent, interactive, and motivating for employees.

When gamifying performance management, consider incorporating regular feedback sessions, goal-setting mechanisms, and progress tracking tools. Provide clear guidelines and criteria for performance evaluation, and ensure that employees have access to their performance data in real-time. Celebrate achievements and provide support and guidance for areas of improvement.

Learning and development are essential for employee growth and engagement. By gamifying the learning and development process, you can make it more interactive, engaging, and enjoyable for employees.

When gamifying learning and development, consider incorporating interactive e-learning modules, quizzes, or challenges. Provide clear learning objectives and track employees’ progress and achievements. Celebrate successful completion of learning milestones and provide additional resources and support for continuous development.

What is gamification in employee engagement?

Gamification in employee engagement refers to the process of incorporating game elements and mechanics into work environments to motivate and engage employees. By leveraging game mechanics, such as points, badges, leaderboards, and rewards, organizations can create a more engaging and enjoyable work environment, driving employee productivity and satisfaction.

Read more about “What is the meaning of gamified learning? …”

What is an example of gamification at work?

An example of gamification at work is the use of leaderboards to inspire competition and boost morale. By displaying the performance rankings of employees or teams, leaderboards create a sense of urgency and drive individuals to outperform their peers. They also provide visibility and recognition for top performers, fostering a culture of healthy competition and camaraderie.

Read more about “Gamification in Business: Unveiling the Magic! 🚀 …”

What is an example of gamification in hiring?

An example of gamification in hiring is the use of gamified assessments or simulations to evaluate candidates’ skills and abilities. Instead of traditional interviews or tests, candidates are presented with interactive challenges or scenarios that assess their problem-solving, communication, or critical thinking skills. This approach provides a more engaging and accurate assessment of candidates’ capabilities.

What are the gamification techniques in HR?

Gamification techniques in HR include leaderboards, badges, points systems, rewards, team challenges, training quests, recognition walls, mystery rewards, feedback games, storytelling challenges, and gamified wellness programs. These techniques leverage game elements and mechanics to motivate and engage employees, driving productivity, collaboration, and overall satisfaction.

In conclusion, gamification is a powerful tool for boosting employee engagement and productivity in the workplace. By incorporating game elements and mechanics into work processes, organizations can tap into employees’ intrinsic motivators and create a more engaging and enjoyable work environment. From leaderboards and badges to team challenges and continuous learning, the gamification examples we’ve explored in this article can transform your organization and level up your employee engagement game!

So, what are you waiting for? Choose the gamification strategies that align with your organization’s goals and values, and start creating a highly engaged and productive workforce. Remember, the power of gamification lies in its ability to make work fun, rewarding, and meaningful. Embrace the game and unlock the full potential of your employees!

• Educational Gamification on Gamification Hub™
• Gamification Platforms on Gamification Hub™
• Gamification Case Studies on Gamification Hub™
• Game-Based Learning on Gamification Hub™
• Gamification in Healthcare on Gamification Hub™
• Gameful Design vs Gamification: What’s the Real Difference? 2024 🎮
• 11 Brilliant Gamification Ideas for Employee Engagement by Poppulo

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11 Brilliant Gamification Ideas for Employee Engagement

  — December 18th, 2023

Internal Gamification for better Employee Engagement

Healthy competition. An oxymoron? Or a concept that can be adapted and leveraged by astute employers?

When manifested through gamification , workplace competition can inspire diligence and excellence. Games resonate with the universal desire to push the boundaries of our perceived capabilities. For organizations, this can translate to targets being exceeded and a highly engaged, motivated workforce. Remarkably, companies incorporating gamification are reported to be seven times more profitable than those who do not!

At its core, gamification is the infusion of game elements and mechanics into “non-game” contexts, transforming mundane tasks into engaging experiences. By incorporating elements such as challenges, rewards, and friendly competition, gamification aligns with individuals' fundamental desires for achievement, autonomy, and mastery. It sparks a sense of purpose and accomplishment. This ability to tap into intrinsic motivation makes gamification an employee engagement powerhouse.

And, employees are in agreement;

• 72% say gamification motivates them to do tasks and work harder on the job.
• 90% of employees say gamification makes them more productive at work

1. Leaderboards and Recognition Gamification

Admit it! There is something deep down inside us all that likes seeing our name proudly sitting at the top of a list! Leaderboards inject a dose of competition into the workplace, inspiring individuals to push their limits. The visual representation of performance rankings sparks friendly rivalry and cultivates a sense of achievement. Public recognition for top performers amplifies this effect, creating a positive feedback loop that boosts morale across the team. When employees see their names in the spotlight, it validates their hard work and instills a sense of pride and camaraderie. This gamified approach not only enhances individual performance but cultivates a vibrant, collaborative atmosphere where each achievement is celebrated, propelling the entire team toward success.

2. Achievement Unlocks and Badges for Employee Motivation

The psychological impact of earning badges and unlocking achievements is profound, tapping into the innate human desire for recognition and accomplishment. As employees accumulate badges for completing tasks or reaching milestones, they can literally see their progress. A sense of competence and pride is the result. Badges can be virtual (a visible marker on the employee profile, for example) or physical (a pin or emblem that an employee can wear on their clothing or attach to a lanyard.) The visual representation of badges serves as a symbolic reward and a constant reminder of personal and collective achievements, contributing to a positive and goal-oriented work culture, with a high level of employee engagement.

3. Points System and Rewards Gamification

We're all familiar with points and rewards systems – a grocery store mainstay becoming increasingly common throughout the retail industry. An internal gamification point system in the workplace provides a transparent, measurable way to track performance while also adding that element of anticipation. The allure of accumulating points creates a natural incentive for employees to consistently outperform, driving productivity.

The real gamification magic happens when these hard-earned points translate into rewards. From vouchers to personalized experiences, the scope of reward options caters to diverse preferences, ensuring each employee can find motivation in their own way. According to a study by Indeed , 30% of people who left a job within the first six months said being recognized more for their unique contributions could have helped them stay longer. This gamified approach not only recognizes and celebrates achievements but also fuels an ongoing cycle of dedication and enthusiasm within the workplace.

4. Team Challenges Gamification

Gamified engagement and teamwork - a match made in productivity heaven! Recognizing the pivotal role of teamwork in organizational success, this approach introduces challenges that build collaboration and camaraderie. Some ideas and examples include sales blitz competitions, innovation hackathons, customer feedback challenges, process Improvement rallies, and leadership development quests.

Team challenges not only highlight the collective strength of a group but also enhance communication and problem-solving skills. The impact of these games becomes even more evident when conducted in person, particularly for groups that primarily communicate remotely. As teams work together to overcome obstacles and achieve common goals, a sense of alignment deepens, creating unity.

5. Training Quests and Continuous Learning

One of the cool things about gamification is its inherent flexibility. It can be applied in so many different facets of work, in so many different ways. Take, for example, how gamification can transform skill development. Let’s face it: conventional approaches can often lead to monotony. But, by turning training into interactive quests, employees can become immersed in engaging learning experiences. Each training module becomes a quest to conquer, complete with challenges and rewards. A dash of excitement and a significant improvement in knowledge retention - it’s a win-win! Interactive challenges and immediate feedback create a dynamic learning environment, reinforcing concepts in a way that traditional methods often struggle to achieve. This innovative approach not only ensures employees stay invested in their professional development but also sets the stage for a workforce that thrives on acquiring and applying new skills.

6. Recognition Wall and Peer Appreciation

How important is providing a platform for colleagues to acknowledge and celebrate each other's accomplishments? According to one study, peer-to-peer recognition is 35.7% more likely to have a positive impact on financial results than manager-only recognition.

Virtual Recognition Walls create a visible testament to the collective achievements within the organization. This boosts individual morale and nurtures a collaborative atmosphere where acknowledgment becomes a currency of motivation. The ripple effect of positivity extends throughout the workplace, contributing to a thriving culture of recognition and mutual respect.

Of course, a physical wall would open the door to a whole range of gamification possibilities. You could incorporate interactive elements, such as digital displays, QR codes linking to success stories, or areas for employees to leave notes of appreciation for their colleagues. The wall could also be a focal point for celebration events or ceremonies, creating a dedicated space where employees can gather to honor their peers.

7. Mystery Rewards and Surprise Incentives

Unexpected or mystery rewards are akin to the tried and tested marketing approach of “surprise and delight.” Essentially, HR and communications teams use gamification to turn routine tasks into fun, unpredictable opportunities for recognition and celebration. The surprise component captivates employees, keeping motivation levels high, while the mystery element heightens anticipation. Whether it’s spot bonuses, VIP Parking Privileges, day off coupons, or a “lunch with leadership, “ the outcome is the same: the employee now feels that their dedication and hard work can yield unexpected yet delightful outcomes. A huge boost for employee engagement!

8. Feedback Games for Improvement

Feedback sessions can often prove daunting and uncomfortable for many employees. Research shows that almost half of all UK employees (49%) are either indifferent to or dread their performance reviews . In the poll, 16% admitted to ‘usually dreading’ or ‘always dreading’ performance reviews.

By turning the process into a game, employees are encouraged to provide insightful input that feels less intimidating and more fun and interactive. Points, badges, or virtual rewards can be introduced to acknowledge and appreciate valuable feedback. Or you could get creative! How about asking team members to participate in a lively game of Pictionary with a twist? Instead of drawing random words or phrases, participants illustrate aspects of their colleagues' strengths, areas for improvement, or notable contributions to the team. The drawings are then shared anonymously, and the team collaboratively deciphers the feedback. This unconventional gamification approach adds creativity to the feedback process and encourages open dialogue and a deeper understanding of each team member's unique qualities.

The gamification of feedback is perhaps a little more unconventional compared to some of the other ideas on this list. Yet, it can genuinely motivate less outgoing employees to actively engage in the improvement journey. Once employees’ buy-in is secured, the result is a workplace culture where growth is celebrated and constructive input is a valued contribution to collective success.

9. Storytelling Challenges and Company Culture

“ We are, as a species, addicted to story.” — Jonathan Gottschall, The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human.

By asking employees to weave stories around their experiences, projects, or values, storytelling challenges become a vehicle for employees to share their unique perspectives and insights. Let’s say you ask a team to share a snapshot story—a brief narrative capturing a memorable workplace moment or a lesson learned. Whether through a written paragraph, a photo, or a short video, participants must convey the essence of their story in a compact format. This gamification challenge encourages the team to appreciate and learn from each other's experiences in bite-sized, impactful doses. Storytelling taps into our natural empathy and creates a sense of connection and understanding. As narratives unfold, a rich tapestry of shared experiences strengthens company culture and employee engagement by highlighting common values and goals, celebrating both diversity and shared identity.

10. Gamified Wellness Challenges for Healthy Employees

A mention of the word “wellness” can elicit two very different responses! Some embrace workplace wellness, while others steer clear. However, by incorporating teamwork, rewards, and, above all, fun into wellness initiatives, employees are inspired to embrace and sustain healthier lifestyles. These gamification challenges go beyond traditional wellness programs, turning exercise, nutrition, and mindfulness activities into engaging “quests.”

For example, a step count challenge invites teams to compete to see who can collectively accumulate the highest number of steps. Equipped with fitness trackers, each participant contributes to their team's progress by taking steps throughout the day. Milestones and achievements unlock gamification rewards, creating a sense of accomplishment and friendly competition.

The impact is twofold, enhancing physical health and positively influencing overall employee satisfaction. In the gamified pursuit of well-being, the workplace becomes a supportive, vibrant environment where healthy habits are celebrated, motivation is intrinsic, and success is a collective journey.

11. Trivia Competitions for Company Knowledge

Last but not least… you can’t beat a good, old-school round of trivia! Sometimes, the simplest approach is best, and most families will attest to the fact that whenever someone calls out a crossword clue or a trivia question, lively interaction ensues.

By exploring a company's history, values, and achievements through trivia, learning becomes enjoyable. Trivia competitions can promote a deeper understanding of the organization's mission and culture, aligning employees with core values. A work environment where learning is celebrated makes for a workforce that is well-informed, connected, and proud of its collective identity.

Employee Gamification: Conclusion

These 11 gamification ideas for employee engagement serve as a diverse toolkit for organizations seeking to invigorate their work culture. From leaderboards and points challenges to feedback and storytelling games, employees from all generations will experience a breath of fresh air and start to look at their work in a different way. Whether it's celebrating achievements with virtual badges or promoting company values through reward games, spin-to-win wheels or even scratch cards, these gamification strategies cater to the multifaceted needs of a modern workforce.

And what of the losing team or the employee who finishes last? Experiencing setbacks in a competitive environment builds resilience and cultivates the crucial ability to bounce back from challenges, nurturing an employee mindset that embraces adversity as an opportunity for growth. These moments of adversity serve as valuable learning experiences and shape individuals into more tenacious contributors.

Crucially, the power lies in the customizable nature of these gamification approaches. Each idea can be tailored to fit the unique dynamics and goals of any organization. This adaptability ensures that gamification isn't a one-size-fits-all solution but rather a versatile set of tools that can be wielded to address specific challenges and aspirations.

So, it’s clear: gamification for employee engagement extends beyond a mere trend. It's an innovative approach that catalyzes engagement, fuels collaboration and offers organizations the opportunity to unlock the full potential of their teams.

Let the gamification begin!

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Gamification in Work Teams: A Q Study on How Team Members Experience Gamification

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• Lise A. van Oortmerssen   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-6841-6454 13 &
• Bé Albronda 13  

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Gamification relates to the application of game elements in a non-game context. Recently, the concept receives increasing acknowledgement as a tool for achieving motivational or behavioural goals. The effects of gamification in education, on an individual level, have been the topic of academic research for some time. However, until now, only few academic studies have addressed the implementation of gamification in teams in organizational contexts. Using Q methodology, this study combines quantitative and qualitative data to explore how team members experience gamification in work teams. The results show two main perspectives on gamification in organizational work teams. The first perspective, described as the eager team gamer, is predominantly positive. It reveals an experience of increased enjoyment, collaboration, creativity, and productiveness among team members. The second perspective, labelled as the critical player, is much more demanding. It acknowledges the potential positive influences of gamification in certain contexts, but feels strongly about possible inappropriateness in serious tasks or environments, and is adverse towards competitive elements. The results of this Q study add to our understanding of how and why team members in organizations may variously perceive gamification of team tasks.

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Stolte, J.B., van Oortmerssen, L.A., Albronda, B. (2022). Gamification in Work Teams: A Q Study on How Team Members Experience Gamification. In: Kiili, K., Antti, K., de Rosa, F., Dindar, M., Kickmeier-Rust, M., Bellotti, F. (eds) Games and Learning Alliance. GALA 2022. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 13647. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-22124-8_27

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Gamifying Your Workforce: How to Make Employee Engagement Fun

Gamification can boost employee morale and increase retention. Here's how to gamify your workplace.

Table of Contents

Gamification is a popular approach to making customer experiences more engaging and fun, and now it’s coming to the workforce as well. As senior management determines whether their workforce is more productive working remotely or at the office, managers are realizing that internal gamification can promote loyalty, productivity and engagement among employees.

By adding elements of games to the standard employee/manager dynamic, businesses have found that employees are more likely to stick around, especially in a remote setting. Here’s how you can put gamification to work for your employees.

What is gamification?

Gamification is the process of adding elements of games to non-game activities, such as working or studying. In the workplace, gamification can encourage employee engagement, gratification and retention. This is especially important for companies with a remote workforce that are concerned about providing a good employee experience .

“Gamification … incorporates training into an environment that is fun and mirrors other games in social media,” said Paul Gordon, senior vice president of sales at Rymax Marketing Services. “By building a game into training that is social … and educational, it makes the company look progressive and resonates with today’s employee base.”

Benefits of gamification

The benefits of gamification for any workplace can be tremendous, especially if incorporated in workforce training. Adding gamification to employee onboarding and introductory training can reduce employee turnover and build a workforce that is more engaged. Gamification could be especially useful for a remote workforce, where employees are distributed across multiple locations and may not get much face time with one another.

It makes learning fun and engaging.

Gamification tactics, such as interactive visuals and infographics, can help people retain up to three times as much information as they would otherwise. Gamification boosts an individual’s willingness to study and learn in a more enjoyable and interactive way. A major hurdle of learning is getting personally interested in the content. Gamification provides pacing that allows students to process information in a comfortable way.

It decreases employee stress.

Gamification makes employees happier and more productive at work. Stress builds negative work environments, creates an unsatisfied workforce and increases job dissatisfaction. Employee performance increases as a workforce feels less stressed and more relaxed. Applying gamification to a work environment can effectively improve employee outcomes.

It appeals to a younger workforce.

Gamification is especially effective when onboarding a digitally native workforce. Younger generations have different motivational and behavioral patterns and require a set of techniques that better align their style of learning and skill development with business goals. Gamified onboarding is a natural, fun and effective alternative for a changing workforce. [Learn more ways to attract and engage millennials and Gen Z employees .]

Gamification statistics

The global gamification market grew from $14.87 billion to $18.63 billion over the last year, according to the Gamification Global Market Report 2023 from The Business Research Company. By 2025, the market size is expected to have a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 27.4 percent, rising to $30.7 billion, according to MarketsandMarkets . This is largely because of its positive impact on employee engagement and ROI. In fact, almost 90 percent of employees feel that gamification increases their productivity in the workplace, according to TalentLMS .

Business owners attempting to retain workers and improve company culture should consider implementing gamification into their bottom line. Employees will feel more motivated and incentivized to do their best work and take pride in their performance. Additionally, due to the spike in gamification, companies must adopt this growing trend to remain competitive. [Read related article: Hiring and Retention Has Never Been More Difficult ]

Best practices for internal gamification

The idea behind gamification is to introduce a competitive element to employees’ tasks, using public recognition and rewards to give them a greater incentive to meet personal and company goals. As with marketing gamification, these systems typically include something earned – such as points or badges – in exchange for prizes that are tangible (a gift card, consumer product or a free lunch) or intangible (an extra day off, a charitable donation or an all-expenses-paid trip).

These tips can help you create a successful internal gamification program.

Define and measure your processes.

If people don’t know what they’re working toward or what they need to do to get there, your gamification attempts will fall flat. Steve Sims, vice president of product at ON24, noted that gamification should always start with business goals and how they’re going to be measured. Then, you need to understand the groups of employees you’re working with and what you want to motivate them to do. [Read related article: How to Set Achievable Business Goals ]

“We advocate for ongoing analytics, both to measure progress toward goals and to provide information to evolve the solution going forward,” Sims said. “Anything can get stale, so the gamification solution needs to keep evolving.”

“Having a great visual representation of employee standings and clear, consistent KPIs will help encourage teams to reach the top spot,” added Mick Hollison, former president of Cloudera.

Provide quick feedback.

An efficient feedback loop will help your program succeed. Frequent and immediate feedback via scorecards or benchmarks toward a goal will allow employees to adjust their performance accordingly.

“Every sports team and video game uses immediate feedback to help players improve their performance,” Hollison said. “Organizations using gamification techniques should similarly leverage real-time feedback to drive individual and team success.”

Get people invested.

Charlene Li, chief research officer at PA Consulting, told us that gamification works only if staff members really care about what they’re doing and why.

“There’s a whole system of value attached to gamification that needs to be thought through,” she said. “There [needs to be] a social aspect – badges need to be tied to development and recognition [by] someone in authority or your peers. The games and goals have to be meaningful; otherwise, you feel like a pawn on the chessboard.”

Gordon emphasized that, like all aspects of company culture , engagement is not one-size-fits-all, so gamification can’t be, either. Talk to your employees about what motivates them and what rewards they might want before you implement a gamified system.

Why does gamification work?

Gamification works in employee training and engagement for one simple reason: Playing games is one of the most natural ways for people to learn.

“Children like to play games as a way to challenge themselves and learn,” Li said. “Gamification is an issue of, how do you get someone’s attention fully focused on a task? How do we put elements of play back into learning so we pay attention more? People do realize that training is important, but [gamification] makes it fun and interesting.”

Aaren Terrett, former director of sales operations at O2E Brands, said that gamification worked for his millennial-heavy staff because it tapped into their desire for instant gratification.

“The introduction of gamification into our sales center increased productivity, customer conversion rates and staff morale,” Terrett said. “We created contests with grand prizes such as Apple products and paid time off to encourage agents to reach targets.”

Similarly, Gordon said that Rymax arranged “The Greatest Race”-type events in key cities, where employees teamed up to visit specific landmarks, obtained clues and company information at each site, and tried to beat competitors to the finish to win brand-name products.

Activities like this create tremendous team building, an increased awareness of the company’s objectives and, most importantly, an event that is memorable and offers rewards that have residual trophy value, Gordon said.

A word of caution

Gamification is effective when it’s done well, but it can backfire if applied in the wrong ways. It’s important to create a healthy sense of competition, but not so much competition that your employees become demotivated. Sims reminds employers that people learn at different paces, and a competition can be disheartening to those who don’t advance as quickly.

Li agreed, saying that tactics like leaderboards may end up discouraging people from participating if it rewards only one leader.

“Leaderboards are good in … a group with a strong bond, but you have to show the top 20, not the top one,” she said. “[In that situation], if you’re not the leader [and] you’re not gaining something, you don’t care, and that doesn’t help.”

Another problem to watch out for is employees becoming complacent with your gamification program and falling into a steady, comfortable routine.

“We’ve learned that it’s important to occasionally introduce new internal contests and real-world rewards to reignite excitement and spike employee motivation,” Hollison said. “Otherwise, you may risk a decline in employee engagement and overall performance.” [Get some ideas for employee engagement that work for your team.]

Sims said you should also be careful when adding external rewards like gift cards and products as incentives . While these things may be nice to incorporate as an occasional perk or contest prize, using them as your sole incentives will send the wrong signal about why people should be motivated to do a good job.

“Employees aren’t training in order to earn a gift certificate; they’re training so they can add professional skills for long-term advancement,” Sims said. “True business gamification focuses on intrinsic rewards and benefits. It helps employees along the journey to greater success for the long term.”

Gamifying your workforce and making engagement fun

For a manager with a remote workforce, gamification is a popular approach that can make engagement fun for the employees. Adding game elements to standard activities in the workplace can lead to an increase in productivity, especially when incorporating immediate feedback and using public recognition and rewards to further incentives for a changing workforce. However, failure to establish a healthy sense of competition might demotivate a younger workforce.

Sammi Caramela and Tejas Vemparala contributed to this article. ​​Source interviews were conducted for a previous version of this article

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9 Powerful Employee Gamification Strategies in 2024 to Boost Employee Engagement

-->Gregory S Mathew -->

Last Updated: 14 February 2023

In this article:

• Gamification: Why it Works
• 9 Strategies for Gamification
• Does Gamification really Work?
• Gamification at Work

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From having virtual meetings over Zoom to water cooler conversations on Houseparty, Covid-19 has forced millions to work and connect from the confines of their homes. We’ve all heard about the difficulties of a quick change to work from home culture . What about the employees who don’t have conducive work environments? Or those who relied on daily human interaction to drive them forward at work and in their own lives? With such a disruptive event we’d assume that most employees would be miserable, right? But guess what? The data might just surprise you!

Studies   have suggested that many employees who work from home will end up outperforming their in office efforts for a variety of reasons. First, many employees may end up being more productive due to factors including lack of commute, their ability to create a comfortable working space, and a shift towards a result based culture rather than hours logged that is necessitated by distance.

These factors can actually lead to a positive impact on mental and physical health, because who enjoys wasting two hours a day in traffic, or only seeing their family for a few hours a day?

However, these studies weren't conducted while there was an on-going pandemic that has added new wrinkles and generalized anxieties to the equation. While working from home can be a boon, it comes with downsides like employees working longer hours at a more intense pace due to a lack of delineation between work and home. This in turn has caused significant stress in the lives of employees at companies big and small.

As a means to break up repetitive work and make sure employees feel acknowledged and appreciated, implementing elements of games into work is a shot in the arm your employees might need. What does this mean?

What is Employee Gamification? 

Ever wondered how games manage to keep us hooked, motivated, and striving for that next level? That's the power of gamification , the art of applying game-like elements and principles in non-game contexts. In the workplace, gamification translates to using those same engaging elements to motivate employees , boost engagement , and encourage desired behaviors .

Here's the gist:

Points, badges, and leaderboards: Imagine earning points for completing tasks, receiving badges for achieving milestones, and seeing your name climb a leaderboard – all while working. Gamification fosters a sense of achievement and healthy competition , making work intrinsically more rewarding.

Progress and challenges: Breaking down large goals into smaller, achievable challenges creates a sense of progress and keeps employees motivated. They can visualize their journey and celebrate each milestone, just like conquering levels in a game.

Rewards and recognition: Gamification isn't all about competition; it's also about rewarding desired behaviors. Just as games offer rewards for completing tasks, gamified workplaces can incentivize employees with tangible or intangible rewards, further reinforcing positive engagement.

Remember, gamification isn't about turning work into a game, but rather about extracting the engaging and motivating elements of games and applying them to the workplace in a strategic and well-designed way.

Adding fun rewards, friendly competition, and targeted goals is a great way to get your employees excited to walk in the front door every day. Playing up and harnessing our natural instinct to compete is an awesome way to boost morale, and performance as well!  In fact, research suggests that over 90% of employees are more productive when gamification techniques are applied, with over 72% of them reporting it inspires them to work harder. Fun and games can be more than just fun and games if done right!

Gamification for Employee Engagement: Why It Works

Gamification has the potential to stimulate stagnated minds and rekindle that vital spark so important for the workplace. Organisations can engage and motivate employees to pick up new skills, improve workplace behaviour, and devise new ways of problem-solving. 

Gamification techniques use positive reinforcement to motivate employees. By breaking down large tasks into more manageable chunks, gamification stimulates the neural pathways to learn over time, and:

• It builds team spirit and brings in a sense of healthy competition.
• It allows employees to think outside the box and find novel solutions to existing problems.
• It improves the feedback system and provides real-time appraisals that allow employees to assess themselves.

Here's how employees experience the power of gamification:

Increased Motivation: Gamification breaks down complex tasks into smaller, achievable challenges. Completing these challenges earns employees points, badges, or recognition on leaderboards. This fosters a sense of progress and accomplishment, making work inherently more motivating .

Enhanced Engagement: Gamified elements like points, badges, and leaderboards create a healthy sense of competition among colleagues. This friendly competition fosters engagement by encouraging employees to actively participate and strive for improvement.

Meaningful Recognition: Gamification goes beyond simply earning points. It offers opportunities for public recognition and reward for achieving milestones or demonstrating desired behaviors. This recognition reinforces positive behavior and makes employees feel valued and appreciated.

Personalized Experience: Effective gamification isn't a one-size-fits-all approach. Businesses can tailor the experience to cater to different employee preferences and motivations. This personalization allows employees to connect with the gamified elements and feel intrinsically motivated to participate.

Fun and Enjoyable Work: Gamification injects elements of fun and enjoyment into the workplace. It transforms mundane tasks into engaging challenges, making the overall work experience more positive and fulfilling for employees.

By leveraging these aspects, gamification can create a more motivated , engaged , and satisfied workforce, ultimately leading to improved performance and a stronger company culture.

All of these can be massive drivers of productivity and creativity in any organization. Encouraging your employees to throw conventional wisdom out the window can lead to huge rewards. How many amazing inventions have been the product of creative thought? You’d be handcuffing yourself if you didn’t encourage that type of thinking.

And this is only the tip of the gamification iceberg. We’ve got 9 great ways to get your employees engaged through gamification starting today.

9 Employee Gamification  Strategies to Boost Employee Morale

1. divide and conquer.

For any task that can be modularised, divide the work into independent chunks and engage competing teams to get the job done. This will have the desired effect of inducing employees to a competitive work ethic. By fostering fun competition both within teams and between functions you encourage employees to drive themselves to be the best they can be.

For example , our sales and marketing team decided to take on the CEO’s office for the largest amount of funds raised in a dedicated. Let’s not talk about who won.... Okay, okay, it wasn’t us! But we had a great time doing it.

PRO TIP: create a Slack channel, Google sheet, Notion Doc, Trello Board, JIRA workflow, or any other progress tracking software so your competing employees can get real time updates on the other team. Nothing like looking up at a scoreboard you’re losing on to help get yourself in gear!

2. Leveling Up

Training new recruits can often be a big challenge, but gamification can help in this regard. Rather than bogging down new employees with months of uninteractive and complicated onboarding (a key reason 31% of employees quit in the first six months) an entire training program can be broken down into multiple levels. As employees complete each level, they can then be rewarded for progressing to the next. In turn, new recruits are substantially more likely to get invested in the training process and allows them to pick up new skills.

Getting them up to speed quicker also means you’re getting better ROI from the onboarding process as you’re not wasting valuable work hours bringing someone up to speed slowly.

A great example of this technique can be found in an implementation done by Salesforce. They have created a Gamification system where sales personnel begin using the system at the lowest levels of Chicken Hunter, and eventually level up towards the coveted title of Big Game Hunter.

PRO TIP: Give your levels of progression quirky names, and build to a big reward. It’s not about the amount of money you spend, but more the thought and effort that go into what the employees receive when they rank through the process.

3. Rewards Galore

Everybody loves a gift, and demoralized employees can actually perk up once you give them the chance to win. Introducing a reward-based system that recognizes achievements will have the desired effect of getting employees back in the game (pun intended).

Take the case of Freshdesk  which turns customer enquiries into tickets that are randomly assigned to employees for resolution. This morphs the entire call-receiving process into a game. By providing recognition and incentives to employees who perform well, Freshdesk has managed to increase engagement successfully.

PRO TIP: Try to balance between useful, fun gifts and gifts that could in fact help employees actualize and improve in their roles. Maybe after the first milestone you give them some of their favorite candy, and after the second you give them a copy of the CEO’s favorite book with a personalized note from them.

4. Weekly Quizzes

Meetings can get a little monotonous. The less interactive, the more monotonous a meeting can become. Turn meetings into quizzes. Engage everyone in the game, and see who is the most up to date on work matters.

Set a prize or even a cash incentive for the best performer. Soon you'll find employees looking forward to the next meeting. And this ends up fostering some healthy competition and keeps everyone well prepared. PRO TIP: Awesome quiz services and online collaborative games like Kahoot and skribbl.io are free, easy to use, and can help to bring a team together in unexpected ways! You might just have an amateur Picasso on your team you never knew about. 

5. Social Recognition 

Now that we are dispersed across the world, utilize social media for publicly recognizing employee achievements .

Reward them with a place of special mention on the company page, tag top performers in a Facebook post, and celebrate achievements on LinkedIn. Soon you'll find employees scrolling through to that time of the month again.

Bluewolf achieved maximum employee engagement on social using a gamification-based social media engagement program called #GoingSocial. PRO TIP: Acknowledging successful employees online not only makes them feel special but also makes their connections, or other job seekers, aware of how well your organization treats high performers. A high NPS makes hiring easier, so leverage your social media presence to help both attract and retain top talent .

6. Upskilling

In the current business scenario, employees need to upskill fast or be left behind. However, it has been generally seen that employees aren't always keen on learning new skills. By gamifying upskilling processes, businesses can drive better employee participation.

Deloitte infused gamification principles to ensure that employees register and complete courses within the Deloitte Leadership Academy program .

PRO TIP: There are so many great remote learning websites, and enrolling your employee in a course that they’re passionate about shows that you pay attention to what they enjoy or are interested in. Plus, they then bring back their learnings to the company and can in turn expand their role.

7. Conversations Always Helps 

Communication is one of the biggest drivers of employee engagement . Unless HR managers take the time to establish coherent communication channels that answer employee queries satisfactorily , morale is bound to lag.

By using chatbots to create an employee engagement platform , HR managers can free themselves for other tasks that need immediate attention. And employees can get the help they need, whenever and whichever way they want it.

PRO TIP: If employees don’t feel listened to they will leave, full stop. Getting the right tool, or creating strong channels for feedback and two-way communication will help you keep the employees you can’t afford to lose.

8. Make Work Mission-Based

Team building is one of the major benefits of Gamification, and this can be best fostered through actual team-based exercises. When assigning work, pit teams in a friendly competition that encourages better performance. 

Don't assign teams to projects; assign them to missions that need to be completed in time. By making work mission-based, you instill a sense of adventure in every piece of work.

PRO TIP: Shoot for the stars with these mission goals. Creating a north star, or “dream” objective for an organization can encourage your employees to think outside the box and jumpstart processes that you may have never considered.

9. Leaderboard

A leaderboard is a ranking system that displays the top performers in a team or organization. To implement this strategy, you can create a scoreboard that displays the names of employees who have achieved their goals or completed their tasks in the shortest time. You can also award points or rewards to employees who perform well on the leaderboard.

Further Reading:

5 engaging employee gamification examples for your workplace.

1. Sales Leaderboard: Imagine a dynamic leaderboard showcasing top performers in sales. Each sale earns points, and the top salesperson clinches the coveted "Sales Champion" badge. This fosters healthy competition and motivates everyone to push their limits.

2. Customer Service Challenge: Introduce a points system for exceeding customer satisfaction benchmarks. Employees could earn badges for positive customer reviews or resolving complex issues efficiently. This gamifies excellent customer service and reinforces desired behavior.

3. Learning & Development Quest: Transform skill development into an engaging quest. Employees embark on a learning journey, earning points for completing online courses or attending workshops. Reaching milestones unlocks badges like "Tech Guru" or "Innovation Master," fostering a culture of continuous learning.

4. Wellness & Wellbeing Program: Encourage healthy habits with a gamified wellness program. Employees earn points for participating in fitness challenges, logging healthy meals, or completing mindfulness exercises. A leaderboard showcasing the "Fitness Fanatics" team adds a fun twist.

5. Project Collaboration Adventure: Gamify teamwork by turning project collaboration into an immersive "adventure." Teams work together to overcome challenges, collect virtual resources, and unlock rewards based on achieving project milestones. This fosters collaboration, communication, and a sense of shared accomplishment.

Remember, successful gamification requires careful planning and alignment with your company culture. By incorporating these engaging examples and tailoring them to your specific needs, you can unlock a new level of employee engagement and drive organizational success.

Does Gamification for Engagement Actually Work?

While employee engagement gamification strategies can be effective in promoting teamwork and motivation, they can also have some negative side effects if not implemented properly. Some potential negative side effects of gamification strategies include:

Competition: Gamification strategies that involve leaderboards or competitions may create a sense of competition among employees, which can lead to unhealthy rivalry and resentment.

Burnout: Gamification strategies that focus on constantly meeting targets or goals may lead to employees feeling overwhelmed and stressed, resulting in burnout.

Short-term focus: Gamification strategies that focus on rewards and incentives may lead to employees prioritizing short-term goals over long-term goals and overall organizational goals.

To prepare for these potential negative side effects, it's important to ensure that gamification strategies are designed in a way that promotes teamwork and collaboration rather than competition. It's also important to ensure that employees have the necessary resources and support to achieve their goals without feeling overwhelmed. Finally, it's important to regularly review and assess the effectiveness of gamification strategies to ensure that they are meeting the needs of the organization and its employees.

Here are a few examples of large enterprises that have successfully implemented employee engagement gamification strategies:

• SAP: SAP, a multinational software corporation, implemented a gamification platform called "SAP Jam Collaboration" to improve employee engagement and productivity. The platform includes features such as leaderboards, challenges, and rewards to motivate employees to achieve their goals. As a result of the platform, SAP saw a 20% increase in employee engagement and a 15% increase in productivity.
• Deloitte: Deloitte, a multinational professional services firm, implemented a gamification platform called "Deloitte Gamification" to improve employee engagement and development. The platform includes features such as progress bars, badges, and rewards to encourage employees to learn new skills and achieve their goals. As a result of the platform, Deloitte saw a 25% increase in employee engagement and a 20% increase in productivity.
• IBM: IBM, a multinational technology company, implemented a gamification platform called "IBM Verse" to improve employee communication and collaboration. The platform includes features such as leaderboards, challenges, and rewards to encourage employees to work together and achieve their goals. As a result of the platform, IBM saw a 15% increase in employee engagement and a 10% increase in productivity.

It's important to note that the success of employee engagement gamification strategies can vary depending on the specific goals and needs of the organization and its employees. It's important to carefully design and implement gamification strategies to ensure that they are effective and engaging for employees.

Gamification at Work: You Can’t Afford Not To!

Something that seemed trivial in short-term has been significantly important for long-term productivity. 

Could we have achieved the same level of engagement if we had sent an email instead of holding a competition? Most definitely not and it wouldn't have been as fun for sure! So implement gamification techniques today and watch morale go through the roof.

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