Gamification to improve engagement: Top 6 methods

How gamification can help you improve engagement

Gamification is applied in many businesses worldwide for various purposes, one of which is increased employee engagement. According to Zippia, 90% of all employees said that gamification makes them perform better. In addition, by applying a gamification strategy, workers can experience a 60% increase in engagement and ultimately an increase in performance. This article briefly explains gamification and its effects on employee engagement. Then we will cover some of the most successful methods for applying gamification and explain how they can contribute. Read on.

What is gamification?

Gamification is the application of elements of games to non-game contexts. In business, gamification can be used for customers and employees. An example of customer-oriented gamification is the collection of points that carry rewards and demonstrate customer loyalty. Points are usually used in games, but can also be used in real life as in this case.

Gamification is used for employees, with the primary purpose of increasing their involvement. Employees are often expected to take on simple challenges, collect points or badges, or rank on rankings. Although gamification’s main purpose is greater engagement, it is also effective because it is entertaining and often educational.

The importance of employee involvement

Employee engagement holds many benefits, including increased productivity, higher job satisfaction, and ultimately higher income. Unfortunately, many companies struggle with employee engagement, and a Gallup report shows that only 36% of employees are actually involved in the workplace, while 51% are completely disconnected. The report also indicates that high engagement could increase profits by up to 21%, while decoupling economies are already costing billions of dollars. On the other hand, only 16% of companies use any kind of software that monitors employee engagement.

Top methods for increasing employee engagement through gamification

The good news is that organizations are now focusing more on employee engagement than ever before, and gamification is an important tool to improve that.

1. Game-based Employee Learning and Training

Passive content, such as large PDFs and long videos, can bore employees what they need to read or watch. By turning learning content into games, content creators can enhance overall engagement and engage learners in the content.

One of the primary examples is quizzes. By allowing learners to instantly recapitulate the content they have covered, you can keep them engaged for a long period of time and make learning innovative. Adding marks to quizzes and making them competitive can make the learning process even more enjoyable.

There are tools that can help you turn your video content into interactive video material by enabling capture. In addition, you can use other AI-powered features, such as auto-chapters and auto-closed captions (captions), deep video searches, hosting and integration with any player.

2. Use rankings to increase competitiveness

One way to increase learning engagement through gamification is by organizing small competitions. By awarding points and ranking employees, you can make your employees reach more. Of course, strict rules must be set in advance, as well as rewards for the winners. This mainly applies to learning processes, but can also be used in a non-learning context within a company.

One such example is the Deloitte Leadership Academy, where senior leaders have received training in soft skills. It was not an internal Deloitte project, as leaders from more than 150 companies participated. Participants were rewarded with badges to mark their achievements throughout the training process and had a chance to check rankings showing the top ten achievers. Deloitte’s Leadership Academy saw a 47% increase in the number of returning users after gamification was introduced.

3. Gambling Bonuses For Employees

There are two types of games out there: skill games and games of chance. The truth is that some people are motivated by the latter as they enjoy the element of happiness in games. That is why lotteries and casino games are so popular worldwide.

Therefore, some gamification techniques include the use of spin-to-win wheels or even scratch cards as a way to promote employee engagement. Workers can test their luck by participating in these games, spinning wheels, scratching cards and hoping to win bonuses.

Gambling games can be made available to workers who reach a certain milestone, including a watched video, a completed quiz, a good performance on a test, and more. It is in human nature to try harder when there is a veil of mystery surrounding the possible reward and there is a chance to win lucrative prizes. Above all, games of chance are exciting, and to arouse excitement and surprise among workers will have a positive effect on their involvement.

4. Progress bars to track employee goals

Employees feel motivated as soon as they have a sense that they are making progress. Sometimes, as they learn new skills, they can keep up with their progress. Worse, they may think they are not making any progress at all. A visual representation of their progress can help them better track goals and see if performance is paying off.

This visual representation usually comes in the form of a progress bar. When an employee completes a task, learns a chapter, or does anything that leads to progress, they will see that the progress bar visually depicts their progress. Progress bars are standard in video games to display progress on a level, but they are now often used in non-game contexts.

5. Badges, Awards and Awards

Badges, marks, awards and all kinds of awards are often part of initiatives aimed at improving employee engagement through gamification. They are often combined with rankings, progress bars and other game tools. The Deloitte example we mentioned earlier used awards and rankings to improve learner engagement.

6.Employee Rewards Program

Many companies do not just choose badges or rankings. Sometimes they combine several methods to create a rewards program. For example, you could use game-based learning that includes quizzes and track employees’ learning progress via a ranking to reward the most successful employees.

In many organizations, there is a Learning and Development Department that comes up with the best possible methods to increase employee engagement. They often develop entire employee rewards programs that include many gamification elements.

Final thoughts: Where to start gamification?

Gamification can seem like it’s all fun and games, and technically it is. Yet it requires a serious approach to make it work in a real environment and increase employee engagement. The whole journey begins with finding the right tools to help you create a gamification initiative. A video interactivity solution can help you start engaging employees in your company if you rely on video content to enhance engagement.

Originally published at www.videoken.com.