Creating Gamification In The Workplace To Boosting Employee Engagement

When did you last check your Apple Watch to see where you ranked among your peers on your health and wellness journey? Or open your New York Times Games app just to see how your score is stacked up against your best friends? (You beat them, didn’t you?) Truth is, gamification can make just about any routine or mundane task more enjoyable.

According to The Business Research Company, the gamification market size in 2022 was $14.87 billion, increasing to a staggering $18.05 billion after only a year. The market is expected to continue its upward trajectory, projecting a value of $56.7 billion by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 26.1%.

But what does all this mean for the workplace? And how can organizations leverage gamification to further engage and motivate our teams? Read on for our recommendations to successfully implement gamification into your work stream.

What is Gamification in the Workplace?

At its core, gamification involves applying principles and mechanics commonly found in games to non-game contexts, such as the gym or the workplace. Incorporating elements like leaderboards, challenges, badges, narrative, and recognition and rewards, gamification aims to make activities more engaging and enjoyable. With a mix of healthy competition and beating one’s personal best, gamification boosts motivation, engagement, teamwork, and productivity.

In workplaces, gamification involves leveraging game-like elements to enhance various aspects of work, including training, performance management, onboarding, and team collaboration. Whether completing training modules, achieving targets, or collaborating on projects, employees are incentivized and rewarded for their accomplishments—an experience similar to progressing through levels in a video game.

What are the Benefits of Gamification in the Workplace?

Adding a dose of fun to everyday tasks is only one of the many benefits of gamification in the workplace for your team and bottom line. Below are a few more:

1. More employee motivation: By introducing elements like rewards, badges, and recognition, gamification instills a sense of achievement and progress, motivating employees to excel in their roles. And with visibility into that progress and through self-paced learning, employees are motivated to progress on their own terms.
2. Improved learning and development: Gamified training programs make learning more interactive and immersive, leading to better information retention and skill acquisition among employees. Bite-sized content and short quizzes delivered in the flow of work enable employees to retain knowledge better than traditional training methods without having to carve significant time out of their day.
3. Boosted employee productivity: With clear goals, progress tracking, and a rewards system in place, employees are incented to work more efficiently and effectively, ultimately enhancing overall productivity. (To put it in perspective, Centrical users experience an average 12% increase in productivity!)
4. Increased employee engagement: The competitive nature of gamification creates a spirit of friendly rivalry and camaraderie among colleagues, driving higher levels of engagement and collaboration. Peer-to-peer knowledge sharing is also a valuable part of the learning and development process; sharing expertise, tips, and tricks enriches users by amplifying the influence of top performers. 
5. Enhanced employee retention: By creating a stimulating and enjoyable work environment, gamification helps in retaining top talent by reducing turnover rates and increasing job satisfaction. According to Forbes, 69% of employees will likely stay with an organization for over three years if that firm includes gamification in its employee package.

Take Things Up a Notch with Gamification Software

Utilizing a dedicated gamification platform offers several advantages:

Centralized performance management: Get visibility into your team’s performance, leverage performance data to trigger just-in-time learning, give instant feedback, and foster wellbeing with clear expectations.

Real-time feedback: According to a PwC survey, almost 60% of employees would appreciate more regular feedback. With an effective gamification software in place, employees can receive instant feedback on their performance, allowing for timely course corrections and improvements.

Personalized microlearning: Guide people with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed. Deliver AI microlearning within the flow of work to improve knowledge retention and address individual gaps in knowledge and performance.

Choosing the Right Gamification Platform for Your Workplace Needs

When selecting a gamification platform, look for one that offers a wide range of gamification tools and customization options to suit your organization’s requirements (remember, the key here is to get away from the mundane). You can even personalize individual learning paths based on interests, skills levels, and learning goals.

It’s also important to ensure seamless integration with your existing systems and to connect learning activities to actual employee performance KPIs. We recommend no-code integrations that enable your company’s enterprise applications to suggest relevant learning to employees and measure which learning activities get results.

Trends on the Rise

Everyone’s talking about gamification, but there are a few topics that are reigning supreme.

Mobile gamification: With the proliferation of mobile technologies, there’s a growing emphasis on mobile-friendly gamification solutions to cater to remote and on-the-go employees.

AI-driven personalization: Leveraging artificial intelligence, gamification platforms are increasingly offering personalized experiences tailored to individual employee preferences and behavior patterns.  

Social gamification: Encouraging value-adds through collaboration and communication encourages employees to share achievements, collaborate with peers, and foster a sense of community within the organization.

Meet Centrical – Your #1 Solution to Gamify Your Workplace

In the realm of gamification for workplace solutions, Centrical stands out as a powerful tool to revolutionize employee engagement and performance. With its robust features, intuitive interface, and proven track record, Centrical empowers organizations to:

• Design and deploy gamified training programs and performance initiatives seamlessly.
• Provide real-time feedback and recognition to employees, fostering a culture of continuous skill development.
• Drive team building, employee motivation, and productivity through personalized gamification experiences tailored to individual preferences.
• Analyze performance metrics and track progress towards business goals effectively.

Summary and Key Takeaways

Gamification in the workplace is increasingly being recognized as a solid, proven business strategy that boosts the customer experience by enhancing the employee experience. A few key takeaways:

• Gamification in the workplace offers countless benefits, ranging from enhanced employee motivation and engagement to improved productivity and retention.
• By leveraging game elements and game mechanics, organizations can transform mundane tasks into engaging experiences that drive performance and foster a positive work culture.
• With Centrical as your trusted partner, you can embark on a journey toward creating a gamified workplace that inspires, motivates, and empowers your employees to achieve their full potential.

For over a decade, Centrical has partnered with leading organizations across industries and around the world to be their gamified learning platform of choice. Watch the platform in action with a sneak preview, or request your personalized demo today.