Yesterday’s Advisor revealed that 54% of employees surveyed have experienced mishaps during the onboarding process. Getting off on the wrong foot can really damage engagement at the critical moment. Today, gamification expert Tony Ventrice explains how you can fix engagement at your company. Ventrice is Behavior Lab cofounder and senior game systems designer at Badgeville, the leading gamification platform.
Employers nationwide are facing a significant employee engagement challenge. Less than one-third of U.S. workers who participated in a Gallup survey earlier this year reported that they were fully engaged in their jobs.
That’s an alarming statistic with massive implications for productivity and employee retention. But a recent Badgeville survey of more than 500 workers (executive level to frontline employees) points the way to a solution: workplace gamification.
Gamification is a major trend today. The survey, conducted in July 2015, found that an astonishing 78% of employees are now using game-based motivation at work and, of those using gamification, over 91% say gamification increases engagement, awareness, and productivity.
The techniques in use include competitions, goal-setting exercises, performance rewards, success statistics, and status recognition.
Additionally, the survey revealed:
• 95% of participants report that they enjoy the gamified work experience
• 90% say it increases productivity levels
• 86% report that gamification improves awareness of coworkers’ goals
In the survey, employees cited improved engagement and an increase in productivity as the top benefits of their programs.
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For the C-suite at high-performance companies, the message is clear: Gamification is a great way to drive increased engagement and motivation. This is especially true for younger employees, including Millennials, who may be more prone to becoming disengaged, losing productivity, or even changing jobs.
Additional challenges face today’s employers. Monetary rewards, which have traditionally been the go-to tool for improving motivation, are not as effective with younger generations as they were in the past.
The survey revealed that only 31% of employees are primarily motivated by salary increases or other monetary rewards. The other 69% surveyed said their primary motivation ranged across a variety of growth and experience factors, such as performing well, developing a personal sense of satisfaction, receiving on-the-job recognition, gaining the support of colleagues, and having the opportunity to learn new skills.
This shift in employee priorities can send unprepared employers scrambling to find fresh ways to motivate and retain valuable employees. Long-term motivational investments, such as gamification, give employees a greater sense of agency over their career and a deeper sense of investment in their performance, achievements, and skills. This kind of investment pays off in increased rates of employee engagement and retention.
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Not only is the response to gamification unequivocally positive, the Badgeville survey suggests gamification-based motivation techniques are already a broadly accepted and successful solution for many modern workforce challenges.
The survey found that nearly three-quarters of survey respondents aged 22–35 expect gamification elements in their workplace, and more than half of workers aged 36–55 shared that expectation.
But even more telling is that 72% of employees of all ages—regardless of whether they expect them or not—say that gamification solutions, if put in place, would inspire them to work harder.
Technology continues to evolve every facet of business operations, from accounting to marketing to customer relationship management. Digital tools have changed the way employees interact not only with customers but also with employers.
A deeper, richer company-employee narrative is not only possible, it’s expected. Today, gamification and similar techniques may be seen as a competitive advantage, but as the workplace continues to evolve, that advantage will soon be an expectation.