Gamification at Workplace for Employee Motivation and Engagement

Many organizations are utilizing game mechanics to connect with employees and drive behavioral changes in various sectors of the organization. According to a global study, nearly 70% of global organizations employ at least one gamified application in their corporate environment, and for good reasons.

Game mechanics are built in such a way that they break down big tasks into small, short-term achievable goals and reward achievement. They fascinatingly convert passive users into active players in the game, driving employee participation and engagement. These applications have a subtle power that turns actions into habits. They also help build a unifying experience towards an unfamiliar and frequently changing assortment of tasks.

Game Mechanics + Health and Wellness

Game mechanics are an effective and proven strategy for increasing employee participation and completion of technology-based programs in wellness. Games-based strategies drive employee engagement and act as a bridge to the all-important offline healthy behaviors. Game mechanics further motivate employees to make healthy choices and aid organizations in improving the health of the workforce, as well as managing skyrocketing healthcare costs.

Gamification for Achieving End Goals

Before integrating game mechanics into your employees' health strategy, it is crucial to give it some thought. Always make sure that gamifying health is not the ultimate purpose but just one strategy for building a healthier workforce. Game mechanics simply lend a hand to your employees for easy participation in the programs. They further educate employees about what they must do for healthy behavioral changes and help them understand their progress against goals. Moreover, they present opportunities to foster social connections with peers to enhance the game and its outcomes.

Quick Tips to Consider Before You Enter the Field

So, now the question is, how can you apply game mechanics to employee wellness initiatives that successfully drive engagement and turn employees into active players from passive users? You can follow these quick tips:

Keep it easy, simple, and achievable: Levels, points, and rewards help drive engagement and ongoing employee participation. Including a standard set of mechanics throughout the programs makes it exciting and simple to understand.
Create regular competitions and challenges: Ongoing challenges and healthy competition keep employees motivated for good health. It also presents an opportunity for employees to socially connect with their peers and cheer for one another on the journey to good health.
Make it simple to monitor and track progress: Unlike traditional employee wellness programs that placed a burden on employees and HR to monitor program success, modern wellness technologies have vastly improved. Tracking and monitoring progress can now be done efficiently with the help of a validated online process.
Drive social engagement: Offer ways for employees to socially unite and share their scores, gossip about leaderboards, exchange tricks, and tips, and allow them to brag about their success.
Determine the efficacy of your game: Organizations must include strong reporting capabilities to understand the impact of employees' efforts. With reporting tools, companies can collect data and make changes to drive ongoing results accordingly.

Mobile applications, social networking, and other technologies help drive success for your health gaming strategy.

Applying Gamification to Reward Your Employees?

Let's say you want your employees to remain healthy and motivated. So, how do you go about it?

A simple yet interesting plan that applies to everybody could look like this:

Step 1: Nourish for Power

Embark on the path of vitality by fueling your body with healthy food choices. Every day you make wise eating decisions, you'll earn points and unlock secret recipes to level up your culinary skills.

Step 2: Hydration Hero

Harness the power of hydration as you strive to drink 2 liters of water daily. Each sip brings you closer to unlocking hidden hydration boosts, transforming you into a legendary Water Wizard.

Step 3: Fitness Warrior

Unleash your inner warrior and engage in 30 minutes of invigorating exercise every day. Push yourself to new limits and unlock special workout routines, leveling up your strength and agility.

Step 4: Time Mastery

Discover the art of balanced living by eating at the right time. Mastering this skill will not only earn you points but also grant you access to a secret time-bending technique, giving you extra hours in your day!

As the employees conquer each challenge, celebrate their perseverance and willpower with dazzling virtual trophies, special power-ups, and exclusive bonuses.

According to research, the chances of individuals becoming obese are 71% higher if their close friends and family members are obese. Social activity and health gaming are complementary pairings, and with peer-to-peer support and motivation, employees gain encouragement to stay in the race for a longer span.

Mobile apps are also significant as they offer employees the freedom to participate in fitness games anytime and anywhere. Nowadays, modern apps can track your nutrition, physical activity, and even blood pressure and heart rate. The freedom to record, monitor, and share activity progress on game standings provides encouragement and instant motivation.

Game On!! Workplace Wellness

Game mechanics are turning out to be one of the most successful strategies companies are utilizing to boost employees' productivity and health. Game mechanics present an instant reinforcement cycle and serve as an extraordinary way to keep the momentum going for employees.

As people tend to get frustrated with complex, conflicting rules, make sure that the game mechanics are easy to understand when adding them to your employees' health incentives. By accomplishing small tasks, employees feel encouraged and develop a sense of achievement that keeps them motivated.

Remember, engaging employees to play the game isn't the ultimate motive. Your strategy should help you create a healthy workplace culture as well as drive continual offline behavior shifts.

One of the principal challenges in today's scenario is employee engagement and retention. Gamification can help you achieve your goals while keeping your employees engaged and motivated.

Conclusion

Gamification is a powerful strategy for boosting employee motivation and engagement in the workplace. By incorporating game mechanics into wellness initiatives, organizations can break tasks into achievable goals, reward accomplishments, and foster a healthier workforce. Easy-to-understand mechanics, regular challenges, and social engagement enhance participation. Gamification helps create a culture of continuous improvement, leading to increased productivity and employee retention. Embracing gamification unlocks the full potential of employees, resulting in a vibrant and motivated workforce. Game on!