How to Use Gamification to Motivate Your Employees

Employees need something engaging to stimulate their brains sitting behind their computer screens all day. Or else productivity is going to see a dip.

This is where gamification comes in.

Initially used in e-learning platforms to make content more engaging, gamification has also made its mark and cemented its place in the work culture of many different teams.

The gamification market size is growing at a steady CAGR of 12.9% until 2025. This means the gamification industry is constantly evolving, and with constant innovations in the field of tech, this growth is being propagated even faster.

So what is gamification? Why does it work? Why must businesses in the current technological landscape focus on integrating gamification techniques in their current work culture?

Why does gamification work in the first place?

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Let's strip it down to the very basics. Why is gamification so effective? Why is every key player in their respective industry so reliant on gamification for employee engagement and satisfaction?

Well, research from TalentLMS found that 83% of employees feel more motivated by gamification, and 61% who hadn’t taken part in gamification felt bored and unproductive.

Although, there is one thing you must keep in mind before we delve into the specifics: gamification is neither a distraction nor a source of entertainment. Despite having the word 'game' in it, gamification is more of a behavioral science.

Businesses have generally had a laid-back approach to gamification, but the onset of the pandemic fast-tracked its adoption. Remote work needed to be made more engaging, or employee productivity would have dipped.

Gamification works because humans are competitive by nature, which has helped humankind survive and evolve for millions of years.

In essence, playing games will help shape your brain and increase the efficiency of your cerebrum, and the excitement and engagement induced by playing a game release dopamine.

But what is dopamine? It’s a neurotransmitter that acts like a 'reward system' for your body. It’s a chemical messenger between your nerves, brain, and body and is released whenever you experience pleasure.

This dopamine release then results in an increase in engagement, motivating employees to work.

4 gamification ideas to motivate your employees

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Gamification has been around for some time now and has effectively evolved parallel to the current technological landscape, but how can you lift your employees' spirits and engagement them in their work?

1. Game-based learning

Game-based learning is one of the best ways to engage your employees and offer them comprehensive training at the same time. Through a basic rewards platform, you can increase employee engagement in training and help them acquire more knowledge in an engaging environment.

Game-based learning generally includes trivia and points-based quizzes, stimulating the brain and offering information. This is also the best way to identify where your employees are falling short and quantify their overall learning.

2. A levels system

Introducing a levels system allows employees to climb up a ladder and gain access to better perks and features as they get higher.

This hierarchy system will go a long way in motivating employees to put in their best efforts and climb to the top of the levels system.

3. Interactive leaderboards and point system

A leaderboard is definitely going to push your employees towards higher productivity fueled by friendly competition. Putting a points-based leaderboard in place will gamify the competition and help your employees pump out some insane results.

4. Active progress bars

A sense of progress is vital when it comes to getting a project done, so an active progress bar is a great way to gamify project progress and encourage employees to achieve more.

Seeing themselves closing in on their end goals is always going to motivate them to put in the effort and produce the best possible end product. These progress bars also help managers keep tabs on how individuals are doing and to see if anyone is falling behind who might need extra support.

Final thoughts

Gamification has now become an integral part of the work environment. With employee expectations also seeing a surge, gamification has become a key component for workplace culture. Here are some reasons why you should introduce a gamification system:

• Serves as motivation for employees and increases productivity
• Propagates transparency and co-operation
• Increases engagement
• Improves the work environment
• Paves the way for innovation and creativity

Gamification first made its entrance in e-learning. By putting students through a series of games, e-learning platforms were able to revolutionize the concept of teaching and make it more engaging.

This method has now been transferred and integrated into the work place and as a result, employee satisfaction and engagement have seen a massive uptick.