Businesses are always looking for new ways to increase productivity in the workplace, ultimately helping to improve the overall performance (and therefore finances) of the company. People like a challenge and ‘gamification’ gives employees something to work towards. This doesn’t just increase performance though – it also leads to a happier working environment as individuals experience an uplift in enjoyment, team spirit and general morale.

But what is gamification, and how can businesses implement it? The term describes the incorporation of game-style incentives into everyday or non-game activities, and is slowly becoming a more popular way of motivating employees. According to Keywordtool.io, there are more than 17,000 searches for gamification and associated keywords per month (in the UK), with an increase of 29% for those searching for “gamification business” or “gamification in business” when compared year-on-year.

Neil Draycott, Head of Solutions & Architecture at Business Systems Limited, discusses some ways to introduce this growing trend into your workplace. 

1. Add a target

Adding a target for employees to hit will give them something to focus on and work towards, and is arguably the simplest way to introduce gamification into the workplace, as it can be implemented across the majority, if not all, jobs. If a person’s role is to load boxes, for example, giving them a specific number of boxes to load each hour/day will make sure they are working at a good pace. It will also provide the company with useful data, such as how many boxes an average person can load each hour/day, helping to have informed, realistic expectations of their staff.

The criticism of this method is that once workers hit their target, they will just sit back, relax and productivity will decrease; that’s where further incentives can come into play, to encourage employees to go above and beyond – but remember, we don’t want to burn individuals out, so there is a balance to be had.

2. Levelling up

Rewarding your workers is always a good way to keep them motivated – and therefore keep productivity levels up – so introducing a scheme where workers can have their pay increased or have their job title changed depending on performance will make them want to work hard to achieve that next milestone, big or small. 

Levelling up also highlights to employees that there is opportunity for progression in place, which is key to retention. Recent statistics from Adecco Group show that one in four workers in the world (27%) intend to leave their current position in the next 12 months, and of this 27%, career progression is the third most important reason to move (after finding a better salary and better work/life balance).

If a new starter can see that he/she could become a manager one day, and see that there is a clear route in place for them, they are more likely to stay, work hard and make their way up the ladder.

3. Attendance rewards

Certain workplaces, such as warehouses, often have issues with recruitment. It got so bad in 2021 that British warehouses raised their pay by 20%-30% to secure workers for entry level jobs. Roles that are seen as less desirable could be gamified by offering rewards for maximum attendance – i.e. simply turning up to work every day! For example, if someone was to turn up to every shift in a 12 month period they could receive a monetary reward, extra annual leave or some other benefit. 

You’ve also got to take into account that there are a lot of warehouse jobs out there at the moment, so you’ve got to find a way to not only attract workers but to also keep them. Investing in the break room is a great way to do this. Adding a pool table, for example, can allow people to socialise with their colleagues as well create some friendly competition.

4. Leaderboards

A lot of people enjoy the social aspect of work, getting to talk to their colleagues about whatever has happened at the weekend or what they’ve got going on that day. Why not throw some friendly competition into the mix too? 

Whenever a worker has hit a certain target/goal they could be rewarded with a point, which then goes on a leaderboard which is visible for all to see. Prizes could then be awarded at the end of each day/week/month for those that hit a certain amount of targets, or performed the best (i.e top three). This will incentivise employees to do their job to the best of their ability because they know they will get something out of it if they perform well. The prizes don’t have to be work related either, it could be a gift voucher or experience. 

5. Team challenges

As the famous saying goes, there is no “i” in “team”, and for many individuals team motivation can increase personal motivation. Team challenges are great because they allow people to better bond and communicate more than they would typically otherwise.

Having a group incentive – which may be rewarded with a team lunch out, for example – can also relieve some of the pressure individuals feel, making people feel more comfortable with the gamification process. It goes without saying that an engaged team will have a positive effect on attendance as people are more likely to turn up to work each day if it is an uplifting, social and fun place to be.

With statistics showing that 69% of employees would work harder if they received more recognition, and that company culture is a primary factor for almost half of job seekers, there has never been a more pressing time for businesses to learn and adopt new ways of bringing the best out of their people. We gamify other areas of our lives, through education, or when looking to reach a certain personal achievement, so why not in the workplace too?