Gamification is a term that is increasingly being tossed around in companies, but many do not really understand what it means or how to apply it to HR processes. When used properly, gamification may have huge benefits for an organization. With the increasing trend towards gamification, it is wise for HRIS vendors to begin gamifying processes and for companies to tend towards HRIS brands that offer flexibility, so that gamification can be incorporated easily.
What is Gamification?
Gamification occurs when systems that are ordinarily used in games, such as score tallying, are applied to non-game environments. In the workplace, an HRIS can be “gamified” to make training, wellness, recruiting, and many other areas more fun. By making these job functions fun, employee motivation is naturally increased.
Improving Recruitment with Gamification
When recruitment processes are gamified, potential employee candidates receive rewards such as points or incentives for completing each step of the application process. This may help to attract talent to a company, as the company is more likely to be viewed as a pleasant place to work, right from the start. HR labor time may also be saved, as employee candidates are motivated to complete as many steps as possible to reap benefits.
Improving Training with Gamification
Training that is mandatory for HR compliance, such as harassment and diversity training, is often seen as a grueling task. By making these training programs available on HRIS and gamifying the way that the training is presented and completed, employees may be more inclined to complete the training quickly. This can save HR professionals time from having to remind and keep after employees to complete the training and can make the tasks seem easier and more enjoyable for employees.
Gamifying Wellness Programs
Wellness programs are relatively easy to gamify, as employees can easily track progress and update goals as benchmarks are met. Gamifying wellness can help motivate employees to participate in healthier activities by offering points or other incentives for things like meeting certain daily workout targets. When employees are motivated to participate in wellness programs, employees may become healthier, which may have the added benefits of increasing productivity and reducing absences.
Gamification and Employee Engagement
According to a recent poll, about 71 percent of employees report disengagement from work and company goals, which can seriously impact productivity and profit margins. Gamification helps to increase engagement by to catering to the natural human desires to achieve, compete, and be recognized. Gamification provides employees with instant gratification by not only giving immediate feedback, but also immediate rewards.
Implementing Gamification
Implementing gamification can be a very simple process if it is done correctly and the HRIS is set up to allow configuration changes. The hardest part about implementing gamification is establishing goals that will be effective in helping the company to achieve real results, so time should be taken to make sure that goals are realistic, achievable, and productive. After goals have been established, the tracking processes can be easily automated in the HRIS and HR managers can simply check to ensure accuracy before awarding incentives.
