I really enjoyed Yogita Tuisiani's article on the value of gamification in the HR space. As humans, we are wired for challenge, conquest, the hunt if you will. That applies to learning also. As a matter of fact, HR Exchange Network (Sept. 2020) shared an interesting statistic about adding game based learning as part of your company's the professional development offering to employees. "It increases your employees’ engagement, improves retention of material by 9%, and see course applicability rates upwards of 98% in the workplace. So let's jump into the article courtesy of Yogita Tuisiani below.
Technology and digital transformations are revolutionising the HR landscape. In recent years, Gamification has popularly become a significant technique to facilitate improved employee management and experience. According to the estimates of Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report (2017), the average percentage of employee engagement is extremely low in India. There are only 13% of the Indians who are engaged at work. Nowadays, prominent organizations are emphasizing on using gaming techniques in HR management for strategic decision making and boosting an overall employee experience.
Understanding Gamification in HR.
Gamification is an absolute – far-reaching way to improve talent acquisition and management in today’s competitive era. The utilization of game mechanics in non-game scenarios – mainly in recruitment, training, and development solves complex issues, builds interpersonal communication, and creates strong relationships at the workplace. Unlike following the traditional approach, the process takes the leverage of data-driven methods to stimulate participation and engagement. It reinforces communication strategies to encourage the users to mobilize interactive environment. Furthermore, it drives the adoption of behaviour-motivating techniques through a unique blend of technology and psychology.
How does it work in HR management?
Human psychology is directly influenced by competence, participation, and driving of interest in an activity. The talent managers use competence to make the workplace stronger and help employees reach pre-determined goals. They use mechanics that set the required objectives, promote recognition and collaboration. With a competitive spirit, the employees raise their stake among peers that further helps in levelling up through sustained achievement. Implementation of gaming mechanisms cultivates company culture, boosts employee motivation, and engagement. Additionally, when employees win the desired tasks, they are rewarded that further promotes positive brand image and culture.
The gaming mechanisms are a smart way of finding candidates with innovative thinking, creativity and time management. For the application of gamification, talent managers make effective use of dashboards and leader boards to track the recruiting progress and identify top performers. Additionally, virtual headhunting tools, puzzles, rewards, real-time progress charts, and badges also make the recruitment process more interactive and add more value to the selection process.
Recruitment and selection initiatives.
Gamification works amazingly in attracting the best talent. By integrating the gaming mechanism in interview processes, talent managers are able to assess a candidate’s behaviour, and sentiments. The process is coupled with introducing quizzes related to industry challenges and behavioural tests. These mechanisms make the interview process more conversational, interactive and helps in recruiting the candidate with relevant skills and experience.
The gaming mechanisms are a smart way of finding candidates with innovative thinking, creativity and time management. For the application of gamification, talent managers make effective use of dashboards and leader boards to track the recruiting progress and identify top performers. Additionally, virtual headhunting tools, puzzles, rewards, real-time progress charts, and badges also make the recruitment process more interactive and add more value to the selection process.
Training & development.
Implementation of gaming mechanisms in training strengthens the learning strategy of talent managers. It uses principles of training aligned with learning objectives to deliver a highly engaging atmosphere for the training and development of employees. A strong training strategy, amalgamated with suitable gaming mechanisms identifies knowledge gaps and helps in improving performance. It also includes the introduction of new technology and tools that encourages employee development and helps them grow. Furthermore, it provides proficiency gain and triggers the behavioural change that is imperative for improved learning outcomes.
Employee engagement.
Employee engagement is crucial for effective internal communication. With the mechanism of gaming, talent managers align goals with valuable time and realistic deadlines to drive efficiency. When the goals are properly aligned, the managers easily identify the gaps in a candidate’s incompetency and takes necessary steps including adequate coaching to achieve the desired objectives.
With gamification techniques, talent managers keep the competition under control and make sure it stays productive and friendly to maintain harmony at the workplace. They also use leader boards to track the progress, facilitate recognition, and reward their efforts to encourage interaction and engagement. Using these techniques on a daily routine indirectly guides them in aligning personal growth with business objectives for continued mutual success.
Adding the gamification technique in talent management practices spurs employee motivation and retention. The benefits that gaming mechanisms deliver help in driving employee behaviour and organizational efficiency. While reducing costs and overcoming employee challenges result in improved ROI and result in sustainable growth. Consequently, talent managers can make constructive use of gamification to complement performance, interest and retention.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article above are those of the authors' and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of this publishing house