Gamification and Gamified Training – The Future of HR?
Gamification is the application of game playing elements such as rules, competing with other players and scoring points in other areas of activity to promote engagement and solve various challenges.
Studies indicate that most of the employees in the contemporary workforce are either ‘not engaged’ or ‘actively disengaged’ from their jobs. As a result, technologists are proposing the implementation of gamification to increase the level of engagement amongst employees.
The increasing interest in gamifying the modern workplace is proof of the evolution taking place in the human resource industry. Businesses are no longer exclusively focusing on the skillsets when recruiting new employees. Instead, they are looking to develop hired individuals that are content with working under the conditions and environment they are offered.
Another interesting peculiarity in the current work environment is the mindset of millennials; the generation that is taking over the workforce. To them, satisfaction and finding meaning in their job is more important than monetary remuneration. Millennials are unlikely to tolerate an unpleasant workplace so much that if they find it unwelcoming, the probability of them sharing their opinion with their peers is considerably high.
It is evident that both HR executives and the current workforce desire one thing – increasing the engagement levels at the workplace. After all, a satisfied employee is likely to have high productivity, which translates into higher profits for the companies. Technology is fundamental to achieving this common goal, which explains why gamified training is the next big thing in the HR industry.
What is Gamified Training?
Gamified training is a futuristic training concept that combines informative and recreational learning methods in a simulated environment to make it more engaging for the trainees. A gamified training module consists of several game-based learning events that offer interactivity, competition and incentives to the participants.
Lately, gamified training modules are increasingly adopting artificial intelligence and augmented reality. HR executives are using these technologies to gamify their training environments. Essentially, employees are undergoing training in immersive and engaging virtual environments.
The Impact of Gamification
Gamification utilises the competitive streak that is inherent to human beings. As the trainee progresses through the training module, the level of engagement increases significantly, and they feel a greater sense of achievement. Consequently, the trainees become more willing to participate in more training programs.
They also achieve more satisfaction, which, as mentioned earlier, is one of the primary concerns for the modern labour force.
The Elements of Gamified Training
The primary role of the HR department in any businesses to motivate the employees for optimal productivity. That said, here are the elements that typify a gamified training module, which every HR should implement to increase workplace engagement.
Storyline
This is a combination of all the modules that make up the training course. Its objective is to make the training easier to understand.
Levels and Challenges
The training should have various difficulty levels such as easy, medium and advanced. This makes it exciting and competitive.
Leaderboard
The trainees should have access to a table that shows their respective scores in training and compares their performance with other participants. Competing against fellow employees motivates the participants to work harder, which results in higher productivity overall.
Rewards
Another way of motivating participants is by offering rewards and incentives. An individual will undoubtedly put more effort into training if a reward awaits at the end.
Analytics
It is crucial for a company that uses gamified training to evaluate its impact on employees. The easiest way of analysing is by looking at the level of productivity before and after the adoption of gamification.
Potential Benefits of Implementing Gamified Training
HR managers who are considering the adoption of gamified training stand to enjoy the following benefits.
A Unified Workforce
Gamified training is virtual and highly interactive. These unique qualities make it easier to reach a broader audience in different locations concurrently.
Improved Accessibility
Since it is virtual, employees located in remote locations can easily access gamified training modules, either in real-time or through recorded sessions.
Improved Effectiveness
Integrating gamification vastly improves the effectiveness of employee training, as it is more exciting and engaging than other methods.
More productivity
Businesses no longer place great emphasis on talent when hiring individuals. Instead, they value efficiency and productivity, which is easily achievable by adopting gamification.
Conclusion
The adoption rates of gamified training are still relatively low, although it came into existence during the late 2000s. One of the significant reasons behind this is its cost as compared to other methods. It also requires more time to design and implement.
Ideally, a gamified training module should captivate the trainee, engage him/her with a purposeful storyline, provide challenges and provides recommendations for improvement to the HR team. As technology advances, it will much cheaper to implement gamified training, and more HR teams will certainly adopt this method.