Gamification is a great way of spurring participation. Here are four examples of how you can incorporate it into your Employee Recognition and Rewards Program.
That feeling when you win - we all know how exhilarating it is. That's why it's no surprise how widespread gamification has become. It's everywhere, from the apps you use on your phone to your customer loyalty programs. In fact, by 2021 the global gamification market is expected to be worth nearly $17 billion, Statista reports.
One area of business that is extremely well-suited to gamification is Employee Rewards and Recognition. Here are some examples of how you can incorporate game elements into your rewards program.
1) Introduce an element of competition
By far the simplest way to use gamification in a rewards program is to introduce an element of competition. Many of your employees will be naturally competitive (think of that sales team member who's always hunting for a great deal). Gamification allows you to harness this competitive spirit in a positive way.
It's essential your employees understand the gamification system.
Create a leaderboard system whereby different activities win certain points. For example, generating revenue or closing a deal would get 10 points, while booking a meeting might get five. You don't want to just base it on revenue though. Undergoing training, helping a fellow employee out - these should all be worth something in your rewards system to ensure everyone feels they can participate.
Once you've worked out all the activities you want to reward and how many points each one gets, share this with your employees. When introducing gamification it's essential your team understands the points system, otherwise they may feel disaffected because they don't know why some people are getting points and others aren't.
You don't just have to base rewards on individual achievement either. Group competitions help foster teamwork, while providing an experiential reward that gives the winning team a chance to interact with each other outside of work will improve team spirit even more.
2) Create a rating system
A lot of people who use Uber do their best to keep their rating as high as possible - this can be a great motivator for employees too. For example, customer experience is everything nowadays, so consider asking clients to rate the service provided by each of your employees. You can then reward team members who receive the highest accolades from their customers, as well as recognise those who improve over time.
3) Make it "VIP"
VIP systems work because people like to feel they're part of an exclusive club. Introducing a VIP element to your gamification, whereby employees have to do a certain number of activities to get into a special level of reward, will spur them on to achieve even more. You can then reserve the best prizes, things like incentive travel, for this special group. Just make sure the rest of your company doesn't feel left out - everyone needs to understand how they get into the VIP group so they all know they have a chance.
4) Introduce a game your employees already know
Each year McDonald's does a customer promotion that incorporates elements of Monopoly. This works because people already know the rules and people like things that are familiar to them. You can do something similar in your rewards program, incorporating aspects of a popular game that your employees already know of. This will help to familiarise your team members with the rewards system and hopefully encourage them to participate more.
Gamification in rewards with Power2Motivate
At Power2Motivate we have years of experience creating Rewards and Recognition Programs that work, and we understand exactly how to use gamification to spur participation and drive results. To find out more about how we use gamification in our programs, contact the team today or request a demo.