13/03/23 Expert opinion

Using Gamification For Employee Retention

Employee retention is an incredibly helpful factor when it comes to running a business. Employees are expensive to replace, and companies often spend around 150% of an employee’s salary on replacing them. In addition, keeping employees around for longer periods of time has other benefits.

The good news is that increasing employee retention is easier than ever. Gamified solutions take advantage of technology to make retention easier.

But what is gamification, and how does it help? Keep reading to find out!

Related: Everything You Need To Know About Gamification

Why Is Employee Retention Important?

Employee retention does two key things: It saves a company money and creates a better staff of workers.

Retention saves money by cutting costs. It costs money to recruit employees, so holding on to them prevents a company from having to spend money on recruitment. In addition, employees need to be trained, which also costs money and takes up valuable time while the employee is not as productive. Taking on new employees means spending more money on training, while holding onto employees prevents this.

On top of this, employee retention creates better workers. It is estimated that it can take anywhere from 1 to 2 years for an employee to become fully productive. This is the point where they are able to contribute fully and are working effectively.

What Is Gamification?

Gamification is the process of taking normal tasks and turning them into games. Within the context of an office, this can take on various forms.

For example, you could teach information by having a group of people repeat it over and over. Or, you could teach the same information in a gamified way by having people discover it across a well-designed virtual treasure hunt. The purpose behind the game is the same as the purpose behind the study sessions; the game is simply a different method of approach.

Want to see just how engaging a gamified experience can be? Request a demo, and get an overview of all of our games!

How does gamification Help?

So, gamification allows companies to conduct tasks in a different way. But how is this better than what companies already do? Well, gamification offers a few key advantages that are not provided through traditional approaches.

Foster Positive Relationships

Group of people talking at a table

Employees stick around when they feel a connection to a company and the people within that company. They don’t want to leave a job they like filled with people they also like. Gamification can foster the relationships necessary to create this environment.

This is because many games are wonderfully social, in another word, most games are designed in multiplayer mode. Simply playing a card game around a table will cause the people playing to become more friendly with one another.

However, digital games go beyond this. Speed gaming puts two employees together for a quick game, then continues to swap out the partnerships until everyone has played with everyone. It is a great way to make introductions and start building relationships. Meanwhile, a Metaverse gives employees an entire world in which they can interact with each other.

Customizable Attention

Everyone wants to work at a place where the company actually cares about them. They don’t want to feel like a mindless drone whose efforts are being ignored entirely.

This is where the customization available from digital games is important. Digital games are built from the ground up with a company’s specific wants and needs in mind. The company can choose from a variety of different game types and formats. Then, the game they choose is created with all the specific information they want to include.

This allows the company to use games specifically made for their workers. A game can include text that recognizes the specific work that employees do. If necessary, a game can even directly mention individuals. No matter what type of customization you are looking for, a digital game can provide it.

Related: 9 Benefits of Team Building In The Age of Remote Work

Opportunity for Rewards and Recognition

Another way to acknowledge employees as individuals is through rewards and recognition. Everyone likes having their work recognized and likes receiving a reward for their work even more. Digital games are the perfect avenue for dispensing these rewards and recognition.

This is particularly true in competitive games. A company could choose to host a quiz race filled with questions about the company. The winner will be the employee who knows the most and, thus, is already deserving of rewards and recognition. As a bonus, the game motivates employees to learn more about the company to prepare for the next quiz race.

Engaging and Fun

On top of all the other benefits of gamification, games are simply fun! People like playing games and appreciate the opportunity to do so. Proving something fun for employees to do will create a mental connection between these fun times and your company.

Most people think of work as a draining place where they count down the hours until returning home. However, by providing a little fun, employees will associate working at your company with positive thoughts.

You can even use fun games like these for more effective employee training. Digital games can be specifically designed to teach employees new information. They are tremendously effective at this because studies have shown that being bored leads to worse memory retention. Specifically, being bored increases the risk of shallow information processing when people only remember the information they are taught for a short time. To boost memory retention, it is necessary to strike out boredom and encourage engagement.

This is where a gamified approach hits its stride. Games are inherently engaging. They require player input to function. They also demand the user’s attention; otherwise, they will lose the game. Essentially, games are the perfect way to fight boredom.

Related: Team Building in the Metaverse: What You Need to Know

 

Implementing Gamification

Group of people talking around a table

Implementing gamification within a workplace is surprisingly easy. In fact, at Emeraude Escape, we can handle the entire game creation process for you.

However, you should be prepared to provide the game creation company with direction. We want to make sure all of your ideas, goals, and workplace needs are included.

Think about the objective you are trying to achieve with your games and which types of games would best suit your needs. In addition, make sure to consider what types of games your employees would appreciate, as the games will only be effective if they enjoy them.

At Emeraude Escape, during the game conceptualization process, our team can discuss these elements to create the perfect game for your organization.

Increasing Employee Retention Through Gamification

If you are looking for ways to increase employee retention at your company, consider gamification. With digital games, you can make your workplace somewhere where employees will want to stay. Plus, when used correctly, games provide a plethora of other benefits.

Ready to get started creating your own custom game? Get in touch with us to discuss your needs with an expert from our team!

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