How Gamification Helps in Employee Retention

With more than half of employees open to looking at new opportunities, retention holds the top spot in today’s list of workforce challenges. It’s no longer about higher pay, a promotion or a change in career that is spurring employees to leave their jobs. According to the Achievers Workforce Institute, 46% of survey respondents said they feel less connected to their company, 42% say that their company culture has decreased since the start of the pandemic and only 21% claim to be very engaged at work.
Because today’s employees crave interaction and instant gratification, using gamification can refresh and reimagine your employee engagement and retention efforts. Here are three ways to put gamification to work for you.
Game Shows. Customize company topics to help employees learn about your company and get to know each other better. You can easily find templates for several game shows online – including Jeopardy and Family Feud. Test your employees’ knowledge about the company and about each other and have some fun in the process. Throw in a few prizes to go along with the bragging rights, and you have a great way to build connections between coworkers.
Trivia Contests. Gather personal “fun facts” about employees along with questions on sports, pop culture and movies that can break the ice and create a lot of fun and laughs. A fun idea is the game “Whodunnit.” To play, have your team members write a fact that most people don’t already know on an index card. Collect the cards, shuffle them, and pass them back out.
Each person (or team) takes turns reading aloud their card and then the reader must guess whose fact he or she read. After he or she guesses, the guessed person simply says “yes” or “no”. If the person guesses correctly, the guessed person can briefly explain what they wrote (if desired). The guessing continues until all cards are exhausted. Everyone reveals who wrote which card at the end.
Escape Rooms: Although popular as an in-person event, there are plenty of online options for Escape rooms. In the remote version, teams work together to solve riddles, puzzles, and challenges, letting the entire staff get in on the fun. The benefit of going out to an actual escape room gives your team members opportunities to get to know each other and spend quality time with each other outside of work.
Combining employees with technology has the power to impact your business in increased productivity and positivity. Gamification offers the resources, tools, and training that will bring out the best in your team.