Gamification: The Savior Of Employee Productivity

Less than one-third (31.5%) of U.S. workers were engaged in their jobs in 2014, according to a 2015 Gallup poll. Here’s how Gamification can improve that metric.

Looking for a new form of Monday Motivation? Gamification may be your answer.

According to a recent survey, 78% of workers are utilizing games-based motivation at work, via performance-based contests, leaderboards, etc.

More importantly, nearly all workers (91%) say these systems improve their work experience by increasing engagement, awareness, and productivity.

A New Frontier In Employee Productivity

Game-based motivation — including competitions, goal-setting, performance rewards, success statistics, and status recognition — appeals to workers, with 95% of participants saying that they enjoy using gamification.

According to the findings, gamification increases productivity levels for 90% of workers and increases awareness of co-workers’ goals and tasks for 86%.

The top benefits of gamification, according to survey respondents, are increased engagement at work, inspiration to be more productive and increased focus and ability to stay on task. (30%, 27%, and 20%, respectively).

Beyond increasing workplace productivity and engagement, game-based motivation has proven incredibly successful at motivating employees.

The survey revealed that only 31% of employees are most motivated by monetary awards or increased salary.

The other 69% of employees? They find the most motivation in one of the following: High performance, feelings of professional satisfaction, on-the-job recognition, the support of their colleagues, and advanced learning opportunities.

The survey also finds that younger generations have heightened expectations for their workplaces to utilize gamification as a motivational tool.

Nearly 75% of survey respondents aged 22-35 years say gamification should be expected in a modern organization. More than half of survey respondents aged 36-55 share that outlook.

And across all age groups, 72% of survey respondents asserted that putting gamification solutions in place would inspire them to work harder.

There may be additional benefits to gamification, according to a recent Inc. article.

“Employees who undergo a structured onboarding experience are 58 percent more likely to remain with a company for at least three years. Using gamification in your onboarding process can contribute to greater engagement, and therefore greater retention.”

According to Badgeville, survey participants were a mix of managers (60%), mid-level employees (20%), executives (16%), and entry-level employees (4%).

For more information on how Ambition can help your sales team improve its employee ramp, productivity, and retention, check out our case study in the Harvard Business Review.

Read More: Gamification and Productivity in the Workplace