Revolutionising employee onboarding: a gamified approach to boost performance and engagement

The importance of a motivated and cohesive team cannot be overemphasised in today’s competitive corporate world. As Steve Jobs famously stated in an interview “great things in business are never done by one person, they’re done by a team of people”.

The recruitment process is the first step in developing a successful team, but integrating new personnel effortlessly into the workplace can be difficult. Employees are frequently overwhelmed by the amount of information provided during onboarding. However, an inventive implementation of gamification may make the onboarding process both pleasant and intuitive.

Understanding Gamification

Gamification, defined as the application of game features and design principles in non-game environments, has the potential to turn standard onboarding into a more engaging and rewarding experience. Companies can encourage and engage employees in the assimilation of critical information, such as business values, conventions, and operational procedures, by using game design elements, mechanics, and principles.

Gamification’s Impact on a Variety of Industries

We are all aware with the concept of gamification, which draws similarities from everyday life. Gamification has proven helpful in encouraging individuals, from parents awarding children for performing chores to loyalty programmes in business sectors. Hotels and airlines use points for discounts, while language learning programmes like Duolingo use accomplishment badges to encourage user progress. The success of these apps highlights the ability of gamification to generate behavioural change in a variety of circumstances.

Gamifying Employee Onboarding

Using gamification to drive new workers to quickly understand and adapt to their duties and the company’s culture. Companies can design dynamic experiences that reward employees based on points earned for fulfilling onboarding milestones using mobile applications in our digital age. This gamified method not only makes the process more pleasant, but it also allows for more rapid and effective learning. Creating a bespoke gamification experience, on the other hand, necessitates thorough planning and the involvement of all parties.

Challenges and Dangers

While gamification has enormous potential, its success is dependent on well-defined goals that are in line with end-user expectations. Poorly designed gamification experiences may cause boredom and dropout, undermining the goal. As a result, meticulous planning, execution, testing, and delivery are essential. Addressing user concerns and implementing feedback into gradual improvements are critical for long-term success.

Future Improvements

The incorporation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) represents a possible path for further boosting gamification. The predictive powers of AI can be used to better analyse user behaviour, resulting in ongoing improvements to the gamification process. Companies can enhance motivation, user engagement, and generate substantial behavioural changes by making onboarding a dynamic and personalised experience.

The importance of a well-integrated and motivated team in the pursuit of organisational success cannot be overstated. Gamifying the employee onboarding process not only makes the transition easier for new workers, but it also increases engagement and productivity. Companies that embrace creative strategies like gamification and AI integration may establish dynamic, high-performing teams that drive success in the digital age.

 

By Julius Amegadzie – Lecturer and Department Coordinator, Faculty of Computational Sciences and Informatics. Academic City University College