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VERONICA AMAYA-GIRALDO
Associate, Workplace Strategy
Global Occupier Services
PATRICK SYMES
Workplace Strategy Consultant
Global Occupier Services
MACIEJ MARKOWSKI
Partner, Head of Workplace
Strategy CEE
Global Occupier Services
Today’s kids are no stranger to the
world of gaming. The education sector
is rapidly adopting gamification to make
learning more engaging and relevant to
the young generations. As a result, this
is influencing the way people want and
expect to work within the workplace
now and in the years to come. Therefore,
employers would be prudent to adopt
these methods to ensure a smooth
transition from education to the
workplace. Gallup highlights that the
millennial perennial gamer will make up
75% of the workforce by 2025, yet they
are the most disengaged group at work.
However it is not only millennials who
are disengaged – in total, only 35.5% of
people are engaged with their work.
Research shows that when people are
carrying out a task, particularly one that
is interesting or enjoyable, they are less
motivated by financial reward.
This means that a virtual star – as
counterintuitive as this sounds – could
be a stronger incentive than a cash
bonus.
Without going into the scientific details
of dopamine, we know that winning
makes us feel good. In fact, sometimes
intrinsic rewards are more effective
in motivating and engaging people.
Intrinsic motivators might be individual
achievement or aspirations, self-
esteem, social respect and admiration,
working towards common goals or
simply having fun. Thus
gamification provides a key
source of motivation where
financial reward (an extrinsic
motivator) cannot reach.
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, AND
GAMIFICATION IS URGING PLATFORMS
TO NOT ONLY SPEED UP THE LEARNING
PROCESS BUT ENGAGE MORE PEOPLE
TOWARD COMPLETING THEIR TRAINING.
WHAT DOES THE CRYSTAL BALL
TELL US ABOUT THE FUTURE
OF GAMIFICATION?
It’s undeniable that technology will
continue to play a significant role in the
workplace. The advent of natural language,
emotion detection software and hardware
and augmented reality are becoming far
more accessible. Augmented reality may
allow us to create games where we are
rewarded for completing mundane tasks
efficiently and effectively. Soon, getting
those invoices processed will be child’s
play.
Staff wellness is already on the agenda
for many organizations, but gamification
could continue to drive its prominence. As
an organization, you are no longer simply
offering staff the choice to take part in
wellness initiatives, but games actively
encourage people to put their health and
wellness first. Headspace, the increasingly
popular meditation App, already offers
team services to work towards wellbeing
and incorporate a reward scheme.
The moderately slow speed of the
adoption of gamification in business world
has to do with the difficulty of creating an
enjoyable game. You cannot just assign
points for tasks, create a leader board and
expect everyone will suddenly become
extra-charged and motivated. It is critical
to identify the challenges you wish to solve
as well as the intrinsic motivators for your
employees. The implementation is not
easy, but results can be extraordinary.
One thing is sure, the corporate use of
gamification will only increase, and it will
make our jobs more satisfying and fun.
Perhaps it is time to update the modern
adage: don’t hate the player and certainly
don’t hate the game.
GAME ON. WHY IS GAMIFICATION IMPORTANT?
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