Why Gamification In Business Can Increase Employee Training Participation
Employees are the lifeblood of your organization. They help customers, seal the deal, and uphold your public image every day. This means that you need their full cooperation in online training. You can only build the buzz to a point and staffers must be emotionally invested in personal development. Thankfully, you can use gamification in business to get their buy-in and bolster self-confidence, as well as track performance, improve accountability, and facilitate practical application. Here are 7 reasons why you should use game-based learning and gamification to turn employees into training advocates.
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7 Reasons To Incorporate Gamification In Your Business And Encourage Employee Buy-In
1. Bridge Performance Gaps
Performance gaps are the bane of your company’s existence, but they also weigh heavy on employees’ minds. Staffers want to be at the top of their game. Knowing that gamification training can help them address personal pain points is a major perk. They’re more likely to buy into your game-based learning program if they’re aware of the real-world benefits. For example, the activity will help them build communication skills or boost their sales figures. Simply bridging gaps is a reward in itself.
2. Collect (And Provide) Training Feedback
Another reason to use gamification in business to get employees on board is that it allows you to collect vital learner data. As well as provide feedback to help them continually improve and broaden their talents. You’re able to track their progress and proficiency levels, while employees can monitor their own problem areas and disclose hidden strengths. Best of all, it’s discreet. Employees don’t have to share their weaknesses with the group or constantly turn to managers for assistance. Gamification empowers them to take charge of their development and chart their own course. Not earning enough points highlights a gap they might not have discovered otherwise.
3. Personalize The Process
Professional training needs to happen on a personal level for employees to buy in. Gamification in business caters to diverse preferences, personality types, and work roles. Everyone finds something that motivates and inspires them to do better on the job. For instance, some people prefer to track their performance with badges, while more competitive employees want to battle it out on the leaderboards. They can also focus on specific areas for improvement at their own pace as long as they achieve the objectives and meet the training requirements/deadlines.
4. Incentivize Your Program
I mentioned earlier that filling gaps is enough to motivate most employees. However, it never hurts to up the ante and incentivize your training program. Game-based learning and gamification training involve rewards that remind employees of their progress and give them a gentle nudge. Have they already earned a sufficient amount of points or should they dedicate more time to online training? Which badges are still missing from their online display case? Which activities do they need to complete their collection? It’s not merely achieving goals and objectives. Gamification adds a visual element and sense of achievement that fuels their internal drive.
5. Immerse Employees In Relatable On-The-Job Scenarios
Everyone’s had embarrassing moments on the job. Maybe they mishandled a customer issue or forgot how to perform a task halfway through and had to ask a coworker. Gamification imparts experiential knowledge that helps employees overcome common obstacles. They’re immersed in realistic challenges, situations, and settings that build self-assurance and awareness. They’re no longer in the dark about skills or knowledge they lack.
6. Improve Real-World Application
Ultimately, training is intended for the real world. Employees must be able to move all the stored knowledge and experience into the workplace. Or else, your training investment is wasted on theoretical know-how that doesn’t contribute to your bottom line or employee retention. Gamification in business and training yields measurable results. Staffers are able to see how the course will help them improve work habits and behaviors. Every in-game interaction, reward, and feedback brings them one step closer to achieving their potential. For example, the activity involves a client meeting. They learn how to actively listen to the client’s needs, negotiate a fair price, and persuade them to purchase add-on products. Failure to make a deal draws their attention to bad habits they must break or talents they must develop.
7. Give Them Control Of Their Own Development
Learners need to know that they are in control of their own professional growth—that their unique needs matter to your organization. The only way to win them over is to empower employees and encourage them to pursue their personal goals. Such as devoting more time to mastering work tasks or working on their customer service skills. Gamification is all about custom-tailored training. Employees choose activities that resonate with them and earn rewards that tie into their job duties or roles. They’re more likely to engage with the content because it isn’t one-size-fits-all. Every member of the team tracks their own training performance and takes charge. That said, there should be some structure involved, like gamification rules and clear evaluation criteria. What’s expected of them? Are there any training milestones/dates in place? How are you going to hold them accountable?
Conclusion
Gamification in business is so effective because it taps into employees’ primary source of motivation, which is to earn while they learn. Accruing points, adding another badge to their collection, and moving to the next level incentivize the training experience. It’s proof that you don’t need monetary rewards to boost their motivation and encourage them to buy in. Use this guide to bridge gaps, enhance the immersion, and facilitate real-world application with eLearning gamification.
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Badges, points, levels, and serious games don’t have to be a distraction. Nor do they require an expert game designer. You just need to know the basic rules of GBL to implement a successful strategy. Download our eBook Put It Into Practice: Tips To Use Training Games For Experiential Learning for insider secrets.
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