The rise of smartphones and video game consoles has led gaming to eclipse both film and music as the biggest contender in the entertainment industry. With easy access to gaming apps on our mobiles and tablet devices, so many of us interact with gamification in some way on a daily basis.
A number of businesses have recognised the potential that lies in transforming employee benefits into valuable assets which staff can interact with every day. What’s more, gamifying these benefits is an effective way to captivate people’s attention, and many businesses see the perks of using gamification to further engage and incentivise positive change amongst their workforce.
Companies that adopt gamification in the workplace are proven to see lower rates of turnover, improved productivity and an increase in prospective new talent. When used effectively, gamification can help employers take care of their people’s financial, mental and physical wellbeing.
An example of a company providing businesses with a means of incorporating gamification into the day is yulife, a new lifestyle-insurance company.yulife aims to empower employees to take control of their health and wellbeing through its game-based app. The app records activities, such as the number of steps walked each day and time spent meditating. People are rewarded for their activity in the form of ‘yucoin’, which can be exchanged for rewards from some of yulife’s partners such as ASOS, Amazon and Nike. The partner offers are one of yulife’s biggest appeals, incentivising users to maintain their healthy behaviour.
Beth Sutton, Account Manager at recruitment agency Brighterbox, has observed numerous changes taking place since the company adopted yulife. “The game element of the app is a fantastic way to encourage the office to make healthier choices in their daily lives,” said Beth. “It has been so simple to incorporate these challenges into our busy office schedule. For example, the 30–minute walking quest on the app motivates us to arrange walking meetings in a bid to increase our daily step count.”
Beth recognises that the leader board element is also a great motivator and has proven effective at encouraging greater team interaction through healthy competition. “The competitive element encourages camaraderie amongst the team. I think it’s brought out quite a competitive streak in a few of us!” said Beth.
The promise of yucoin is also a great incentive. “We are so committed to walking as much as we can – we’re all constantly in pursuit of earning more yucoin. It’s a fantastic initiative that has got us all moving. What’s more, it tunes to your progress, encouraging us to push ourselves every single day.”
This creative way of fostering greater engagement in the workplace is due to continue to grow in the UK. The sense of achievement associated with gamification – be it completing tasks or securing reward incentives – helps keep staff in a positive mindset, which in turn boosts productivity in the workplace.
