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All play, no work! The gamification of the digital workplace.

  • Writer: Laurent Bolli
    Laurent Bolli
  • Jan 4
  • 5 min read

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Gamification has become a transformative strategy for businesses and institutional activities (Sharma et al., 2024). At the same time, the workplace has radically changed with the advent of digital transformation and remote working software environments (Janjua, 2023). 


The idea of exploring game-like elements to enhance employee engagement, motivation, and productivity is not new; Mark J. Nelson (2012) describes it in a fascinating article about the early days of gamification, comparing the Soviet and American approaches.


With the acceleration of remote work following the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers have been active in examining the challenges and best practices of workplace gamification (Chatterjee et al., 2023).

By integrating features such as points, badges, leaderboards, and challenges into workplace activities, organisations aim to transform routine tasks into more engaging and rewarding activities, ultimately driving business success.

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Let us see if it works by digging into some stats (Boskamp, 2023):


  • 72% say gamification motivates them to complete tasks and work harder.

  • 90% of employees report that gamification makes them more productive at work.

  • On average, a gamified work experience leads to a 48% increase in employee engagement.

  • 95% of employees prefer a gamified work experience


These statistics (please refer to the article for complete data) highlight gamification’s effectiveness in enhancing productivity, engagement, and learning outcomes.


However, what are the benefits and challenges of gamification more precisely?


Benefits.


One of the primary advantages of gamification is its ability to instil a sense of achievement and progress, boosting employee motivation and engagement by unlocking rewards and recognition (Mai, 2024). This approach makes work more enjoyable and encourages employees to set and achieve personal and professional goals.


Gamified training programs make “corporate” learning more interactive and immersive, improving information retention and skill acquisition (Capatina et al., 2024). By delivering small-sized content in the work routine, employees learn more effectively without having to dedicate significant time to their daily tasks (Gamification-for-corporate-training, Centrical, 2024)


Gamification increases employee productivity by providing clear goals, progress tracking, and rewards. Centrical – a gamification service company – reports an average 12% increase in productivity among its users. (Unlock Productivity and Engagement With Gamification in the Workplace – Centrical, 2024).


Another important aspect for management is that gamification platforms provide valuable data-driven insights for short-term and long-term analysis (Franck & Franck, 2023). Organisations can track team and individual task completion success, such as watching learning videos, monitoring daily/weekly goals, and assessing overall company performance.


Data can be used to identify the need for specific support and training, helping  HR management to make decisions, especially in remote work settings (Alexafranck & Alexafranck, 2024).


Despite its many benefits, the gamification of the digital workplace also brings critical challenges (Eyal, 2024; Franck & Franck, 2023).

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Challenges.


One issue is unhealthy competition, which fosters stress and negative social dynamics. Companies must ensure that competition remains friendly and inclusive (Lewis, 2023).


Another challenge is aligning gamification elements with employee motivations and company goals to avoid failing to capture interest and enabling the desired behaviours (humansmart.com.mx, n.d.). 


A thorough, costly, and time-consuming research and design process can be necessary to understand what stimulates employees and develop gamification accordingly. 


Overemphasising extrinsic rewards can undermine intrinsic motivation. Employees may focus more on earning rewards than engaging with the task, leading to superficial engagement! (Pandey, 2024; Dahlstrøm & Department of Design, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, n.d.)


Workplace gamification ethics are less discussed, but are a primary concern. As early as 2016, Tae Wan Kim and Kevin Werbach conducted thorough research on the normative aspects of gamification, including autonomy, exploitation, manipulation, and effects on moral values (Kim & Werbach, 2016). 

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Custom development vs. existing platform costs.


So, what are the best options for implementing gamification in my digital workplace? 


Should I follow Salesforce’s example and develop Trailhead, a learning platform gamified as an adventure game where players improve their software skills by completing technical courses?


Or should I use an existing platform like the one presented by Centrical, one of many consulting companies riding the trend? Their website presents a convincing case study about SwissLife, which increased its sales by 10% overall and 45% for new products. 


In a complete article on that question, Marcia Kanazawa (2024) discusses the cost of both approaches. As we can guess, it depends, notably on the available resources and, less expected, the team’s readiness and the organisation’s digital maturity.


The first option involves a significant financial investment, potentially costing thousands of dollars in design and development. However, a customised solution is more likely to be relevant to employee engagement and to align with business objectives.


On the other hand, purchasing an existing gamification platform can be cost-effective, eliminating the need for extensive design and development work.


Nevertheless, organisations must consider licensing, customisation, and integration costs in relation to their existing systems and the limitations of their objectives.


In conclusion, gamification has become increasingly prevalent in today’s digital workplace to boost employee engagement. However, it remains a subject of significant academic interest and ongoing research.


As the optimal implementation strategies to maximise benefits while mitigating potential drawbacks are still being explored, only time will reveal whether gamification is a lasting innovation or a passing trend in the corporate landscape.

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References:

Alexafranck, & Alexafranck. (2024, May 7). Gamification for Employee Engagement: The Pros and Cons. GoProfiles. https://www.goprofiles.io/blog/gamification-for-employee-engagement-pros-and-cons/ 

Boskamp, E. (2023, June 28). 25 Gamification Statistics [2023]: Facts + Trends You Need To Know. Zippia. https://www.zippia.com/advice/gamification-statistics/ 

Capatina, A., Juarez-Varon, D., Micu, A., & Micu, A. E. (2024). Leveling up in corporate training: Unveiling the power of gamification to enhance knowledge retention, knowledge sharing, and job performance. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 9(3), 100530. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jik.2024.100530

Chatterjee, S., Chaudhuri, R., Vrontis, D., & Giovando, G. (2023). Digital workplace and organization performance: Moderating role of digital leadership capability. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 8(1), 100334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jik.2023.100334

Dahlstrøm, C. & Department of Design, Norwegian University of Science and Technology. (n.d.). Impacts of Gamification on Intrinsic Motivation. In Department of Design, Norwegian University of Science and Technology [Journal-article]. https://www.ntnu.edu/documents/139799/1279149990/04+Article+Final_camildah_fors%C3%B8k_2017-12-06-13-53-55_TPD4505.Camilla.Dahlstr%C3%B8m.pdf 

Eyal, N. (2024, May 30). It’s Not All Fun And Games: The Pros and Cons of Gamification at Work. Nir And Far. https://www.nirandfar.com/its-not-all-fun/

humansmart.com.mx. (n.d.). What are the challenges and solutions for implementing gamification in workplace learning? https://humansmart.com.mx/en/blogs/blog-what-are-the-challenges-and-solutions-for-implementing-gamification-in-workplace-learning-88345

Janjua, D. (2023, December 27). The Future of the Digital Workplace: The Rise of Remote Work. . .. Medium. https://medium.com/rising-soul/the-future-of-the-digital-workplace-the-rise-of-remote-work-c3b1dc5a11b5

Kanazawa, M. (2024, June 11). How Much Does Gamification Cost? The Buy or Build Decision -. Mambo Enterprise Gamification Software. https://mambo.io/blog/gamification-software-build-or-buy

Kim, T. W., & Werbach, K. (2016). More than just a game: ethical issues in gamification. Ethics and Information Technology, 18(2), 157–173. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10676-016-9401-5

Lewis, N. (2023, December 21). Be Careful: Gamification at Work Can Go Very Wrong. SHRM. https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/technology/careful-gamification-work-can-go-wrong

Mai, J. (2024, April 15). How Games Can Boost Productivity and Employee Engagement. Performance Assessment Solutions by TrueAbility. https://www.trueability.com/blog/gamification-employee-engagement/

Nelson, M. J. (2012). Soviet and American precursors to the gamification of work. In AcademicMindTrek ’12: International Conference on Media of the Future. https://doi.org/10.1145/2393132.2393138

Pandey, A. (2024, August 20). Understanding Gamification Series: Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation. Upshot.ai. https://www.upshot.ai/blog/understanding-gamification-series-intrinsic-and-extrinsic-motivation/

Real-life Examples of Gamification at Work - Centrical. (2024, June 4). Centrical. https://centrical.com/resources/gamification-examples/

Sharma, W., Lim, W. M., Kumar, S., Verma, A., & Kumra, R. (2024). Game on! A state-of-the-art overview of doing business with gamification. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 198, 122988. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2023.122988

Unlock Productivity and Engagement with Gamification in the Workplace - Centrical. (2024, April 2). Centrical. https://centrical.com/resources/gamification-in-the-workplace/

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