Punching in and out seems easy enough, doesn't it? However, in practice, your staff members might not be as conscientious about recording their time as you would want, particularly if they are overworked, preoccupied, or simply forgetful. This is where gamification of the workforce by the employees may truly help.

And no, we're not talking about putting dartboards in the restroom. We're discussing a simple, efficient, and doable method for maintaining your team's punctuality, organization, and—above all—motivation. Here's how to properly implement gamification to increase staff engagement.

Transforming Mundane Tasks with Employee Gamification: Boost Engagement, Productivity, and Morale

Through employee gamification, mundane or neglected jobs are turned into enjoyable endeavors that your employees eagerly anticipate finishing, all with the extra motivation of prizes or recognition. It could take the form of extra time off, a badge on a leaderboard, an employee of the month award, or even a shout-out for a job well done.

However, why is this relevant? Employees of all ages and in all roles may find monotonous and inflexible tasks such as time tracking. But for employers, these are necessary to keep things running smoothly. It's easier to manage personnel numbers when you know who is and isn't working, so you don't have too many or too few employees during busy or slow times. It is also essential for precisely tracking labor expenditures for payroll and invoicing.

But how do you thank your employees for their hard work in a way that goes beyond a simple high five? Employee gamification can help with that.

Gamification provides a variety of ways to say "well done!" and encourages an interesting and stimulating work atmosphere. It increases overall productivity and fortifies your business model financially in addition to improving efficiency. Both your staff and the company will benefit from it. What's the best thing, then? It is easy, quick, and affordable to implement, so you can start enjoying the benefits straight away.

Trends and Data on Employee Gamification That Will Have You Pressing the Play button

Although employee gamification is not new, recent occurrences such as the COVID-19 outbreak have brought it to prominence and brought about novel modifications that benefit both businesses and employees. Business owners found new ways to track hours and productivity as well as use technology to engage and reward their staff, especially younger workers who are already addicted to their phones. This was due to the shift in many workers from in-person roles to remote work. Coffee shops, restaurants, and other on-site organizations adopted gamification practices as a result of these gamification techniques fast returning to in-person operations.

With almost a third of the world's population, Generation Z is expected to overtake millennials as the most numerous generation on Earth, according to Deloitte. Businesses need to adjust as a result of this demographic transition.

According to Deloitte's research, Gen Z workers have specific demands for their places of employment. They place a higher priority on professional growth, cherish financial stability even more than professional satisfaction, and frequently like working alone as opposed to in a group.

Here's when gamification of employees comes in handy.

Businesses can engage and encourage their Gen Z workforce by showing digital leaderboards that reward accomplishments or by implementing innovative strategies like "streak" competitions, which go beyond simple time tracking.

Remember that gamification of the workplace isn't limited to younger employees.

According to 2019 TalentLMS research, 88% of participants said that gamification increased their level of happiness at work. This figure demonstrates how appealing gamification is to people of all ages. Gamification helps staff members stay organized and better manage their schedules by giving them the resources and technology they need to work more productively. It can also improve manager-employee communication, promoting positive working relationships. To sum up, gamification is an enjoyable and successful tactic that has the potential to save expenses.

Gamification Ideas for Employees to Track Their Time

Employees might be encouraged to manage their time more efficiently and enjoy the process by converting time monitoring into a game. Rewards are often emphasized, which can raise spirits and increase output.

"Eight of the 10 largest private U.S. employers track the productivity metrics of individual workers, many in real time," as reported by the New York Times. However, this kind of surveillance might cause mistrust and disengagement if it isn't carried out openly and with employee participation. How then can you use time monitoring and productivity indicators to the advantage of your teams?

These four employee gamification suggestions encourage achievement without lowering standards or lowering morale.

1. Gamification of employees and leaderboards

Leaderboards are a great way to encourage a little healthy rivalry among coworkers. They keep track of performance indicators, which can change based on your company: the quantity of desserts added to meals, the number of scoops served in an hour, or the amount of overtime that has been worked. It's important to keep things visual so that workers can always see where they stand. This brings some fun into the daily grind while also encouraging students to set personal objectives and track their progress. Who doesn't love a little competition, after all?

Leaderboards are ideal for showcasing and rewarding staff members who continuously go above and beyond expectations because they are especially useful for social comparison and recognition.

2. Gamification of employees and badges

Digital or physical badges are useful instruments for identifying and honoring staff accomplishments. Three main elements are usually involved: a goal, an achievement, and a reward. The employee's responsibilities are outlined in detail in the target, their progress is monitored through accomplishments, and their achievements are recognized with rewards.

For example, a badge could be given for reaching a certain number of customer sign-ups for a loyalty program, getting 10 name mentions in customer reviews, or closing the store successfully a predetermined number of times. Employees are not only encouraged by this method, but their contributions are also visibly acknowledged.

3. Gamification of employees and training

The use of online avatars, incentives for mastering menu items, and accurate shift and time-work documentation are just a few examples of gamification. You may create a more immersive and engaging learning environment by including these components in training. Workers are more inclined to actively participate, and their learning outcomes get better.

Make sure your gamified training is thoroughly recorded in your onboarding system for ease of access and understanding if you want to optimize its efficacy.

Employee Gamification Training Tip: Divide up the learning materials into manageable chunks and present them in an engaging but instructive manner. This strategy avoids staff burnout and maintains their engagement.

4. Gamification of employees and goals

It's easy to become carried away with the novelty of introducing new components to your workplace, such as badges, trophies, and stylish avatars, but when introducing employee gamification, it's imperative to begin with a well-defined business objective.

Consider your goals thoroughly before introducing your team to new technologies. Maybe you're trying to raise morale because you've spotted problems like workers clocking in for themselves. Perhaps you want to make time tracking more interesting in order to increase punctuality. Alternatively, you may wish to implement a system that pays staff members for the additional time and effort they devote to training new workers.

In any event, prior to implementing any gamification strategy, a clear business objective with quantifiable success criteria must be established.

Let's concentrate on time tracking, a chore that staff members frequently neglect or perform badly. Studies reveal that employee time theft costs American businesses almost 20% of every dollar made. For an employee who is five minutes late for every shift, calling it "theft" can seem harsh, but those minutes add up.

By adding functions like quick rewards ("You've been clocking in on time for a while! "Keep it up!" and solutions that let mobile or remote teams work together with time clocks, integrated messaging, and notifications, so that staff members feel more like you're assisting them in succeeding than you're just keeping an eye on them.

A brief guide on choosing the best gamification software for employees

Your business goals are clear, and you've got Gen Z employees on board—now it's time to select the right employee gamification platform. Before diving into your search, here are a few key factors to consider:

→ Complies with your goals

Have a precise purpose in mind for the implementation of a gamification platform and a well-defined objective? Perfect. It is now necessary to ensure that the implementation you are doing can support that. The platform you choose should be appropriate for the workforce as well as for your intended outcome. For instance, you should make sure that the software your team is using can be configured to measure labor costs and time by hour, department, role, and more if your goal is to manage time by department.

DonaLeb provides reasonably priced business growth solutions, with an emphasis on hourly workers, for a multi-featured product that includes time tracking, employee communication, and employee happiness.

→ A solid user experience

Your particular workforce should be taken into consideration while designing the user experience of your employee gamification platform. Make sure it has basic directions that are easy to follow, is visually appealing, and is easy to understand.

Because productivity and time management go hand in hand, you should design your platform so that employees feel at ease utilizing it and desire to interact with it whenever necessary. It must be something they are interested in participating in.

It's also critical to ensure that your platform is customized for every employee. This implies that they ought to have access to their own account and features, such as the ability to log in using a personal device and view any messages sent to employees.

Why is time-tracking gamification important?

Gamification in the workplace allows workers greater freedom to efficiently manage their time. This often makes work much easier and more pleasurable, particularly when it emphasizes rewarding positive conduct. Don't forget to make sure that all tracking is done in a transparent manner that inspires and engages staff members. It's far less Big Brother and a little more open.

Would you like to add some gamification to your time tracking? DonaLeb offers a free trial of it now.

Your team will appreciate it, maybe with a shout-out in front of everyone on the leaderboard.