How Gamification Can Help In Recruiting, Training And Retaining Employees

two office workers holding tabletsAre you aware that the benefits of gamification go beyond the training program of the Human Resources Department? You would think that this is the only logical implementation of gaming concepts. But in truth, it is not.

The HRD of a company is usually responsible for the wellbeing of all the employees. The people in this department are encouraged to use various tools and methods that will help them ensure that employees are happy and satisfied while they are employed in the company. The idea is to keep the turnover rate of employees low. That way, any investment made on every employee will be worth it for the company.

Little do people know, gaming is one of the ways that the company HRD can accomplish this. It does not have to be limited to training programs only. It can be used from recruitment, training programs and up to retention.

The question is, how can this be done?

Let us begin with recruitment. When you are recruiting employees, your primary concern is to find the perfect talent that will fit the requirements of the company. Academic qualifications can be easily identified through documents. But when it comes to identifying skills, that would be a bit more difficult to prove – unless you use gamification.

One thing you can do is to set up an online game for any applicant who will send their CVs via the company website. This game can be in any form – a simulation, question and answer, or a cause and effect test. The objective of the game will be to determine how the applicant will react to the usual scenarios that they will encounter should they be hired for the position they are applying for. This will help the company filter out the applicants with the right skill and disposition for the job.

When it comes to training, this is an easy implementation. In fact, this is the most logical way that gamification can be used by the HRD. Every time there is an update, upgrade or anything new that has to be taught, a game is the best way to ensure that the new skill or knowledge is successfully grasped by the employee. The HRD has to make sure that the investment on that particular training was worth it. Although this can be done through a simple question and answer test, gaming is a more entertaining and engaging way of doing it. You can make it easier for the employee to understand how these new information can be applied in their daily tasks through simulations and similar gaming forms.

Lastly, you can use gaming to help increase the retention rate of the employees in the company. In truth, continuous training is one way to do this. As long as an employee feels that they can learn and grow in a work environment, they are more likely to stay. But beyond that, you can also use gaming to help measure the satisfaction and well being of employees in the company.

Some companies have created an in-house social network where employees are free to interact and exchange ideas and concepts with each other. It is a platform by which they can strengthen their relationships, not just with fellow colleagues, but with the company too. This platform can be used by the HRD to implement a game that will help them measure the satisfaction and well being of the employees in the work place.

A healthy competition can even be set up within the office to help boost camaraderie between colleagues. These games should be light and may not be related to any business process in the company. When employees start making friends in the office, this can really boost the retention rate and loyalty to the company.

There are probably other ways for the HRD in a company to use gamification beyond their training programs. One thing is for sure, the fun and competitive spirit that it promotes will help establish relationships within the company.

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