Gamification and HR Management
Introduction
In the previous article, we considered gamification in relation to the information security sphere, taking into account the relevant specifics. Now we would like to discuss something that already exists in some form in many companies that may relate not only to information security, but still use game methods in their work. What are these games, why are they implemented in work?
Games in the work process
Goals and objectives of games
Let's start with why it was necessary to transfer formalized processes within the company into a game format. In some cases, the process needs to be either accelerated or simplified (for the employee). When it comes to explaining something to the employee quickly and clearly, an individual approach can be formalized and presented in a game form.
The game can also be used for additional motivation and feedback from colleagues or superiors (a positive assessment of work will be perceived in a more positive way, and a negative one – in a less negative way). We will consider this in more detail using examples below.
Initially, when workplace gaming was just a buzzword, it was about teaching employees something new by letting them try on new roles in a simulated work situation.
The game can be used, among other things, to diversify the work process (this is also more about motivation) and to get more out of your work and routine tasks.
If you combine all the goals to create one game, you will get a full-fledged system for searching for signs of early burnout in employees, tracking the emotional and work background during communication between employees, cross-assessment and much more.
What is interesting is that at the moment games are used only “for good” and have exclusively positive reinforcement for the user. At least, we have not encountered the opposite.
Where games live
Different companies in different industries use different patterns to implement gameplay; however, some of them are similar and can be grouped into certain groups.
First of all, let's consider the need to implement games in general. How the workflow changes in the direction of moving away from formal representation depends on several factors:
The company's area of activity – for example, banks and telecom have different approaches; their processes, relevant only among their peers, are among the first to acquire a gamified form (for example, the introduction of this element into banking applications or internal games for sales of mobile devices).
Formalization of internal processes – sometimes gaming techniques are implemented everywhere, and sometimes – selectively in the hiring/firing processes, since they require increased attention due to the large number of employees passing through them.
The need to develop an employee's skills in the absence of more complex tasks – then such tasks are simulated in a game form and can at least prepare a person to solve similar problems in the future.
As a team grows, it becomes increasingly difficult for a manager to monitor the general state of their subordinates in real time; it is easy to miss the first signs of burnout or disappointment in the company.
Games for the sake of games. Routine processes, including those that are currently impossible, difficult or expensive to automate, may be easier to present in a game format.
Let's look at the most popular activities that have already been implemented in companies.
Types of games
Games for new employees
When a new person, even a very competent one, comes to work, the biggest challenge for him is the established internal processes of the company.
Who to contact, who to ask questions to correctly – all this can be obtained without games in several ways:
Contact HR. Yes, this may be the accepted practice in a company, especially if the company is small. But there may be many departments, each with its own specifics, and there won't be enough HR for everyone.
Contact your manager or mentor. This is a classic story, in which the manager or a more experienced employee takes newcomers through a process that has already been worked out in the department (including the answers to all questions can be prepared in advance and described in some Wiki). But you still won’t be able to get rid of all the questions.
Ask your colleagues. The most likely answer is honest and true, but the work won't do itself and you won't be able to distract people so often.
Many companies (for some reason, most often in the banking sector) already have games for newcomers that are built as a quest to reach the top, where the highest point is passing the probationary period.
Also, together with the game or separately, the employee gets access to a chat bot, which will answer any questions, be it about vacation or escalation of work tasks.
Achievement items motivate employees to do basic things: sign all the necessary papers, watch a video about awareness, or meet certain colleagues.
Milestone game for current employees
Here, according to our internal statistics, our colleagues from the telecom sector are ahead of everyone else. Outwardly, the game is somewhat similar to the previous one, only it never ends (that is, if you don’t quit, of course).
Such games contain all the HR processes that are repeated throughout the year and involve an employee: vacations, safety training, etc., awareness raising, etc.
Although everyone is required to participate in these activities, the games have a competitive element and rewards for completing everything on time.
Character leveling
This type of game can be either a motivational part of the previous one, or an independent element of daily work, introduced “alongside” other processes.
Points from colleagues or for completing tasks. Now you can find many places where you can use the company's game currency so that employees can either compare ratings or buy some merch as a “thank you” for completing a request.
Quizzes with prizes. From time to time, employees are asked to answer a question that is somehow related to the company or their immediate work. On the one hand, this is another way to earn points, and on the other, it is an opportunity to take a break from the daily grind and relax a little during the workday.
Level up in soft skills – you can raise your level in something that is often difficult to formalize. For example, if we are talking about hard skills, you can track your development using certificates or simply by adding a new system or programming language to your resume. But it is somewhat difficult to objectively assess business communication skills, creativity, adaptability and teamwork. Or a person from the HR team can do this, but this is labor-intensive. Then a game format with feedback from several colleagues at once comes to the rescue.
Internal Notification Format – Due to their external similarity to achievements in video games, achievement notifications can either provide a sense of achievement or simply inform an employee about an element of the work process.
The process of dismissing an employee
What’s funny is that in one of the companies I had to deal with, it was the process of firing an employee that was gamified, instead of the onboarding process.
In general, this may be right, because here in a short period of time (and this is not always two weeks), you need to have time to prepare a number of important documents, not forget anything and not mess up anywhere. In places where this is put on stream – and this is no longer about companies, but, for example, about universities, where students graduate in large numbers – such a process is simply necessary.
Instead of a sheet of paper with office numbers and a list of documents or something else, the employee receives an application, accessible to responsible persons, who can immediately mark and confirm the submitted pass, equipment, and the rest.
Teambuildings
Games within an established team can be “analogous”, which does not make them worse than a full-fledged mobile or desktop game. Team building is often not part of the job, but regular, off-site or not so events that are aimed at building trust between team members.
However, some team building elements are also integrated into work processes and everyday tasks; for example, brainstorming sessions before a complex engineering task can be structured in such a way that it will look more like a game than work.
Business games
Business games are the most familiar game format for experienced employees. Interestingly, this format is used not only in training adults with jobs, but also for schoolchildren and students – imitation of a court hearing or political debate is often carried out as part of the training process, where participants try on various roles.
It is the same here – in business games you can put yourself in the place of a supplier or a client, a director or a subordinate. Be a marketer or a creative person, while actually being someone else.
Such games are used either to resolve differences, understand the value and artifacts of another profession, or to prepare and train a person for his new role (for example, when an ordinary employee becomes a manager or when an L3 SOC analyst needs to be prepared for complex attacks).
Results
As companies grow and develop, gamification becomes an integral part of processes. In the near future, it will most likely become the new standard of work.
The benefits that come with the introduction of games into the work process can be measured on the one hand (for example, the speed of a new employee’s immersion in the processes), and on the other hand, received in the form of feedback from employees.
