Academy engages and motivates employees through gamification
Going to work should be fun. One way to make things more fun, is to use gamified elements in Academy. Gamification adds game mechanics that speak to people's natural competitive drive and desire to take pride in their achievements.
Real-time rewards
The absolute biggest reason to employ gamification on your learning system is motivation. Research shows that activities with gamified elements increase employee retention, create new habits and influence the entire work culture to be more playful and innovative.
Gamification can be many things, but is most effective when it serves as a reward. For example, you can reward your employees for daily logins with points, praise your employees for completing training sessions with digital trophies, and award particularly engaged employees with an ambassador status and real-world prizes. All this and more happens on Academy, where gamification elements are based on researched best practice.
Read more about Academy’s Ambassador Programme
Digital trophies
Login streak
User profiles
Engagement score
Ranking
Live activity feed
Points
Ambassador Programme
Question of the Day
Boost performance with micro habits
We know that instant recognition creates a positive experience, which increases the likelihood that your employees will continue to spend time on the platform. The longer and more often they are on Academy, the better they can stay informed. The digital rewards are tangible milestones that your employees can take pride in.
Trophies are triggered by completing training and orientation material. Gamification creates a cause and effect loop: more learning means more rewards. Ergo: employees form a habit of achieving daily rewards and acquiring the latest knowledge.
Motivate employees through friendly competition
What we see others doing, we are more likely to do ourselves. That’s why Academy is personalised with social feeds that show your closest colleagues’ activity on the platform. If everyone else has read the latest news post, you don’t want to be left out.
While collaboration and community play key roles on Academy – there’s a reason we call it a social knowledge platform – there are situations where individuals want to stand out.
Through competition and leaderboards, your organisation can shine a spotlight on top employees, be it in terms of sales figures or NPS scores. The best performing individuals are rewarded digitally and with physical awards, maximising the incentive to be at the top of their game.
Sources: Talentlms.com, FinancesOnline.com
Sceptical? Gamify with purpose
You may think that points, smileys and streaks are reserved for pre-teens, video games and scratch cards. Gamification can run the risk of being meaningless or downright annoying to users – so gamified elements must be used wisely.
Gamification should always serve a purpose, it should engage and create meaningful interaction with your material. That’s why we adhere to these gamification principles on Academy:
A badge or reward should never be the goal itself, just a bonus for a job well done. You can of course set requirements for completion of core material, but don’t require (or expect) employees to earn all the many trophies on the platform.
There should be a clear link between gamification on the platform and the core task. If the gamified elements do not support the job – or worse, remove focus – they should be deleted.
It should be clear to the user which activities trigger the digital trophies. Rewards don’t have to be forever, but it should be crystal clear to your employees what the criteria are for retaining say, their ambassador status, or being considered for Salesperson of the Month.
Still not convinced?
You may find reassurance then when we tell you that all gamified elements on Academy are fully flexible and can be switched on and off as best suits your needs.
How to get started
Want to boost training, elevate your internal communications and let your employees share their expertise? Then Academy is for you. Here’s our recipe for success:
- Appoint a dedicated project manager
It’s no secret: New systems require resources to start up. So find a passionate member of your organisation to lead – someone who has both the overview and the expertise to get things done.
- Think ‘why’ and we’ll handle the ‘how’
We’re systems experts and know all of Academy’s tricks. But you know your organisation’s needs and challenges. You’ll get the best results when Academy is a digital reflection of your organisation.
- Be patient – and brave
Change takes time. Be prepared that it may take some time for all employees to get fully on board with your new platform. Don’t be afraid to help them on their way, for example by shutting down old, fragmented communication channels.