Gamification: How best to implement and leverage it in your workplace
Gamification is now being used across a wide range of organizations for a wide range of uses. Some organizations are using gamification like a loyalty program, the further employees progress in the game, the more bonus or reward points they earn, which they can then use for real workplace rewards, such as gift cards. Other organizations are using gamification to help employees manage health and wellness programs, placing employees on teams to create a healthy competitive atmosphere where employees can help push each other further down the path to a healthy lifestyle. Some employers are looking to make gamification fun, others are more focused on achieving the goals of the game. However you use gamification in your workplace it is important to offer real rewards to employees as a result of the game, so the motivator actually affects productivity, loyalty to the organization, and long-term retention rates. It is also important to use the metrics gamification systems offer to ensure the goals for your program are being met. There metrics prove the ROI for these employee incentive and rewards programs, and are what will make them sustainable into future years, and budgets.
For more information on maximizing gamification in a number of different ways, check out this article in Venture Beat.
Gift Cards Used for Public Smoking Cessation Program
In an innovative use of gift cards as incentives came not in the workplace but in a public health and wellness initiative. As part of the Affordable Care Act California received $10 million to incentivize citizens who receive government subsidized health care. This grant is meant to help steer this population toward healthy behavior, including quitting smoking. The State of California has used part of this grant to provide gift cards to select individuals who participate in a smoking cessation program over the next five years. The program isa cutting edge smoking cessation trial, in which individuals are given $20 gift cards good at major retailers as a carrot for enrolling and participating in the program, and a larger pool will receive $10 gift cards to help relapse prevention. A pilot of the program executed in the Sacramento area has shown positive results. The gift cards are a small but sufficient motivator to get people to sign up, and it is having an overall impact on the health of the city and state, and helping to control costs of Medi-Cal, California's public health assistance entity. The gift cards the grant is providing are proving to be a successful motivator on a large scale. These types of small but sufficient rewards can also be applied to smaller health and wellness reward executions, such as in an individual office. These programs will help the company manage healthcare costs as well as make the whole employee population healthier. These small rewards have an obvious ROI for employees and employers alike.
For more information on the smoking cessation case study in California check out this article in the Sacramento Bee.
Employer vs. Employee Perspectives on Employee Incentives
One of the most important challenges that employers share is undoubtedly reducing health care costs, while maintaining the perception of high healthcare value being offered to employees. But, employer and employee perspectives can be greatly skewed.
Use of Incentives for Healthy Behavior Are On The Rise
The use of incentives, such as gift cards and small bonuses, are becoming increasingly popular among employers to incentivize employees to participate in health and wellness programs. The HR Consultancy's 2012 Health Care Survey of nearly 2,000 U.S. employers, representing over 20 million U.S. employees and their dependents, provides insight on how employers are using incentives to promote healthy behavior in their workplaces. Healthier employees lead to happier employees who are more productive and dedicated to their organization. Healthy employees also lower the cost of insurance for employers, making the ROI for health and wellness incentives apparent. Here are some of the insights the new HR Consultancy revealed: •58% offered some form of incentive for completing lifestyle modification programs, such as quitting smoking or losing weight. • About a quarter offer incentives for progress or attainment made toward meeting acceptable ranges for biometric measures such as blood pressure, body mass index, blood sugar and cholesterol. • More than 80% of employers provide an incentive to complete a health questionnaire, yet less than 10% provide an incentive to address the results of the questionnaire. • More than 60% of employers provide an incentive to complete biometric screening, but less than 10% provide an incentive to take any action.
For more information on health and wellness incentives check out this article in Home Channel News.
