Gamifying My Employee Experience
Do you still remember Farmville? You tend your own virtual farm, get a digital currency by inviting friends into the game, use that currency to buy virtual fertilizers to keep your virtual crop healthy. If not, surely you can remember Candy Crush. It took the world by storm (pun unintended) back in 2012 — my mom still plays it to this day and I’m sure she’s not the only one. Different games have different effect on people. Some games are easily forgotten and yet some get us hooked for years! Those games, the really good ones, are engaging (if not addicting).
If you think about it, our work have the same raw elements as a game- there is an objective, set of rules and instructions to guide us, we have allies, enemies sometimes, “boss fight” rounds, and points system. How is it easier to be invested in your Sims world rather than this world? What can we learn from game design? And how can we apply it to the way we manage our work engagement?
In one of our Viber groups, managers of STORM Technologies geeked out about books (not unusual) about behavior and motivation. One that was recommended by Deirdre Remida Conde (and now that I finished reading, I recommend it as well!) gave us an insight on human-focused motivation.
From this framework, I learned that I can test the principles discussed on my own work experience and see if I would end up feeling more engaged at work. This is how I am getting myself started on gamifying work.
1. Knowing my end goal(s).
It is easy to get lost in all of the work I do. Taking the time to plan out my week is simply not enough because a lot of things can come up in the middle of the week that will get my plans off the rails. So instead of planning and setting up my schedule or a checklist for my week, I decide which three things I should absolutely do each and every day at work. Why three? It just works for me, I guess (no science to it). Knowing my objectives, may it be for the short-term or long-term, help me focus on the work I do.
2. Understanding my sensitivity to rewards and punishments.
I have never been the type who is motivated by tangible rewards. In my 6 years of work experience, I found out that what motivates me are (1) my level of impact at work and (2) words of affirmation from my mentors. I also know that taking away a current comfort and/or luxury from my routine helps me form a habit. Understanding what motivates us and how certain cues affect our own behavior is necessary to design the gamified version of our work.
3. Make a visual map of your tasks and goals.
This is a screenshot of my Habitica progress board. I like that it is simple and accessible on my mobile phone as well (yes, there’s an app for it). Having a visual map of everything that I need to do alongside it’s rewards (or sometimes consequence). There’s something about seeing my progress that makes it more motivating to achieve my goals. I’m willing to bet that it would motivate you as well if you try it out.
Do you have your own tricks and tips on gamifying your work? Share it with me on the comments section.
