How to Use Intranet Gamification to Drive Adoption and Engagement

How to use intranet gamification to drive adoption and engagement

Jonathan Davies

6 mins read

Table of Contents

  1. Gamification at work
  2. What is intranet gamification?
  3. When is intranet gamification used?
  4. 5 benefits of gamification at work
  5. The bottom line on gamification in the workplace

Gamification at work

The concept has been around for a while now, and it’s been taking hold by stealth. You might not even realize you’ve introduced it. Do you give out badges for good behaviour in your digital workplace? Have a weekly quiz? Do you have a leaderboard for most helpful employees, or reward-based incentive programmes? Then a word to the wise: you’ve already established gamification at work.

It’s about leading employees down the paths you want them to go by incentivising that behaviour. And as your workforce becomes dominated by Millennials and GenerationZ, it’s gamification that will get them using the systems you want them to.

What is intranet gamification?

The term “intranet gamification” means introducing game-like elements to your intranet platform – levels, badges, leaderboards, points and rewards for behaviour. Gaming revolves around the idea of achievement and status, and includes the principles of rewards, competition, challenges, and personalization, to get users interested and keep them coming back to use it again. Even though studies examined the effectiveness of gamification, most companies don’t use them. According to research from NICE Systems, gaming mechanics are used by only 31% of companies.

When is intranet gamification used?

Intranet gamification is used to:

5 benefits of gamification at work

  1. Gamification drives intranet adoption
    Adding gamification to your intranet can help you increase adoption. Similar to other enterprise gamification solutions, intranet gamification takes elements that are typically found in gameplay - hence using some competition during the workday, encouraging employees to return to the platform.

  2. Gamification increases productivity
    Introducing gamification as an Internal Communications tool already has a track record of success. Recent US research revealed that 79% of responders believed they’d be more productive if their work was more game-like. As Millennials continue to represent a growing proportion of today’s workplace, this demand is only likely to increase.

    Introduce rewards for using the intranet portal for expenses submission, or for annual leave applications. Recognize the biggest contributors to conversations and blogging. Do it in a way that makes the employee feel warm and fuzzy, give them that adrenaline rush, and they’ll be more likely to come back and repeat the behaviour.

    TalentLMS surveyed a group of US employees who experienced gamification at work. They found employees feel that gamification makes them more productive (87%), more engaged (84%) and happier (82%) at work. They also found penalties and punishment for not completing tasks would work in only 7% of cases.

  3. Gamification boosts collaboration
    Gamification can be a great team collaboration and team-building opportunity; imagine if colleagues could give out badges to thank someone for help, or to recognize the extra hours someone has been putting in on a project. This is not something that has to be driven from the top. In fact, when the employees run with your gamification, you know it’s become part of the way you do things.

  4. Gamification to embed your Google intranet solution
    It’s not all fun and games, remember: this is about the serious business of getting employees to use and love your Google intranet platform. That means you need to attach outcomes to your gamification and drive behaviour change.

    That scenario earlier, the one about employees giving out their own badges? That’s gamification 101, and it should be part of your Google intranet and digital workplace roll-out. It’s gimmicky, sure, but it gives people a reason to log on and interact within your intranet environment.

  5. Gamification to enhance learning and development
    Gamification techniques also work brilliantly in learning and development scenarios. Even Deloitte - yes, a bunch of accountants - have seen success here. They were early adopters of gamification for Internal Communications with the Deloitte Leadership Academy (DLA) training programme. HBR reports that participants exhibited almost addictive behaviours, with a 37% increase in the number of users returning to the site each week. The DLA embedded missions, badges and leaderboards into a user-friendly platform alongside its video lectures, in-depth courses, tests and quizzes, resulting in more engaged users who were more likely to complete the online training programmes.

The bottom line on gamification in the workplace

Workplace gamification can be very helpful for your organization. They encourage platform adoption, boost engagement and employee satisfaction. In times of remote work, where employees tend to be quicker disengaged and more reluctant to adapt to changes and new tools, workplace gamification can make a huge change for business.