Motivation 2.0: How Modern HR-Tech Companies Implement Game Elements to Boost Employee Engagement
- Neurogamification: When Work Meets Play
- Successful Implementation Cases from Northern Europe
- Kaupmees & KO: Celebrating an Anniversary with Business Benefits
- Webhelp: Gamification for Distributed Contact Center Teams
- Telenor Norge: Team Quests for Breaking Down Barriers
- Albert Heijn: Revolutionizing Recruitment
- The Future of Gamification in HR: Trends and Opportunities
Modern HR directors face a paradoxical situation: despite increasing budgets for personnel development, problems of burnout, low engagement, and ineffective training continue to worsen. Traditional motivation tools have ceased to be effective in a world where employees are accustomed to instant feedback and interactive experiences. According to recent research, up to 70% of employees in European companies struggle to maintain concentration during corporate training sessions, while standard KPI systems are viewed as mere formalities rather than genuine development incentives.
Neurogamification: When Work Meets Play
Gamification in HR is far more than simply adding game elements to work processes. The contemporary approach, often called neurogamification, is based on a deep understanding of motivational psychology and activates four key neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins.
Recent studies show impressive results: properly designed game mechanics increase employee engagement by an average of 47%, while organizations implementing gamified learning methods report a 30% improvement in skill acquisition.
The main application areas for gamification in modern HR processes include:
- Recruitment and candidate selection
- New employee onboarding
- Training and competency development
- Performance management
- Team building and corporate culture development
Successful Implementation Cases from Northern Europe
Kaupmees & KO: Celebrating an Anniversary with Business Benefits
Estonian wholesale company Kaupmees & KO faced a typical challenge for international businesses: how to engage employees speaking different languages and working in different locations? As part of their 30th anniversary celebration, the company’s HR department implemented a Jeopardy-style game.
Key implementation elements included:
- Automatic content translation into Estonian and Russian languages
- Multi-channel game promotion through email campaigns and office posters
- A motivating prize system for participants
Result: nearly two-thirds of all company employees participated in the game and completed it, significantly improving engagement levels and team spirit.
Webhelp: Gamification for Distributed Contact Center Teams
French company Webhelp, which manages contact centers throughout Europe, solved the challenge of motivating young employees working in routine and stressful conditions. The company implemented a platform that transforms everyday work into an interactive experience.
Solution features:
- Personalized goals and the ability to “level up” when achieving target indicators
- Clear visualization of progress through dashboards
- Integration of microlearning into the work process
Results: significantly accelerated training, improved attendance, and increased productivity. Importantly, the system maintained a balance between competitiveness and collaboration values.
Telenor Norge: Team Quests for Breaking Down Barriers
Norwegian telecommunications giant Telenor implemented a system of team quests aimed at strengthening interdepartmental collaboration. Instead of traditional team-building training, the company created immersive tasks requiring interaction between employees from different departments.
Result: interdepartmental collaboration increased by 55%, and the quest system became a permanent element of the corporate culture.
Albert Heijn: Revolutionizing Recruitment
Dutch supermarket chain Albert Heijn completely reimagined their process for hiring young employees. Instead of standard resumes and cover letters, the company developed a scenario-based gaming process where candidates navigate through typical work situations.
Approach advantages:
- More accurate assessment of candidates’ actual skills
- Increased employer attractiveness for younger demographics
- Reduced time spent on initial screening
Albert Heijn also organizes competitions between different stores in the network, stimulating creative approaches to customer service and developing team spirit.
The Future of Gamification in HR: Trends and Opportunities
Analysis of European case studies shows that the most effective solutions go beyond simply adding points and leaderboards. The future of gamification in HR lies in deep integration with business processes and experience personalization.
Three key trends for the coming years:
- Artificial intelligence for adapting game scenarios to individual employee characteristics
- VR/AR solutions for immersive learning (Volvo’s experience with a 40% reduction in accidents is a striking confirmation)
- Integration of neurophysiological metrics for precise engagement assessment
The main takeaway for leaders: gamification has ceased to be an experimental tool and has transformed into a proven strategy for HR process transformation. Companies that begin implementing these approaches today will gain a significant competitive advantage in the labor market and enhance their teams’ effectiveness.
References
- Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “What” and “Why” of Goal Pursuits: Human Needs and the Self-Determination of Behavior.
- Deterding, S., Dixon, D., Khaled, R., & Nacke, L. (2011). From game design elements to gamefulness: defining “gamification”.In Proceedings of the 15th International Academic MindTrek Conference: Envisioning Future Media Environments
- Hamari, J., Koivisto, J., & Sarsa, H. (2014). Does Gamification Work? — A Literature Review of Empirical Studies on Gamification. In Proceedings of the 47th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS)
- Landers, R. N. (2014). Developing a theory of gamified learning: Linking serious games and gamification of learning.
