Today nearly 3/4 of employees are millennials who have grown up with video games. Gamification is the norm with this generation. But millennials are not alone with their changed view of the world. We all expect to be entertained. And this applies to work just as well as leisure.
This is one of the reasons why gamification has found its way to work in different forms. But it's not the only reason. There’s a lot of good in gamification. It has the power to motivate, show progress, it encourages to keep on trying, it connects and unites, it increases productivity and happiness at work, and the list goes on.
Recruitment or recruitainment?
Gamification can be applied to pretty much any work process, recruitment, one of the most important processes being one of them. What use does gamification have in this process?
According to LMS Survey 78% of applicants see the hiring company more desirable if they use gamification in their recruitment process.
This is an impressive figure, but many reasons can explain why gamification is seen so appealing.
1. Gamification can make the stressful recruiting process more enjoyable for the applicants
A gamification expert Kerstin Oberprieler, states:
“Traditional recruitment processes can be intimidating and stressful for candidates,
and adding elements of games can make the experience more enjoyable as well as bringing out deeper aspects of the candidates psychology and behavioural styles.”
2. Changed values and employee-led markets make differentiating positively from competition necessary for the hiring companies
Jaana Räsänen-Pentti, Senior Adviser, Co-Founder of The Gulf Point and Honorary Chairman of Finnish Business Council UAE sees a connection to a broader trend.
“Career progression and work-life –balance are gaining importance over salary in candidate-led job markets. In uncertain times good companies to work for are in high demand.”
3. Gamification can add effectiveness and transparency to recruitment processes, and build the way for the future
It’s a fact that hiring processes tend to last for a long time, and most of the time means waiting in uncertainty for the applicants. But the long processes are not effective for the companies either.
“Hiring process is generally considered to take too long having impact on business performance. To compensate, on-boarding methods are being honed to fill talent gaps more efficiently. Gamification of recruitment process can align talent acquisition needs and employer expectations by screening potential for both job-hunter and employer in a modern, fast, efficient, engaging and intriguing way.
Done well, you are halfway on your way to on-boarding! All the while you avoid bad will caused by pitfalls of slow moving processes by bringing speed and transparency to the screening process, both ways", says Jaana Räsänen-Pentti.
4. Gamification can help increase common understanding of values and vision from the very start
Jaana Räsänen-Pentti, who has insight into the UAE market area challenges and opportunities also sees that gamification could bring value to recruiting processes by increasing shared understanding of cultural differences.
The multi-cultural aspects of work and life in the melting pot of nationalities can be addressed along the journey especially when hiring internationally. When you start from the same page with your employer you are more likely to share a common vision from day one.” Jaana Räsänen-Pentti continues.
It’s clear there’s a lot of value in adding gamification to work-life. The question is, how well is your company leveraging the benefits?
Jaana Räsänen-Pentti is a UAE based Senior Advisor since 2008, with two decades of strategy advisory experience from Hill+Knowlton Strategies, the Gulfpoint as a Co-Founder and also working with Seppo since 2015 in the region. In this newsletter she shares trends on company learning from gamification perspective
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Seppo is a Finnish company specialised in gamifying learning in corporations and educational institutions.
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