Why Gamification Is Taking Over Wellness Programs

A lot of organizations are utilizing game mechanics to connect with employees as well as drive behaviorchange in various sectors of the organization. According to a global study nearly 70% of Globalorganizations employ at least one gamified application in their corporate environment; and for all goodreasons. Game mechanics are built in such a way that that they break down big tasks into little, short-term and achievable goals and further reward achievement. They fascinatingly convert all the passiveusers into the active “players” in the game. This means that they simply drive employee participationand engagement. These applications include a subtle power that turns actions into habits. Also, theyhelp to build a unifying experience towards an unfamiliar and frequently changing assortment of tasks.

Game Mechanics Join hands with Health and Wellness

Game mechanics is an effective and a proven strategy for superior employee participation as well ascompletion in technology-based programs in Wellness. The strategies based on games drive employeeengagement and act as a bridge to the all-important offline healthy behaviors. Game mechanics furthermotivate employees to build the healthy choices and aid organizations in improving the health of theworkforce as well as manage the skyrocketing healthcare costs.

Gamification for Achieving End Goals

Before integrating few game mechanics in the health strategy of your employee, it is very important todo some thinking. Always make sure that gamifying the health is not the final goal, but simply onestrategy for building a healthier workforce. Game mechanics simply lend a hand to your employees foreasy participation in the programs. Gamification further educates employees about what they must dofor healthy behavior changes as well as helps them to understand their growth against goals. Moreover,they present opportunities to power social connections with peers to further enhance the game and itsoutcomes.

Quick Tips to Consider Before You Enter the Field

So, now the question is how to apply the game mechanics to employee wellness initiatives thatsuccessfully drive engagement and make employee active players from passive users?

You can follow these quick tips:

1. Keep it easy, simple as well as achievable

Levels, points as well as rewards aid in driving engagement along with ongoing employee participation.Including a common set of mechanics throughout the programs makes it interesting and simple tounderstand.

2. Create Regular Competition and Challenges

Ongoing challenges and healthy competition keeps employees motivated for good health. It furtherpresents an opportunity for employees to join socially with their peers and cheer for one another in thejourney of good health.

3. Make it simple to monitor and track progress

Unlike traditional wellness programs that created burden on employees and HR to monitor the successof the program. Present wellness technologies have vastly improved, now tracking and monitoring theprogress is easily done with the help of a validated online process.

4. Drive Social Engagement

Offer ways for employees to unite socially to share their scores, gossip about leader-boards, exchangetricks and tips, and allow them to brag regarding their success.

5. Determine the Efficacy for your game

Organizations must include strong reporting capabilities, as it will help in understanding the impact ofthe health effort of the employees. With the help of reporting tools, companies can collect the data andmake changes accordingly to drive ongoing results.

Mobile applications, social networking as well as other technologies help in driving success for yourstrategy of health gaming.

Impact of Social Relationships and Culture on our health.

According to a research, the chances of individuals to become obese are 71 percent more, if their closefriends and family members are obese. Social activity and health gaming are a complementary pairingand with peer-to-peer support and motivation employees gain encouragement and stay in the race forlonger duration.

Mobile apps are also very important as they offer employees with the freedom to participate in thefitness game from anywhere and anytime. Nowadays, modern apps can track your nutrition, physicalactivity, and even blood pressure and heart rate. The freedom to record, monitor and share activityprogress, on game standings provides encouragement and instant motivation.

Game On!! Workplace Wellness

Game mechanics are turning out to be one of the highly winning strategies companies are utilizing totap boost employees productivity and health. Game mechanics present an instant reinforcement cycleand serves as an amazing way to keep health momentum of the employee going. At the time of addinggame mechanics to health incentives of your employees, make sure that they are simple and easy tounderstand, as people tend to become frustrated with complex, conflicting rules. By accomplishing smalltasks, employees feel encouraged and develop a sense of achievement that keeps them motivated.Remember, engaging employees to play the game isn’t the final motive. Your strategy should help you increating a great workplace culture of health as well as drive continuous offline behavior shifts. One of

the major challenges in today’s scenario is employee engagement and retention. Therefore it is veryimportant to keep your employees engaged and active and Gamification in your company can really helpyou in achieving your goals.