Canadian HR Reporter

CanaDian hr rePorter august 11, 2014 12 FEATURES TOTAL ReWARdS Turning work into a game Gamification can drive productivity, help alleviate tedium of boring jobs By Sheryl Smolkin T o attract and motivate call centre staff, Allied Inter- national Credit in New- market, Ont., is piloting a proj- ect where employees can accu- mulate virtual points or badges and become eligible for prizes every time they make a call or resolve a customer service issue. Teams compete with each other and real-time results are shared online with all participants. Borrowing elements from video games to engage users in a non- game environment is called "gami- fication." While using game think- ing and game mechanics to solve problems and connect with users is not new, until recently, it has been most prevalent in marketing and customer loyalty initiatives such as Starbucks' smartphone- based My Rewards program. Now, with the development of less-expensive, more sophisticat- ed desktop and mobile apps, the focus of gamification has shifted to workplace applications. Call centres have always mea- sured statistics, according to Joel MacCharles, Allied's vice-presi- dent of innovation. But custom- ized software developed for Allied by gamification technology com- pany Bunchball makes measure- ment more accessible and fun. "The performance of people participating in the gami- fication project is actually based on the same metrics that we have gamified, so the instant feedback and recognition really en- hance employee morale," he says. And because points earned are converted into one or more draw tickets for prizes such as big- screen televisions and ex- otic trips, top producers are not the only ones who can be big winners. One employee handles 200 or more calls per day collecting accounts receivable for a portfolio of clients. While previously a sous chef, he was the first employee to hit more than 100,000 points and has since been promoted after just one year with the company. The gamification of his job generates team spirit and helps to relieve the tedium of a tough occupation, he says. "We're not just robots sitting on the phone and staring at a screen. e friendly competition helps us to connect on a different level with other employees." revamped benefits Tracking and incenting health and wellness was an early appli- cation of workplace gamification. After BP Canada Energy Group in Calgary went through a ma- jor restructuring, vice-president of HR Doug Dickson selected the U.S. company Virgin Health- Miles (now Virgin Pulse) to host a revamped benefits program that combines social media with physical and emotional health. Each day, employees track their steps and other physical activity. ey have all been issued a com- pany-paid iPad and a Bluetooth- enabled pedometer that electron- ically transfers data to the device. They can also allow other associates at work to monitor their progress. "e Virgin platform, in a sense, became the Face- book for wellness within BP Canada," says Dickson. Over the course of a pro- gram year, employees can get instant gratification and bragging rights as they progress through the five levels. But the big payoff is in the following year. "Employees who reach level five (20 per cent of staff last year) can earn an addi- tional $3,000 in the form of flexible benefits plan credits. For many people, that will buy an extra week of vacation — or the money can be used for a variety of other purposes such as topping up their RRSP," he says. And there's proof the program is engaging employees because, within 48 hours of the rollout, 60 per cent of eligible employees enrolled, says Dickson. Currently, 93 per cent of employees are par- ticipating, with more than three- quarters in the "active" to "highly active" zone. Educating, training Another growing use of gamifica- tion is company education and training. To encourage employees of Sun Life clients to learn more about workplace retirement and savings plans and increase their financial literacy, the insurance company has also partnered with Bunchball to develop the online game "moneyUP." Educating employees about retirement services is a challenge, says Tom Reid, Sun Life's vice- president of group retirement services. However, "the game breaks down the task into a series of six levels and eight tasks per level that are progressively more challeng- ing, but also attainable and engag- ing," he says. More than 10,000 members of Sun Life retirement plans have used the game but the most im- portant measure of its success will be if users take subsequent action and join the plan, increase con- tribution levels or rethink their investment strategy. While the game has been popu- lar with generation Y (ages 21 to 25), it appeals to plan members of all ages, says Reid. "Over 27 per cent of our users to date have been boomers close to retirement." e beauty of workplace gami- fication is it takes content that already exists and integrates it with game mechanics to moti- vate employee participation, en- gagement and loyalty, says Rajat Baharia, founder of Bunchball in San Francisco. "By bringing this not-so-com- pelling, eat-your-vegetables con- tent into the compelling frame- work of a game, our clients turn 'I have to' into 'I want to.' Employees are having fun, so absorbing the desired information becomes an incidental benefit." Sheryl Smolkin is a Toronto-based freelance writer. 2014-15 ALBERTA LEGAL TELEPHONE DIRECTORY Searching is easy with: • Alphabetical and geographical listing of lawyers and law firms • Alphabetical listing of Judges Also quickly and easily access: • Law Societies • Courts of Appeal • Federal Court of Canada • Government of Canada departments • Judicial districts and judicial officials • Incorporated Municipalities • Land registration and information services • Provincial government departments • Boards and Commissions • Law Related Services, Institutions and Organizations • University law faculties ... and more. Alberta Legal Telephone Directory is all about your legal community connecting you to the lawyers and law offices you need in Alberta, Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon. Published annually for over 30 years, it keeps you connected with new and updated names, mailing addresses, email addresses, phone numbers and fax numbers each year. 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