Play time
Let’s be honest – when it comes to HR, ‘fun’ isn’t exactly the first word that comes to mind. However, in the last year or two, some businesses are seeking to make certain HR processes fun, transparent, competitive and even addictive to the end user by employing gamification.
What, exactly, is gamification?
Take the concepts that make games what they are – that is, the fun, the sleek design, the competition – and apply them to something that’s not a game. That’s gamification. Look at Tinder’s approach to online dating, Tep’s approach to fitness tracking, Mint’s approach to financial management. Each of these apps – and swathes more – have taken something that’s not traditionally all that fun, and made it into a game.
Enter the gamification of HR.
A number of businesses are applying the concept of gamification to their HR processes, with great results. PwC – an organisation well known for their innovation and tendency to be ahead of the curve – has developed and launched a game called Multipoly, which allows job candidates to virtually test their preparedness for a career with PwC, by completing tasks based on PwC competencies. Candidates who play the Multipoly game prior to being interviewed tend to perform better, according to Noemi Biro, regional recruitment manager for PwC Hungary, since they’ve already been exposed to PwC’s vision. Multipoly also helps make the on-boarding process for new hires smoother, as new team members already have an understanding of the culture, before even setting foot into the office.
Of course, very few companies have PwC’s resources to develop their own custom game. Luckily, a number of SaaS providers have entered the space recently, enabling organisations of all scopes and sizes to bring gamification into their HR processes.
Bunchball takes your existing website, training tools, CRM, online community, or other enterprise system, and applies game mechanics to it, ultimately giving you a customised, gamified way to drive participation, adoption and loyalty. Badgeville seeks to boost engagement with employees and customers alike by utilising game mechanics and reputation mechanics throughout ordinary processes. And Axonify delivers customised, ‘snackable’ pieces of gamified learning content to employees, allowing them to learn and grow in a way that is unique to them.
Gamification is a relatively young concept, but it’s growing in leaps and bounds. With some of the biggest businesses in the world – such as Walmart, PwC, EMC and Qualcomm – reporting impressive results from the adoption of gamification, it’s highly likely that it will become more commonplace in the near future.
Clouds and silver linings
We’ve talked a lot, in recent articles, about the power and influence of the cloud. While ‘the cloud’ has really only entered common parlance in the last 7 years or so, its ubiquity is undeniable.
Cloud-based solutions have flooded the market, as businesses of all sizes, across all industries, seek out software that is cost-effective, user-friendly, intuitive and agile. Unsurprisingly, there are countless SaaS solutions that cater to HR processes.
There’s a lot of sense behind managing HR in the cloud, especially for businesses that cross geographical lines. Essentially, if you manage HR processes in the cloud, you can be confident that your employees – regardless of whether they’re in Melbourne or Mumbai – are all undergoing a consistent experience.
The other main benefit? HR, and our understanding thereof, is evolving at a rate never before seen. Traditional software can quickly become outdated, but with a SaaS solution, you’re getting a product that will continue to grow, and add features in response to customer needs.
Not quite across how the cloud is changing the way we do business? Our Definitive Guide to Cloud Software for Your Business, set to be released this month, tells you everything you need to know (and probably then some). Follow us on Twitter (@entohq) to be among the first to know when it’s released.
The state of HR in 2016 is a completely different beast to what it was 10, 5 or even 2 years ago. The impact of big data, the access to affordable, powerful technology and a deeper emphasis on employee engagement has changed the way we do things, and will continue to change the way we do things as we learn more.
If your business is still managing HR the same way it did five years ago, there’s never been a better to change the way you’re doing things.
The good news is that there’s hard data that indicates that adopting new technology to manage HR works, and works well. A report by Accenture and Success Factors found there was significant difference between organisations using traditional HR solutions, and organisation taking a more modern, technological approach. The study in question found that the more technologically advanced HR departments had:
- 2% decrease in turnover
- 7% increase in internal job fill rate
- Up to 5.4% increase in productivity
“Often, HR spends too much time on routine processes and administrative work, but that burden will be largely eliminated,” says Maureen Brosnan, Managing Director, Talent and HR Lead, Accenture. “A digital HR will spend more time on shaping the workforce to support growth and keep up with changing, and often volatile, business realities.”
Ento’s powerful rostering and time & attendance software makes managing staff hours and rosters quick and easy for both you and your team. Find out more here.
