Onboarding processes are becoming more and more important for optimize the integration of new employees. Making a good first impression only happens once.
The beginnings of the new employee in the company are therefore crucial because they have a direct influence on their motivation and commitment.
Nowadays, the onboarding process is tending to be digitized and automated to allow HR teams to save time, increase efficiency and offer more efficient integration paths to new entrants, while monitoring them. Many companies therefore use gamification to successfully onboarding their new employees.
So how do you integrate gamification into your onboarding processes? And what are the key steps for a good implementation?
We give you all the keys in this blog post!
What is the gamification of onboarding?
Definition and basic principles
The gamification ofOnboarding consists of integrate game elements into the process of welcoming new employees. The aim is to make the experience more engaging and more interactive.
Basic principles include using rewards, levels, missions, and real-time feedback. For example, a new employee could earn points by completing training modules or by achieving certain goals in the first few weeks. This approach stimulates motivation and facilitates learning essential information about the business.
History and evolution
Gamification started to emerge in the business world in the early 2000s. Initially, it was limited to simple items like quizzes and badges.
Over the years, technologies have evolved and allowed the development of more sophisticated applications (virtual reality simulations, immersive role-playing games, etc.).
Today, gamification has become a key strategy for many businesses looking to improve their onboarding. It combines game psychology and technology to create effective and memorable integration experiences.
The benefits of gamification for onboarding
Improving the engagement of new hires
Gamification captures the attention of new hires right from the start. By rendering Onboarding interactive and fun, businesses succeed in maintaining a high level of commitment. Employees participate actively in the various stages of the process, which reinforces their understanding and involvement in the company.
Strengthening corporate culture
Integrating gamification elements into onboarding allows you to Transmit corporate culture in a fun and dynamic way. Games and simulations can include scenarios that reflect expected values and behaviors in the business. This allows new hires to absorb the spirit and expectations of the team more quickly.
Impact on employee retention
Gamification promotes employee loyalty. A successful integration process, integrating fun elements, contributes to reducing the turnover rate. Employees who have a positive onboarding experience are more likely to feel engaged and to stay with the company longer. All the more for you and your teams!
What are the different steps in implementing a gamification strategy?
Step 1: Define the type of gamification to use
Many businesses have already adopted gamification to make integration more fun. This approach aims to involve new employees and make them more receptive to the company's proposals. Gamification offers a positive and immersive way to discover the company through game stages.
There are different types of gamification:
- Quizzes or quizzes
- Videos (augmented reality or virtual reality)
- Treasure hunt
- Serious games
- Virtual escape game
- Application Ofelearning
-> What actions should be put in place?
- Identifying goals
- Selecting appropriate game mechanics
- Considerations on choosing the game
- Developing rules and rewards
- Assessment and adjustment of the strategy
Step 2: Use gamification well before onboarding
Most businesses overlook the pre-onboarding period and the recruitment period. However, it is estimated that around 80% of new hires make the decision to stay with the company in the first 6 months. A recruit who goes through a comprehensive onboarding process is about 58% more likely to stay with the company. Gamification can be useful in this period to give a positive first impression of the company.
What if gamification was already present at the time of the job offer? Use gamification to Successful onboarding : yes. So why not start with the job offer? There are lots of ways to use gamification right from the start of the hiring process. For example, we can discover the history of the company, its culture in augmented reality, or present the future manager on video.
-> What actions should be put in place?
- Integrate interactive elements into job offers.
- Use immersive videos to present the business.
- Create challenges or quizzes related to the history and values of the company.
- Offer online games to assess the skills of candidates.
Step 3: Define game codes
To make onboarding more fun, it is above all a question of respecting the codes of the game that are identifiable by everyone: rules, missions, levels, obstacles, rewards. These key elements of the game allow the employee to immerse themselves in a fun moment..
- Rules of the game: As in every game, there should be rules. These rules should be discussed with the collaborator beforehand. For example, it may be the rules of procedure.
- Missions or objectives: onboarding must be carried out with a specific and quantifiable objective. Achieving the objective determines the success of the game.
- Levels: there must also be levels. These levels are the key onboarding steps that define the new employee's journey. As they are completed, he can access the other levels.
- Obstacles: To make onboarding even harder, it is possible to set challenges to make the experience more exciting: recover a document, find a password or a person from the company, solve a puzzle...
- Reward: At the end of the employee's career, when he completes all the missions and avoids all the obstacles, he can be awarded a reward. This reward validates his trial period. This can be a voucher, a corporate event or a “new employee” title.
-> What actions should be put in place?
- Involve new hires in creating rules
- Create clear and achievable missions
- Define progressive levels that motivate you to move forward
- Integrate challenging but achievable obstacles
- Offer attractive and meaningful rewards
Strategies and examples of successful gamification during onboarding
Types of games used in onboarding
Escape games and treasure hunts
Escape games and treasure hunts are popular for their ability to create a sense of adventure and cooperation. New employees have to solve puzzles and find clues, which promotes collaboration and the learning of internal company processes.
Role-playing games and simulations
Role-playing games and simulations immerse recruits in realistic professional scenarios. For example, a new salesperson could participate in a sales simulation where they need to interact with virtual customers. This allows develop skills practical while having fun.
Customizing activities for onboarding
Customize the games used for onboarding is indispensable. Every business has different needs and cultures. Adapting the games to the specificities of the company helps to transmit values and expectations in a more relevant way.
For example, a technology company might use simulations of real projects, while a service company might prefer role-playing games that focus on customer relationships.
Skills assessment through gamification
Analysis of soft skills through games
Games can be powerful tools for evaluating Soft skills new recruits. For example, problem-solving simulations or role-playing games can reveal skills. in communication, leadership, or collaboration of your future talents. This information is valuable for identifying the strengths and areas for improvement of employees.
Feedback and integration of results
Feedback is essential to optimize the effectiveness of gamification. After each game session, it is important to provide constructive feedback to participants. This may include performance reviews, suggestions for improvement, and encouragement. The results of the games must be integrated into the continuing education process to maximize their impact.
Extending gamification beyond internal onboarding
Good news: gamification is not limited to internal employees! It can also be used for the onboarding of customers and partners. A software as a service (SaaS) company could include fun elements in training new users of its software. This would make it more engaging and interactive, while improving customer satisfaction and loyalty.
In addition, interactive challenges and quizzes can help customers master advanced features more quickly: ideal for getting started and for developing their long-term commitment to the product.
What to remember
- There are a lot of ways to use gamification to succeed in onboarding
- Gamification makes it possible to engage new employees and make them more receptive to what the company offers. This technique allows you to discover the company in a positive and immersive way.
- Gamification can be useful during pre-boarding but also before, i.e. during recruitment
- It is important to establish game codes: rules, missions, levels, obstacles, rewards.
The gamification of onboarding is an innovative and effective approach to improve the integration of new employees. By making the process more interactive and engaging, businesses can ensure that new hires feel welcomed, motivated, and ready to contribute from day one!
