Gamify Learning to Boost Engagement Across All Generations

George Carlin once said, “Most people work just hard enough not to get fired and get paid just enough money not to quit.’”

Joking aside, the statistics back him up. A 2013 Gallup study revealed that an overwhelming 70 percent of U.S. employees are either “not engaged” or “actively disengaged” on the job. When employees are not engaged, most likely they’re not aligned with their employer’s strategic vision. And that’s costing organizations an estimated $450-$550 billion annually.

Conversely, when employees are highly engaged, the companies they work for experience higher profitability (22 percent) and higher productivity (21 percent).  

I’d like to take this one step further. Statistics show us that employees at the beginning or end of their careers tend to be more engaged than those in the middle. For example, Traditionalists (born between 1928 and 1946) have the highest level of engagement at 41 percent, followed by Millennials (born between 1981 and 2000).  

My own experience tells me that one of the best ways of keeping employee engaged is to offer them training and career development. I just finished reading a recent study from Ben Rosen, Ph.D. of organizational behavior for the Kenan Flager Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Rosen cited that, despite cross-generational differences in some areas, the generations have more in common than previously thought. In fact, Baby Boomers, Gen Xers and Millenials all share the same top expectations of their employers, including opportunities for advancement and chances to learn and grow in their jobs.

One of the biggest challenges that learning professionals face is developing learning strategies that address the diverse learning styles and technology preferences of today’s multigenerational workforce. Enter gamification.

The Paradigm Learning white paper, Games Smart Businesses Play: Finding the Sweet Spot in Learning for Today’s Multigenerational Workforce, discusses preferred learning approaches of each generation, from Millenials to Traditionalists, and reveals the “sweet spot” where their preferences overlap. This sweet spot offers learning professionals a more varied “palette” of learning tools such as experiential, blended and discovery learning. We have found that focusing on this sweet spot saves our clients time and money while engaging learners in more effective learning experiences than traditional facilitator-led training. 

What strategies does your organization have to engage employees across the generations?