SOME older people are bemused watching the Pokémon Go mania. The game has disrupted the activities of younger people, getting them out of their homes and into the streets in search of the game’s characters.
While the augmented reality technology used in the game is amazing, it’s equally fascinating to see the behavioural response. This should lead to an examination of how best to apply this kind of thinking to the workplace to activate a younger workforce.
According to PwC, millennials will make up more than 50% of the workforce by 2020, so the teens and others with their faces hovering over their mobile devices will be employees and managers. What will be the game changer in the work environment is how that workforce is motivated and managed.
A step in the right direction in speaking to a generation that has grown up with console gaming is to introduce a game-styled environment into the workplace. Gamification, applying gaming practices to a nongaming environment, has several benefits.
The people on the street looking for animated characters are seeking nothing more than virtual bounty. Although companies can reward efficiency and productivity with bonuses and monetary incentives, millennials are also motivated by the prestige associated with social recognition, such as earning badges or achieving levels to demonstrate mastery or excellence.
At a contact centre, for example, agents can win a badge for achievements such as most sales concluded, completed training, or most improved product knowledge. These can be displayed on dashboards that resemble games, but which are built to measure and monitor data that’s relevant to productivity and achievement.
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EVERY business has its own requirements, so the dashboard would need to be designed for those exactly, rather than a one-size-fits-all scenario. To be the most effective, the variables used must aid reporting contributions to the business goals outlined.
With real-time monitoring and relevant dashboards, employers then have a more proactive approach to remedying problem areas and enhancing service levels and customer experience.
This is much better than presenting historical reports, which may reveal problem areas, but don’t enable real-time fixes. With monthly reports, it can be too late to fix a problem by the time it has become apparent.
It's not yet a local phenomenon, but there is room to build workplace wellness programmes into an office environment. For workers expected to be seated in front of computers all day, businesses could apply what are known as "sedentary disruption activities". This software prompts employees to get out of their seats. Some games have gained acceptance as team-building exercises, too, such as A Step Ahead: Zombies, made by Atlanta-based Fitness Interactive Experience.
Perks such as points or prizes can be added to make it fun, but it’s not only for amusement — it can be used to counteract borderline obesity and aid people who are pre-diabetic. In SA, where more than a quarter of the population is obese, this can help companies by promoting workplace wellness.
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NEW approaches to workforce management are just as essential as new technology, as exciting new tech can be a distraction for competitive employees. The end goal must be improved efficiency, and not simply to appeal to the young team’s preferences.
Some young professionals have managed to ignore the gaming world, and will be resistant to this kind of operations management system. How solutions are implemented is almost as important as the solutions themselves — the end users need to see how their interaction with the software has an effect on the entire company.
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It’s not that new systems completely revolutionise how companies operate, changing all the metrics, but rather how they facilitate measurement and productivity — central elements of any successful operation.
Even the most tech-shy employee will understand the importance of contributing to the success of the company. The use of such software is not going to transform the entire workforce into gaming fanatics, but will keep operational activity visible and measurable.
The central theme worth exploring is how to disrupt the workforce in ways that contribute positively to the bottom line. If only Pokémon Go created real profits for the game’s fans.
• Smit is a director at Ivovo, a contact centre business solutions provider
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