40% of Large Warehouse Operations to Adopt Gamification Tools by 2028, Gartner Predicts
Could gamification be the key to unlocking workforce productivity?
By 2028, 40% of large warehouse operations and distribution centers will deploy employee engagement and gamification tools to motivate their workforces, according to Gartner.
Game design principles, including badges, leaderboards, rewards and points, are being adopted by many organizations to address labor shortages and turnover costs. They are also being applied to operational processes to improve employee engagement and performance.
“Employees — especially those from younger generations — want meaningful work experiences and opportunities to succeed,” Federica Stufano, senior principal analyst in Gartner’s supply chain practice, said in a statement. “Gamification helps organizations deliver those experiences by combining engagement, skill-building and recognition in a practical way.”
Gartner found that using gamified simulations and interactive quizzes supports learning among new or seasonal staff, with employees having access to progress-tracking dashboards that show their performance, build confidence and support their growth.
Organizations are also using gamified modules to support warehouse management systems, robotic platforms and mobile applications. However, integrating these into the workforce needs to be done carefully, with additional challenges in unionized and highly regulated environments.
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Gartner recommends that supply chain and logistics leaders move forward with the following:
- Develop a transparent labor-management framework that gives employees visibility into how their efforts are tracked and rewarded.
- Go for quick wins first: reduce wasted and idle time to deliver immediate improvements to workers before adding incentives.
- Identify pilot locations that are enthusiastic about gamification to ensure early adopters are engaged and supported.
- Allocate additional resources to local change management to enable teams to navigate new processes and embrace interactive, game-based experiences.
- Begin with a gamification feature already integrated into the organization’s workforce management platform to provide a unified user experience.
“Gamification works when companies stop viewing labor as a fungible commodity and instead recognize employees as valuable assets,” said Stufano.
