For most companies out there today, the new hire orientation process is often the same. An employee arrives and is instructed to watch a series of training videos or read a manual.

This is typically followed by the employee receiving additional on-the-job training for their position before he or she is let loose.

While this may seem like it is beneficial, it can be extremely boring for the employee. And believe it or not, it actually hurts both parties.

Gamification in new employee onboarding

The new employee that you have just hired has to take additional time going through copious amounts of training material. Instead of being able to put your new employee to work, you have to wait until he or she is completely finished training. Wouldn’t it be much better if you were able to help your employee through the training process while allowing them to absorb much more information?

How can this be done? Try gamification! Check out these three elements of gamification in new employee onboarding and why they may end up benefiting your business.

1. Progress & achievement – From the beginning, any small achievements that your employee accomplishes should be rewarded. While you may think this sounds silly at first, a study back in 2008 found that nearly 86 percent of new hires decide whether or not they want to stick with the company within the first six months of employment. Make your employees feel like they are valuable to your business and not simply another cog in the wheel of progress. How can this be done? Think of something simple like a digital checklist. During the new hire orientation, have your employee check off items as they accomplish them. Tasks may be as simple as “Fill out tax paperwork” or “Get photo ID picture taken.” After all, tasks are completed, send out a simple congratulations email for a job well done.

2. Leveling up – “Leveling Up” is typically a phrase that you might hear while playing a video game. The player has to accomplish a certain number of tasks before additional steps can be taken. The same can be applied to your new hire orientation. Set up a list of actionable goals that your employee must accomplish before other responsibilities can be given. For instance, you may want to have a new employee make at least ten cold calls to potential clients before he or she can sit in on sales meetings. It’s little goals like these that will motivate your employees to keep pushing towards being more productive.

3. Quests – Utilizing gamification quests is another great way to improve new employee onboarding within your company. The idea behind quests is that they can be applied to any training subject, no matter what it is. Take a subject such as safety in the workplace. Instead of having an employee watch a two-hour training video, have the employee interview other workers about their top safety tips. Then have the employee report his or her findings back and decide on which tips can be agreed upon. While you may think having your new employees watch videos or read through manuals will help understand the information, having them seek out the information is much more beneficial. It is also more enjoyable way to learn.

These are just a few of the many examples of gamification that you can implement into your company’s new hire orientation process. By doing so, you have the potential to build a team of employees that are much more engaged and productive within the workplace.