Do you have an employee referral program that reluctant participants hold back? Irrespective of the program’s robustness and effectiveness, it needs motivated employees to succeed.
Often, employees may not be interested in referral programs if it feels like an additional task without benefits. Hence, adopting elements like tiered rewards and gamification can help accentuate the referral process and encourage your employees to recommend quality hires.
But before diving into the role of gamification, it’s vital to understand the concept.
What is Gamification?
Gamification is the process of incorporating game elements in non-gaming applications. It witnesses the use of gaming-specific concepts like points, badges and leaderboards to track each employee’s progress.
While the concept might seem new, it has long been a core marketing team strategy. The reason behind gamification remains the same – providing extrinsic motivation.
The statistics are a testament to the fact that around 96% of surveyed employees claimed that gaming elements make tasks more enjoyable.
Traditional employee referral programs relied on manual tracking. However, the rise of automation has led to the emergence of employee referral software. This software have in-built gamification features to ease the process of referral tracking with a single platform.
The widespread adoption of gamification asks an important question: What makes them so effective? Here are some of the reasons why gamification works.
Targets Employee Impulses
The passion and drive synonymous with securing a win are unmatched. Gamification relies on the user’s impulses and desire to gain status and achievement by securing the top spot on the leaderboard.
Rather than relying on forced referral programs, using gamification increases employee engagement. Additionally, competing with fellow peers instills a sense of competition and creates an atmosphere of healthy competition.
Promises Tangible Rewards
Most employee referral programs are pre-loaded with a tiered rewards system to facilitate active employees. These rewards promise tangible and intangible rewards according to the requirements of the employees.
Extrinsic motivation is found to be especially effective. They not only ensure an employee’s loyalty to the organization but also assist in motivating them to produce their best output.
Some possible extrinsic rewards are as follows:
- Cash Prizes
- Travel vouchers
- Paid vacation
- Public appreciation and awards
- Experience awards
- Gift hampers
- Wine tasting and restaurant offers
Provides Intrinsic Motivation
While extrinsic motivation acts as the more practical option, you cannot undermine the value of intrinsic motivation.
For instance, employees may participate in employee referral programs merely to contribute to the company and earn internal satisfaction.
Additionally, they can use the program to assist friends and acquaintances who perfectly fit the requirements posed by the company. Their primary motivation in such cases is to help a friend and witness their success, especially if they are struggling.
Recognition is another driving factor for new hires. By engaging with the company on a more personal level with employee referral programs, they can supplement their position and attract the attention of essential personnel. Although that may not guarantee a salary increase or bonus, it satiates them.
Sets Small and Achievable Goals
According to behavioral psychology, human beings are elated at the completion of goals, no matter how small. Gamification targets this aspect of human psychology to set small goals that induce a sense of achievement in the employees.
The less challenging the goal is, the more likely the employee is to complete it. It also keeps them motivated for future tasks and confirms their participation in company endeavors.
While the definition of ‘challenging’ differs among different employees, it is a good idea to set milestones that require less effort.
Promotes Transparency
The most attractive gaming element is a leaderboard that allows you to track and compare your progress with other users. Similarly, employee referral software comprises a leaderboard for employees to check their points and standings among their peers.
It also provides constant feedback to help employees understand the tiering system and the actions that provide them with surplus points.
With continuous inputs, employees are more willing to perform simple tasks like sharing postings on social media and clicking on ads and referrals to generate more points.
Acts as a Consolidated Platform
Most employee referral software offers a single platform for gamification. Effectively, it allows employees to earn points, track their progress and check the rewards for completing each level in a single place.
The best part is that you can integrate most referral software with the existing ATS and HRMS tools to increase organizational efficiency and enable collaboration with one platform.
Allows Customization
Customizing your employee referral programs gives you the flexibility of devising your own slogan to attract the employees’ attention. You can also customize elements like rewards and goals based on the inputs of your users and their preferences.
You can motivate teams to work together to increase their points on the leaderboard as part of your customizations. For example, make it more competitive by pitting different departments against each other. The reward for the winning team could be pre-decided and include tangible benefits like a gift voucher or an all-expense paid company trip.
However, it is also essential to toe the line between healthy and unhealthy competition.
Summing Up
While gamification promises multiple benefits for your employee referral program, it cannot be performed effectively without automated software. Using a consolidated platform, you can leverage gamification to increase participation, and onboard quality hires within your employees’ immediate network.
Employee referrals also save the hassle for HR teams and ease the process of interviewing thousands of potential candidates. So, enhance your employee referral program with a well-established gamification process now!
