Samantha Kelen (sam@samanthakelen.com) is Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer at Cardinal Innovations in Charlotte, NC.
Let’s face it. Compliance training has a bad reputation these days. In fact, I’ve seen a number of memes on social media recently articulating that point. Some compliance professionals have turned to gamification in an effort to spice things up. And there’s research to support that decision—30% of employees surveyed by TalentLMS chose compliance training as their top pick for gamification.[1] If this is a strategy you’re considering, here are some pros and cons to help you make your decision.
Pros
Increased engagement
That same TalentLMS survey found 83% of those who receive gamified training feel motivated, while 61% of those who receive non-gamified training feel bored and unproductive. These elements also help to create a sense of belonging and purpose, which can help you get extra mileage and buy-in for your program.
Results and dashboards
This form of training is particularly helpful if you’re looking to use more metrics and data to evaluate your program. Game scores and other trends can feed into your overall program monitoring and effectiveness measures. Instant feedback also helps your employees know exactly where they stand compared to their peers, and it lets you know which topics need additional reinforcement.
Incentives and recognition
If your courses are designed to share results across your organization, the resulting competitive spirit is likely to encourage employees to participate. It also offers additional opportunities for your best performers to shine and be seen. Rewarding those who meet certain objectives can be easier to implement under this format.
Cons
The downside of competition
Although many employees may enjoy interacting with their peers and trying to get better scores, some may be inclined to take it too far. It may be necessary to monitor collaboration sites to ensure everyone is keeping it light and friendly.
Cost
Depending on how you create or purchase your trainings today, adding game components can create additional expenses. You may need to engage a skilled resource to modify existing content or purchase new content all together.
Marginalization
Younger generations who grew up learning through computer games are more likely to engage with them in the workplace. But that means gamified trainings may not have the same impact on more seasoned workers. Make sure to offer the content in a variety of training and awareness formats.
