Warehouse workers

When it comes to easing the monotonous nature of certain jobs — or simply for the sake of mixing things up — a little competitive spark in the workplace can work wonders. According to Lucas Systems, a distribution center technology company — and reported by Supply Chain Xchange — incorporating friendly competitions is positively received by 84 percent of participants polled in a recent study on employee retention and morale in the warehouse. 

In particular, a whopping 84 percent noted that they were more likely to stay on board with their company if workplace competitions were incorporated into their daily routine. This strategy, dubbed as “gamifying the workplace” can be especially effective if there are incentives or prizes attached to the contests. 

The study, which included 750 warehouse employees, showed a series of illuminating trends when it comes to incorporating games into their day-to-day operations. In fact, nearly all of them (98 percent) indicated that they have been familiarized with some structure of games on the job. 

Additional highlights of the study included:

Team Games Reign Supreme. As a way of reducing the pressure of individual performances, most workers prefer a team-game format. Specific reasons for preferring this included co-worker engagement opportunities (55 percent) and strengthening the team overall (57 percent.)

Monetary Incentives are Favored. When it comes to the prize for a competition include a bonus or other cash-related incentive, the approval was overwhelming overall. Baby Boomers were the most reluctant to participate in such a prize at 77 percent — compared to Gen Z warehouse workers at 90 percent. 

Showcasing Performance Measures. The vast majority of workers polled noted they have no issue with performance measures being transparent for day-to-day performances on the job. While there is some variance by generation, even the least receptive (Baby Boomers) came in at 80 percent favorability. 

Read more about the study with additional insights here.