It’s not unreasonable for management to hope employees are motivated. In any business, it makes things a whole lot easier when workers, at all and levels, naturally love their work.  If that much is true, chances are that they can be trusted to maintain a  drive to succeed on their own. Unfortunately that’s not always the case and not all employees are created equal.  Managers are relied on to step in as necessary to help motivate their employees – and the methods of motivation can easily vary.

One method that has garnered results across many different types of employees is the use of gaming. Not in the traditional, joystick in hand/online poker sense that you might be thinking of, but a complex system of points that targets an individual’s need to succeed and be satisfied with work produced. A Triple Pundit article got our attention with the use of a zero waste objective as a way to visualize how ‘gamification’ works.

Here at The Refinishing Touch, we see a great deal of value in using this method to increase employee awareness and overall involvement. Simple recognition for one team or individual as a leader in the office for reducing waste can significantly increase awareness on the initiative, its goals and ultimately what it takes to compete and win. Soon, the whole company is doing its part to reduce waste and lower a carbon footprint. Action might be taken in the spirit of competition, but in the grand scheme of things, the environment ends up winning.

This method has proven to work with established adults in workplace environments, but we don’t think it shouldn’t be limited to just that. Implementing programs to reach individuals earlier on, such as in schools, would be direct investments in our future. A focus on the use of renewable methods and the drive toward sustainability would become major factors in decision making down the line.

Forward thinking processes such as these deserve the chance to help mold the next generation of our nation’s workforce and business leaders – and that’s just what they’re being given! Games are now a growing part of our nation’s culture. Being able to connect with the next generation about what matters most now, and the widespread importance of issues like global sustainability and green-minded thinking as we see highlighted in this one gaming example will hopefully lead to a positive result we’ll see for years to come – where everyone can be a winner.