The Gamification Of EHS Training Highlights Efforts To Drive Worker Engagement

The Gamification Of EHS Training Highlights Efforts To Drive Worker Engagement

Gamification is a concept that applies game-design elements to non-game scenarios. Firms are leveraging this concept to motivate consistent participation and long-term engagement across their workforce. For instance, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) launched an online game in 2014 geared at helping the construction and manufacturing industries practice identifying workplace hazards. The tool enabled employers and workers to explore and identify common workplace hazards virtually. Similarly, firms like Cority have partnered with Highmark to enable real-time mental wellbeing assessments via Highmark's highly interactive, gamified mobile application called 'EQ At Work'. Henkel, a German chemical and consumer goods firm, combined a hazard perception test with a scavenger hunt using VR for training purposes (see Verdantix Strategic Focus: Virtual Reality Training Solutions). Mobile apps like Optimity offer personalized health programs, activity tracking, and health risk assessments and firms like EHS Global Tech offer EHS gamification services covering areas such as COSHH training and manual handling training. 

So why is gamification an essential topic in today's workforce? According to a US Bureau of Labour Statistics forecast, millennials will make up a significant portion of the workforce in the US and other parts of the world by 2030. Bearing this forecast in mind, the American Psychological Association (APA) highlights the importance of engaging a millennial workforce via new teaching methods that are more experiential and exploratory than previous approaches. Though not millennial-specific, active learning systems produce better academic achievement, according to APA. Axonify's micro-learning solution exemplifies this approach, increasing learning recall and also achieving prolonged engagement via its gamified approach (see Verdantix: Merck Sharp & Dohme Drives Strong Safety Culture Engagement Through Safety Training Software). 

Furthermore, EHS training and development is seeing increased adoption and investment across the EHS function. In a survey of 301 EHS decisionmakers spanning 31 countries and 25 industries, Verdantix asked survey participants about their intended spending in various EHS categories for 2021. For EHS training, learning and development, five per cent planned to increase spend by 25% in 2021. An additional 18% of respondents planned to increase spend between 10 to 25% in 2021 (See Verdantix Global Corporate Survey 2020: EHS Budgets, Priorities & Tech Preferences). As firms increase spending on EHS training, learning and development, understanding their target audience and ensuring a high level of worker engagement will help such programmes succeed. Hence, it is essential to take note of the role gamification can play in maintaining worker engagement.