Level Up: Turn Work Into a Game

“Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.” – Richard Branson?

There’s an important shift happening in the way businesses approach success. Employees have become the new customers. I talked about the shift in a recent article (“The Evolution of Strategy: From Competition to Customers to Employees ”). Organizational leaders can no longer treat their employees as secondary to customers — instead, if you make employees happy, they’ll naturally go the extra mile for clients.

This leadership principle applies across the board, from startups to large corporations. Investing in employee well-being and success has a direct impact on customer satisfaction and business performance. Columbia Business School Professor Stephan Meier released a new book this week on the topic: The Employee Advantage: How Putting Workers First Helps Business Thrive . This isn’t a new concept, but the way we implement it is evolving. And gamification — treating work like a game — might just be the secret to unlocking the full potential of your workforce.

Gamifying the Employee Experience

Gamification — the process of turning tasks into game-like experiences — has taken over much of our daily lives. Whether it’s closing rings on our Apple Watches or playing Wordle to challenge our vocabulary, more and more people are becoming engaged in experiences that trigger a dopamine hit. According to recent data , nearly 90% of Gen Z and 94% of Gen Alpha consider themselves gamers, and that trend isn’t limited to younger generations. Companies can harness this growing interest by bringing game elements into the workplace to increase engagement and satisfaction.

Think about athletes. They don’t play just for the final tournament — they thrive on winning each move or play, driven by constant hits of dopamine. The same principles can be applied in the workplace. Instead of quarterly or annual feedback meetings, imagine employees getting quick, positive feedback or leveling up in their roles, much like how they progress in video games. It motivates them to keep going, perform better, and feel a sense of achievement.

Stephan Meier 's research dives deeper into this. He argues that companies must recognize employees as key stakeholders in the business. Happy employees not only boost company morale; they have a direct correlation to the bottom line. Meier’s research reinforces what Richard Branson knew — when you prioritize your employees, they will be empowered to take care of the clients.

The Psychology of Gamification

So, why does gamification work? It taps into intrinsic and extrinsic motivators, offering employees clear goals, immediate rewards, and the satisfaction of progress. According to Bartle’s categories of play style , there are four main types of gamers:

1. Achievers who love completing tasks and leveling up.
2. Explorers who seek discovery and innovation.
3. Socializers who value teamwork and connection.
4. Killers who thrive on competition and becoming dominant players.

Each employee fits into one (or more) of these categories, and if you can identify what drives them, you can tailor their experience at work. Some may be motivated by the thrill of moving up the ranks quickly, while others want to discover new skills or work collaboratively. The game of work doesn’t have to be one-size-fits-all. Consider how you might design different experiences for different types of employees.

For example, an achiever might benefit from increasing the number of potential promotions available. Explorers might prefer lateral opportunities to discover new areas of the business. Socializers might thrive through connecting with more customers. Killers could earn an extra reward from being the top earner on their team.

Game On: Rethink Employee Engagement

What would it look like if we treated employee engagement as a game? You wouldn’t sell the same product to every customer — so why offer the same experience to every employee? Just as companies have mastered customer segmentation, it’s time to apply the same logic to employees. Understanding what motivates each employee can unlock higher levels of engagement, productivity, and loyalty.

Peter Fader and I discuss in our forthcoming book, Creating a Customer-Centric Corporate Culture, that businesses need to shift from product-based metrics to customer-centric ones. The same goes for employees — shifting from focusing solely on company outcomes to building experiences that engage and motivate your team will lead to better financial results in the long run.

As Connie Shepherd , Outthinker Networks member and former SVP Strategy, Commercialization for Bumble Bee Foods, puts it, “What gets measured gets managed.” If you turn work into a game and measure progress, employees will naturally want to win. And when employees win, so does the company.

The Call to Action

It’s time to rethink how we engage our employees. Instead of rigid structures and inflexible compensation packages, what if we made work more dynamic? Consider turning job roles into personalized experiences, complete with levels, achievements, and rewards. Challenge the assumption that compensation should be fixed, and experiment with performance-based incentives that excite and motivate.

Gamification isn’t about making work less serious — it’s about making it more engaging. It’s about creating an environment where employees feel excited to come to work and where every task feels like a step closer to winning the game.

Putting employees first isn’t just a feel-good strategy. It’s the key to unlocking better performance, happier clients, and a thriving business.