Let the games begin: how gamification can reduce idling in heavy industries

Published: 2022-06-21
Written by: Linn Björklund
Image

Breaking bad habits is hard, and forcing change top-down in bigger organisations is ineffective. That’s why you need to implement engaging elements into your heavy industries’ transformation, and gamification is a terrific tool for that. In this post, we’ll show you how activating core motivators can boost organisation-wide behavioural change.

The power of play

The idea of work being the opposite of “fun” is an outdated concept. As the need for employee engagement is at an all-time high, you need to connect with your employees on a more complex level. You must motivate, engage, and incentivise them to help them build lasting positive habits, and you do this through emotional connection.

Having fun helps us break bad habits by adding emotional reinforcement. It disproves the binary between “work vs fun” and drives change from the ground up, making it the perfect tool for empowering your employees.

5 motivators that turn “work” into “fun”

Below, we’re listing the intrinsic and extrinsic motivators you can use to create a gamification experience to help employees break a bad habit:

Motivator 1: Community

How can you make your employees feel like they are part of something bigger than themselves?

It’s a human condition to strive to be part of something meaningful, where our actions make a difference. With the right digital tools, your employees can see their efforts add up to something more significant than the sum of their daily tasks. Maybe it’s competing together as a team against other similar sites?

Motivator 2: Accomplishment

We all love the feeling of accomplishing something great.

Comparison is a great way to spark that emotion. Try comparing one wheel loader against another – which one did best? Make sure to praise the winner.

Motivator 3: Ownership

We protect what’s ours.

That’s why it’s a good idea to give frontline employees first-hand results on who’s improving the most. When there’s immediate feedback on our work and achievements, we get more involved.

Motivator 4: Social influence

Who doesn’t like a little friendly competition?

Don’t underestimate the importance of workplace banter. If an employee knows what they need to do to beat their colleague, you can bet they will do it so that they can brag about it in the break room.

Motivator 5: Avoidance

Gamification doesn’t have to be all fun and play.

It can also trigger emotions of loss. Not wanting something bad to happen is a powerful tool when working with behavioural change, because who wants to place last at the site?

Gamification as a way to end excessive idling in heavy industry

At CheckProof, we decided to put these motivators into practice and launched our new feature, Fleet Optimisation, to eliminate excessive idling by frontline employees.

Excessive idling is a bad practice that’s survived for decades, and as the value of your fleet depends on running time, high idle times harm both your operations and the environment. It increases your CO2 emissions and fuel costs while simultaneously reducing your fleet’s lifespan and resale value.

It’s the definition of a bad habit, but when management asks the frontline to stop, the behavioural change usually only lasts a couple of days. That’s why we designed Fleet Optimisation from the ground up.

CheckProof’s new gamification feature can monitor, benchmark, and compare active and idle time for each machine, vehicle, and site. It allows frontline employees to engage in a friendly competition to see who can reduce their idling the most, and managers can use push and pull factors to reward good behaviour and follow up on unwanted behaviour.

Would you also like to reduce your site’s idling? If your company is already using CheckProof, you can simply contact us to get help setting up the new feature.

Not an active CheckProof user yet? Start by booking a 30-minute personalised demo.

Want to know what CheckProof can do for you?

CheckProof's easy-to-use app makes it easier to do the right thing at the right time. Discover how you can run world-class maintenance that is both cost-effective and sustainable.

Book a demo
Featured image for “SOP compliance: How to get your frontline teams on board”
2023-11-22

SOP compliance: How to get your frontline teams on board

Setting up SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) for crucial tasks is an effective way to ensure safe and consistent work methods across your heavy industry sites. At least if your SOPs are available, relevant, and easy to use for frontline workers – which is, unfortunately, not always the case. This article offers you eight best practices that will help improve SOP compliance by adapting your instructions to suit the people who depend most on them. 
Featured image for “Lack of documentation = lack of HSE compliance. Here’s how to fix it.”
2023-10-27

Lack of documentation = lack of HSE compliance. Here’s how to fix it.

To keep your frontline workers safe – and prove HSE compliance to external auditors – you need quick access to all required documentation for hazardous tasks. Find out how switching to digital processes will help you save time and improve traceability across your heavy industry sites.
Featured image for “Downtime reduction: 6 ways to optimize your heavy industry operations”
2023-09-11

Downtime reduction: 6 ways to optimize your heavy industry operations

To run a profitable business, you need to optimize the use of critical resources such as equipment, energy, and manpower. One of the most important elements of resource optimization in heavy industries is downtime reduction. The key to success? Proactivity. 
Featured image for “Resource Optimization”
2023-08-21

Resource Optimization

By optimizing the utilization of your resources, your business can increase your operational efficiency, reduce your carbon footprint, and cut costs. This comprehensive article covers various aspects of resource optimization, primarily in a heavy industry context. You’ll learn about everything from the definition of common terms to the benefits of implementing digital technology in your frontline teams.  Table of contents: 
Featured image for “Skills shortage in heavy industries: how technology can help”
2023-07-11

Skills shortage in heavy industries: how technology can help

If your business relies on skilled and experienced frontline workers, you’re probably struggling with the same challenges as many of your industry peers: How can you replace the generation of workers now reaching retirement age? And how do you ensure you don’t lose the valuable knowledge they’ve gathered through the years?
Featured image for “How to bridge the communication gap between frontline and office”
2023-06-08

How to bridge the communication gap between frontline and office

Where there’s a lack of communication between frontline workers and management in a heavy industry company, there’s also a lack of cooperation and mutual understanding. By successfully bridging this gap, your business won’t only improve workplace safety and employee engagement. You’ll also save vast amounts of money.
Featured image for “Sustainable aggregates: challenges and solutions for a rapidly changing industry ”
2023-05-02

Sustainable aggregates: challenges and solutions for a rapidly changing industry 

Electrification, technological development, and tackling climate change are all top priorities for the aggregates industry. What are the main obstacles toward a more sustainable industry, and what actions must be taken to reach the climate goals going forward? Although the numbers are looking bleak, there’s a great deal of optimism among industry players and experts within sustainable technology.
Featured image for “Unannounced inspections? With these 6 steps, your plant is always ready ”
2023-03-22

Unannounced inspections? With these 6 steps, your plant is always ready 

All of a sudden, a government inspector walks into your plant. Before you could blink, they already noticed that one of your processing equipment is missing its guard. The next minute, you’re served a hefty fine, and your plant is ordered to shut down until it’s fixed. To prevent this from happening again: what steps can you take to ensure your plant is always ready for an inspection?
Featured image for “Health, safety, environment, and quality (HSEQ)”
2023-02-10

Health, safety, environment, and quality (HSEQ)

Without exaggeration, health and safety in the workplace is a matter of life and death. ILO (International Labour Organization) estimates the yearly number of work-related deaths globally to be nearly 2 million. Creating and maintaining a solid HSEQ framework is crucial for protecting your employees – but also your business – from harm. This comprehensive article will walk you through the key areas of HSEQ and what you need to set up a successful strategy.
Featured image for “Preventive Maintenance – What it is, examples, and benefits”
2023-01-13

Preventive Maintenance – What it is, examples, and benefits

Preventive maintenance is the practice of routinely inspecting and proactively servicing your facility’s equipment. This way, you’re able to notice minor issues and fix them before they turn into machine failure – in contrast to acting after. In this comprehensive article, we touch on everything from different types of preventive maintenance to implementing an efficient and future-proof maintenance plan.