Warehouses turn to gamification to level up productivity
Warehouses turn to gamification to level up productivity
Warehouses turn to gamification to level up productivity
By Gary Wollenhaupt
April 27, 2021
Summary
While the worker earns rewards, managers monitor worker speed and accuracy.
That's the process at warehouses where Amazon has rolled out FC Games, a suite of digital games in which workers can voluntarily participate.
Like many other things, Amazon leads the supply chain industry in gamification - adding a game or competitive component to daily tasks like picking and packing to engage and reward workers.
Even before the pandemic, logistics companies struggled with hiring and retaining enough staff to keep up with the work.
While adding a game element is relatively new, Manhattan Associates has worked with customers on employee performance monitoring as a part of its labor management system.
With the game element added, workers receive hourly performance updates on handheld devices.
"It's not necessarily about making work fun; it's about driving performance and making people feel valued for doing a good job," Schnorbach said.
Supply chain managers must consider the pros and cons of gamification, and weigh the benefits on incentives and productivity versus the stress a game could place on workers.
"If a process can't work manually with your staff as they exist in their processes as they exist, it's not going to work if you throw in an electronic system," Montgomery said.
Kenco sees gamification as a tool to attract and retain newer workers but is also sensitive to veteran workers.
Reference
Wollenhaupt, G. (2021, April 27). Warehouses turn to gamification to level up productivity. Retrieved July 31, 2021, from https://www.supplychaindive.com/news/warehouses-workers-labor-gamification-productivity/598971/