Challenge: Aligning a Workforce with New Values

While CCM’s staff was dedicated to their mission, fostering a culture that fully embraced the new core values proved difficult. Recognition practices were inconsistent, with limited emphasis on behaviors that aligned with the core values. This led to several problems:

• Disengaged workforce: A lack of collaboration and recognition resulted in lower morale and a higher voluntary turnover rate (21%). Exit interviews revealed employees felt undervalued and that the work environment lacked a sense of community.
• Inefficient recognition process: Manual tracking of awards created a cumbersome and time-consuming process for both managers and the payroll department. This inefficiency also led to potential inaccuracies and inconsistencies in reporting, raising concerns about tax implications.
• Unrecognized value-driven behavior: Recognition primarily focused on individual performance metrics, neglecting to acknowledge and reward employees who consistently displayed behaviors that embodied the core values. This created a disconnect between the desired cultural shift and recognition practices.

Action: Gamifying Recognition for Cultural Transformation

To address these challenges, CCM implemented Engagedly, a gamified recognition platform designed to streamline the recognition process, increase employee engagement, and reinforce desired behaviors. Engagedly offered several key features that addressed CCM’s specific needs:

“Engagedly has been a fantastic partner for our rewards and recognition programs,” says Casey Sanders, HR Director at CCM. “The platform’s ease of use impressed us – it was simple to set up and intuitive for both leaders and employees to navigate. We continue to appreciate Engagedly’s ongoing commitment to improvement, as they consistently enhance their features and system functionality.”

• Customization: CCM leveraged Engagedly’s ability to create custom badges that reflected their core values. This allowed them to visually reinforce the importance of these values in everyday work. 
• Automated reporting: Engagedly integrated seamlessly with CCM’s HRIS system, streamlining the process of reporting and tracking awards for payroll purposes. This eliminated manual data entry and ensured accurate tax treatment of all awarded recognitions.
• Employee Choice: Engagedly offered a variety of reward options, allowing employees to choose rewards that were most meaningful to them. This increased employee satisfaction with the recognition program and fostered a sense of appreciation.

Results: A Culture Shift with Measurable Impact

The implementation of Engagedly yielded significant benefits for CCM:

• Reduced Turnover: In just one year, voluntary turnover plummeted by 18%, yielding substantial cost savings of nearly $1 million for CCM. This decrease can be partially attributed to a more positive and engaged work environment fostered by the gamified recognition program.
• Increased Recognition: Data showed that 80% of leaders were now regularly recognizing employees for displaying core values, resulting in savings of more than 100 administrative hours.
• Improved Efficiency: Automated reporting through Engagedly saved the payroll team significant administrative time to focus on other important tasks.

This case study demonstrates the power of gamification in recognition programs. By utilizing Engagedly, CCM was able to foster a more engaged workforce aligned with their core values and reduce turnover costs. The program’s success highlights the importance of recognizing and rewarding not just performance, but also the behaviors that contribute to a positive and value-driven organizational culture.