Health & Wellbeing
4 mins read

Using Gamification to Increase Engagement and Build Healthy Habits

Gamification is a key driver of YuLife's consumer-grade levels of engagement. Here we explain how the YuLife app goes the extra mile to make health and wellbeing tasks more enjoyable for users.

Yugi the Giraffe - October 6, 2023

Many people dismiss 'gamification' as a buzzword. But actually, the idea of making software as easy and enjoyable to use as a video game has a lot of merit – and it's one that's becoming increasingly relevant today.

In a post-lockdown world, and following the 'Great Resignation', the best employees are now highly sought-after.

As a result, messaging around inclusion, authenticity and 'bringing your whole self to work' is on the rise. In an era where we no longer split ourselves neatly into 'work-self' and 'home-self', it's not surprising that employees expect consumer-grade experiences from their in-house digital tools.

One area this need is particularly pressing is employee health and wellbeing.

A Lack of Wellbeing Benefits

Following the pandemic, work-life balance is uppermost in people's minds. Yet according to HR Magazine’s Employee Benefits Watch Report, only 20% of employees engage with the health and wellbeing benefits provided by their employer.

That's pretty dismal, considering these are typically free services that most people view as a perk. Clearly, something is going wrong.

As a Group Insurance disrupter delivering health and wellbeing through an innovative app, YuLife has the data to prove it’s got a solution.

A whopping 72% of employees download the YuLife app, 43% have used it at least once in the last month, and 17.4% log on up to five times a day.

What's the secret to this high engagement?

One of the key ingredients is – you guessed it – gamification.

First, let's dive into some background:

Rather than focusing on end-of-life and times of crisis payouts through insurance (never the most exciting of topics), the YuLife App's main focus is to encourage good health in the here and now.

It does so by allowing you to set achievable tasks, such as regular walking and meditation exercises.

Developed in line with behavioral science techniques, the app plays on our natural inclinations to seek fun, challenge, and reward.

So beyond your daily tasks, there are also opportunities for friendly competition with fellow employees, via a shared leaderboard. You can challenge each other to fun duels, too.

You can compete with yourself, as well, by embarking on 'streaks', where you complete at least one challenge every day for five days, and by following quests and progressing over time. All these activities earn you real-world rewards, including gift cards to leading retailers and donations to charities or environmental projects.

In short, YuLife's app goes the extra mile to make health and wellbeing tasks more enjoyable. And the result is consumer-grade levels of adoption and engagement.

This is great news for HR: It means employees are engaged with the tangible benefits it provides them (in the present day, not just in moments of crisis).

It provides HR departments with a new channel for interacting with employees, and access to useful data – and it means a greater sense of community within the organization as a whole.

So next time you hear the word 'gamification', resist the urge to scoff.

Just because it's a buzzword doesn't mean the benefits aren't plentiful!

About YuLife

YuLife is an employee benefits and wellbeing app that’s reimagining the insurance industry by protecting lives, rewarding living and inspiring life. We’re on a mission to transform traditional insurance into a life-enhancing experience each employee will value and use daily.

How does it work?

Our award-winning app uses behavioral science and game mechanics to reward your people for living well while offering protection in case of crisis. And with our top-rated employee assistance program, your team gets access to mental, financial and social support, nutritionists, life coaches and more to help them live their best lives.

Because we believe that your employees should benefit from their insurance from day one – and that wellbeing should be accessible every day, for everyone.

Request a demo for your team today.

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Yugi the Giraffe

Yugi is our YuLife mascot. Like all giraffes they've got a big heart – in fact the biggest heart of all land animals.