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How Amazon Turned the Tedium of Warehouse Work Into A Game
Credit: Washington Post
Amazon has developed a videogame-like competition aimed at making warehouse workers' jobs less tedious, in order to boost their productivity. The progress of Amazon workers in the games is displayed on screens at employees' workstations, with lights or screens signaling items workers must retrieve from robot-driven shelves to place into bins, while noting completed tasks.
Scanners track completed tasks like packing and stacking boxes, and individuals, teams, or whole floors can compete in tournaments; game-playing workers can earn points, virtual badges, and other perks.
Amazon's games range from racing virtual dragons or sports cars around a track, to collaborative castle-building. "Anything to reduce the drudgery, even the smallest amount, is going to give a bump to workers' happiness," says gamification consultant Gabe Zichermann.
From The Washington Post
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Abstracts Copyright © 2019 SmithBucklin, Washington, DC, USA
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