Gamification and its effect on maintaining high levels of engagement

Created over 20 years ago from the merger of Cervejaria Brahma and Companhia Antarctica, Ab Inbev (Anheuser-Busch InBev) is one of the most globally significant companies in the beverage industry. Today, it has more than 30,000 employees distributed throughout Brazil and 33 breweries. Ab Inbev has also been recognized on numerous occasions as one of the best consumer goods companies to work for.

Unsurprisingly, Ab Inbev’s Human Resources department is divided into distinct strategic teams, designed to meet the needs of all its locations and ensure the wellbeing of all employees. One of their primary goals is to look for ways to introduce innovation and flexibility in order to improve the quality of life of their employees.

As it offers numerous features sought by the beverage giant, for the last three years Ab Inbev has offered Gympass as a wellness resource for all its employees – and the results of engagement (even during the pandemic) have been inspiring. Check it out:

Gamification as a tool

Since its introduction, Gympass has been one of the benefits that employees most engage with in the company, and this success is closely linked to the continuous efforts of Ab Inbev’s HR team. What sets them apart is their effective communication with employees through the most accessible channels. Important news is often disseminated over the in-house social network – which generates substantial interaction between employees – in addition to a corporate TV channel available in factories and commercial areas, as well as the use of the company’s email communication system.

According to Lucineide Xavier, a Wellbeing Specialist at the organization, a number of campaigns are run on most of the interactive channels (related both to Gympass and to other benefits), with awards designed to motivate employee participation – and they are generally very well received: “Together with the fact that people like it, Gympass always introduces new things and we always promote and encourage it.”

Gympass’ support during the pandemic

Like most companies, Ab Inbev were forced to quickly adapt during the pandemic; many corporate employees had to transition to working from home, and those in operational departments received the necessary hygiene and preventive resources recommended by the WHO to enable them to continue working safely.

Subsequent to these measures, HR conducted internal opinion surveys to better understand how employees were feeling, while at the same time offering psychological, social, and economic support to those in need. In addition, following the gamification strategy that was being introduced within the company, in partnership with Gympass, challenges were issued, such as #AbInbevInMotion, offering employees an opportunity to learn about the new digital options available. These included online classes, partner apps, and sessions with personal trainers, allowing them to remain active and be motivated while working from home. At the end of the series of challenges, those who had registered the most check-ins on the platform received a reward.

These challenges, in addition to being fun and well-received by most Ab Inbev employees, ensured that engagement with Gympass remained high even at a critical time for people’s health and the world economy: “All the initiatives that Gympass introduced were very useful for employees and for the company. There was plenty of interaction and it was very helpful to keep people active and connected during this period” – comments Lucineide.

People like it, Gympass always introduces new things and we always promote and encourage it. – Lucineide Xavier,  Wellbeing Specialist – Ab Inbev