Lessons from Amazon's Warehouse Game Promo: Reward Employees, Allow them to Choose their Gift, But Don't Get OSHA Involved

In 2021, in the midst of a world still reeling from pandemic shutdowns and, therefore, an unprecedented hike in demand for products ordered online, Amazon ramped up its video-game-like incentive program for its warehouse employees to keep up the pace by "gamifying" their work.

It started in 2019, when Amazon literally turned tasks into retro-style games with cute little names like "PicksInSpace," "Dragon Duel," and "MissionRacer." Their prize? Employees who landed on the leaderboard earned "swag bucks" that could be spent on branded Amazon merchandise like T-shirts and other promotional products.