How VISTA Eye Specialist Uses Gamification to Address the Unhealthy Mental Impact of COVID-19

PETALING JAYA, Malaysia - Jan. 1, 2021 - PRLog -- Since Covid-19 pandemic started, the possibility of job loss, pay cuts, and less social interaction have given rise to increasing mental disorders. A survey by Hays showed 37% of workers say their mental health and wellbeing have been negatively impacted¹.

"To take the focus away, VISTA Eye Specialist (VISTA) implemented an Upskilling program to help staff reflect, develop, and prepare for 2021 using experiential learning and gamification methodology. The objective is to create a positive work environment where staff will experience '10x More Fun, 10x More Learning and 10x More Staff Engagement'." say Chief Human Resource Monica Wong.

The Upskilling program was based on the award-winning Netflix docuseries - 'Next In Fashion', a fashion design reality TV competition. Staff were separated into 4 teams; scores were awarded for completing challenges, mini competitions and also individual accomplishments to compete for prizes.

"The teams would watch the show episodes together and debrief for learnings and action plans, we had a VISTA Fashion week for dress-up competitions that mirrored the show's themes, our staff townhall zoom meeting featured two of Malaysia's Top Fashion Gurus - Carven Ong of Carven Ong Couture & Shawn Loong, L'Oreal Artistic Ambassador and Founder of Shawn Cutler, who shared how they succeeded during this difficult pandemic period," added Chief Center Manager and one of the judges, Ms. Tan Chin-Ching.

VISTA added mini-competitions that featured raising funds to support Sabah Covid-19 Relief programs, subsidized staff's lunch to support local businesses and reduce the financial strain on the staff. Staff were encouraged to write their own self-discovery stories to present their learnings and the impact of the whole program on themselves.

"Staff started to take leadership roles, and whole departments seemed to have somehow awoken. You could see the excitement, the fun, and teamwork that emanated from the staff. In our 21 years, this was the first time we saw such enthusiasm and competitive energy. The stories allowed us to understand staff better and we witnessed touching stories that brought tears to the judges."

"The program created tremendous teamwork, excitement, and energy to tide us over the COVID-19 crisis and prepared for 2021. Ultimately, it aligned the company to take on the turbulent year ahead, " says Monica. "It may ultimately be a New Normal to incorporate experiential learning and gamification to engage the staff, while keeping it fun and exciting. Most importantly it keeps staff positive and away from mental disorders, while at the same time help unravel creativity, new ideas, hidden talent and together propelling the company forward."

About VISTA Eye Specialist

Founded in 1999, VISTA is one of the largest Eye Specialist Centers in Malaysia with 11 centres.

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