From Checklists to Champions: Turning Onboarding into a Game

 If your new hire training plan is collecting dust, it’s not because it’s a bad idea — it’s because it feels like homework.

I was talking to the CEO of a large healthcare company this week, and he was proud — rightfully so.

His team had recently implemented a structured new hire training plan. They took the job description and broke it down into milestones — clear checkpoints of what a new employee should have learned or accomplished by Day 30, Day 60, Day 90.

It had two main goals:

1. Give the new hire clarity and direction.

2. Hold the manager accountable for actually training them.

Solid concept. Great intention.

And as he told me about it, I smiled to myself. Not because I didn’t believe in what he was doing — but because I’d been there.

The Truth HR Doesn’t Always Say Out Loud

Over the years, I’ve helped implement plenty of onboarding timelines, manager checklists, project plans… the works.

I’ve launched them.
I’ve trained teams on them.
I’ve printed them. Uploaded them. Reminded managers to use them.

And what happened?

I spent more time in HR chasing paperwork than the tool ever spent making a real difference.

Managers ignored it. Or signed it last minute. Or handed it in blank just to make me go away.

I got fed up.
And eventually, I stopped chasing.

Which meant — like so many HR rollouts — it silently died.
Not because it wasn’t needed.
But because it wasn’t fun. It wasn’t visible. It wasn’t felt.

It was just another form.

That CEO Had an Aha Moment

As I shared that story, I saw the shift on his face. That “yep, that’s exactly what’s about to happen to us” moment.

So I challenged him.

What if that milestone-based training plan wasn’t a document to complete…
but a game to win?

What if it had built-in momentum and reward?
What if the new hire could see their own progress — and the manager could too?

What if it felt exciting, instead of exhausting?

Level Up: Turn Your Onboarding Plan into a Game

Here’s what I suggested to that CEO — and what you can try too:

Turn Milestones into Missions
Instead of "Complete EMR Training by Day 14" — make it a quest.

Mission: Digital Mastery — Conquer the EMR system and schedule your first real-world task.

Each mission has a name, a purpose, and a win condition.

Add Badges, Levels, and Progression
Make the journey visible.
Let the new hire “Level Up” as they complete tasks.
Create digital badges or printed milestone cards they collect as they grow.
Share these on a progress wall or internal system — it’s low-cost and high-impact.

Create Manager Challenges, Too
Gamify their side of the process:

Hold 3 coaching conversations in the first 30 days? You earn the 'Mentorship Maven' badge.
Onboard your new hire with zero missed milestones? You're now an ‘Onboarding Champ.

Now they’re not filling out a form. They’re playing to win.

Celebrate Wins Publicly
Post progress shout-outs on Slack, Teams, email, or a company newsletter:

Shoutout to Sofia in Accounting who just completed all her 60-day missions AND earned her ‘Policy Pro’ badge!

When people see success, they want to be part of it.

Track Progress, Not Paperwork
Replace “signed forms” with visual dashboards.
Let HR see at a glance who’s progressing, who’s stuck, and who’s quietly quitting onboarding.
Progress tracking is accountability without nagging.

Why It Works

Because now, it’s not a form. It’s an experience.

It sparks conversation.
It gives feedback.
It creates shared ownership between manager and new hire.

It doesn’t just say “we care about your development.”
It shows it — in a way that’s exciting, human, and fun.

Let’s Stop Launching Tools That Feel Like Homework

That CEO didn’t need better paperwork.
He needed a better framework — one that turned onboarding into something managers wanted to be part of, and new hires actually remembered.

Gamification didn’t change the what.
It changed the how — and that made all the difference.

So the next time you roll out a new process, stop and ask:

How do I want people to feel as they go through this?

Because when you make it feel like a game, not a chore — people stop checking boxes, and start showing up.

Want help turning your onboarding plan into something unforgettable?
Let’s build something they’ll actually use.