Purpose – Explains how gamification can help to motivate employees and boost individual and organizational performance. Design/methodology/approach – Defines gamification and provides some examples of how it can work in practice. Findings – Charts how gamification helps to engage employees by infusing vigor, making them dedicated and enabling them to be absorbed in their work. Practical implications – Explains that gamification can help in infusing a feel of ownership of performance and results. Social implications – Outlines some of the social forces that can help to make gamification a success. Originality/value – Reveals that through gamification – designed sensitively, crafted creatively and implemented positively – organizations can target burn-out and help to foster an engaging work environment.

Business firms across the globe have always endeavoured to identify and strengthen drivers of employee engagement at the individual, group and organizational level. Drivers at the individual level have been less researched and tested in previous studies. This study attempts to examine the role of emotional intelligence as an individual antecedent of employee engagement. This is hypothesized drawing from literature that emotional intelligence plays an important role in shaping positive workplace feelings, attitudes and behaviour. Responses captured and analyzed from randomly selected sample of 182 professionals working in Indian organizations revealed that emotional intelligence especially mood repair augments high levels of employee engagement manifested through higher vigor, dedication and absorption in employees. These findings have significant implications for both research and practice.