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Discover how gamified, interactive learning can boost engagement, culture, and real business outcomes across every generation
HR leaders preparing for the next wave of talent can’t afford to treat engagement as a “nice to have” – especially with Gen Z already reshaping expectations and Gen Alpha close behind
That’s the message from Milou Carolei, customer success manager at Kahoot, who will be speaking on employee engagement at the upcoming National HR Summit 2026.
Carolei says the organisations that win in the next decade will be those that treat engagement and learning design as core to business performance – not just compliance.
Gen Z is here – and Gen Alpha is coming
Kahoot recently surveyed 2,000 Gen Z office workers in the UK, exploring how they experience workplace learning and engagement. While Carolei will share the full findings at the summit, the direction of travel is already clear.
According to the research, many younger workers feel that “mandatory training is not up to standard” and are unconvinced by static, presentation‑heavy formats. They report that they would be significantly more likely to consume learning content if it were more interactive, gamified and competitive.
“These are digital natives who grew up with technology in school as well as at home,” Carolei explains. “Now we’re looking at Gen Alpha – AI natives – whose expectations are even higher. Everything in their lives is hyper‑personalised. Traditional, one‑way training just isn’t going to cut it.”
For HR, that means any sense of having “caught up” during the pandemic – by moving content onto Zoom or into LMS modules – is short‑lived. A new reset is already underway.
Engagement for a truly diverse workforce
While much of the current conversation focuses on Gen Z and Gen Alpha, Carolei stresses that modern engagement strategies must serve a deeply diverse workforce – not just the youngest cohort.
That diversity spans generations, cultures and languages as well as learning styles.
“Many workplaces now have people from different backgrounds where English might not be their first language, and not everyone has the same learning capabilities,” she says. “We need to design for diverse learning styles and make sure people can actively engage with content rather than passively sit through it.”
Far from being a “toy” for younger staff, Carolei says that gamified, interactive learning often lands just as strongly – if not more so – with older workers.
“Gamification is often introduced because of the younger workforce, but we see a lot of success with millennials and even boomers,” she notes. “They weren’t used to having this element of fun in learning. When you bring that in, the energy in the room completely changes.”
The result is not only better participation, but a lift in overall culture.
“Gen Z in particular is demanding belonging and purpose,” Carolei adds. “Creating moments where people are learning together, competing in a friendly way, celebrating wins – that strengthens the sense of ‘we’re all in this together’. And the benefits ripple across every generation.”
Beyond Zoom fatigue: why interactivity matters
The pandemic normalised virtual meetings and remote learning, but it also left a lingering legacy: Zoom fatigue.
Carolei argues that many organisations have simply shifted their old habits into a new medium – long slide decks and one‑way presentations now delivered over video call – without addressing the underlying problem.
“Zoom and static presentations are still very present, but they’re not effective when it comes to knowledge retention,” she says. “At the end of the day, the goal isn’t just to deliver training – it’s to ensure workers are knowledgeable and have the skills they need.”
Interactive formats, where employees must respond, make decisions, and apply knowledge in real time, dramatically increase retention compared with passive consumption. Carolei also points to the importance of spaced repetition – revisiting key concepts over time rather than treating learning as a one‑off event.
“In high‑risk industries, this isn’t just about ticking a compliance box,” she warns. “Errors and mistakes can have serious consequences. Those organisations, in particular, need to ask: is our training actually translating into the outcomes we want?”
From “course completion” to real business outcomes
Carolei believes HR and L&D are moving – and must continue to move – from measuring inputs to measuring outcomes.
Rather than reporting how many people “completed” a module, leading organisations are beginning to ask: Did this reduce errors? Did it improve safety? Did it increase revenue or customer satisfaction?
“Training has to be connected to real‑world impact,” she says. “For some employers, that might be fewer safety incidents on the floor. For others, it’s better customer interactions or fewer quality issues. Engagement isn’t abstract – it directly links to performance and risk.”
Gamified and interactive learning, she argues, is simply a more reliable route to those outcomes because it ensures employees are genuinely processing and applying information, not just logging attendance.
A call to HR leaders: rethink your engagement playbook
For HR leaders, Carolei’s message is both a warning and an opportunity.
The warning: complacency is not an option. Each new generation enters the workforce with higher expectations shaped by consumer‑grade digital experiences, gaming and now AI‑driven personalisation. What felt “modern” even a few years ago may already feel outdated.
The opportunity: investing in engagement and gamified learning can be a powerful lever for attraction, retention, culture and performance – across all age groups.
“Once leaders experience the difference in energy and outcomes, they rarely want to go back,” Carolei says.
Milou Carolei will dive deeper into generational expectations, the Gen Z survey data and practical strategies for gamifying learning at HRD’s National HR Summit 2026. HR leaders looking to future‑proof their engagement and L&D strategies can hear her insights live on the day.
