Over
the past half decade, executives and leaders have thrown around the
phrase “every company is a tech company.” In 2022, this statement hits
even closer to home as the digital employee experience becomes just as
important as the physical one; with the pandemic putting more pressure
on aspects of work like well-being, culture and training, at a time when
the competition for talent is fierce.
Last year,
The Great Reshuffle
came into focus and put the employee experience at the top of many
corporate priorities this year. In January, the Labor Department
shared
that workers quit at a record level in November 2021. They are now
searching for the right job at the right company with no rush to go
back. Contrast this against more than 10 million job openings, and it’s
clear that companies need to place more emphasis on culture and employee
experience.
One
of the big questions many leaders are facing now is: how can we
meaningfully communicate, collaborate, and connect in a hybrid (or
remote) environment?
These
new needs are driving the creation of new technology categories to
support workers — that go beyond the video call. And while technology
isn’t the only solution, it will have an important role to play as
companies look for new ways to win the competition for talent and create
a workplace where well-being and culture thrive.
This
technological transition will require a mindset shift for IT and
business leaders alike — to consider how existing and emerging
technology can be used to rebuild culture in a remote and hybrid world.
Technology Defines the Employee Experience
As
hybrid work becomes more prevalent, and employees become less
physically centralized, the traditional emphasis placed on in-office
perks is quickly diminishing. This dynamic is reshaping how companies
operate. Microsoft’s 2021
Work Trend Index
found that 46% of the workforce is relocating because they can now work
remotely. And employees feel so strongly about remote work that
Qualtrics
research
has shown that 35% of employees would be more likely to search for a
new job if they were required to return to the office full-time —
further putting pressure on employers to adapt accordingly.
As
this trend persists, the technology experiences that employers provide
will more or less define the employee experience — technology and
workplace tools are, for all intents and purposes, the new workplace. As
such, they’re becoming central in attracting and retaining new talent,
fostering workplace culture, creating productivity, and more.
Yet,
many employees are underwhelmed by their current technology and remote
work experiences. Qualtrics research found only 30% of employees say
their experience with their company’s technology exceeds their
expectations. Microsoft found that after a year of working from home,
42% of employees say they lack essential office supplies at home, and 1
in 10 don’t have an adequate internet connection to do their job.
How
employees communicate, collaborate, and connect are fundamental
qualities of the employee experience, and it’s critical that employers
get it right when it comes to how they facilitate these interactions
with technology. Employees are 230% more engaged and 85% more likely to
stay beyond three years in their jobs if they feel they have the
technology that supports them at work, according to Qualtrics. There is a
range of downstream benefits that come from implementing the right
technology in the workplace, including fostering a culture of inclusion,
enabling organizations to adapt, and retaining top talent.
So where should employers begin their journey for improving digital workplace experiences?
Understand the Experience Gaps
Experience
data — measuring and understanding how employees feel about a range of
topics — is essential to building a productive and attractive workplace
in this new era. By pairing privacy-protected operational data, such as
time spent in meetings per week or number of messages sent, with
experience data, employers can better understand the full scope of the
employee experience to make informed decisions about how to improve the
overall workplace experience. This approach applies to digital
experiences, too.
The first step is to understand what is impacting employee productivity and collaboration.
Employers
should start by asking employees if they have the right tools and
technology to do their jobs, especially in a hybrid or remote work
environment. Never assume. Microsoft’s Work Trend Index showed that over
46% of employees say their companies do not help them with remote work
expenses — which should be a fundamental step in helping employees be
productive.
IT
leaders should collaborate with HR on regular employee sentiment pulses
that are conducted at least quarterly. Add questions into these pulses
to ask what people think about the tools and software they use to do
their jobs effectively, and what other technology can help them be more
productive, whether from home or in an office. Once that experience data
is analyzed, there could be opportunities to modify existing resources
or processes, or invest in new ones that help different teams feel more
connected and engaged.
In
addition to making sure employees have the right tools and tech, it’s
also important that companies understand if employees are at risk of
virtual meeting fatigue or burnout. An employee experience platform can
be used in this scenario to surface and analyze aggregate operational
and experience data to help leaders encourage healthy work habits, and
nudge employees to take action like incorporating more focus time
throughout the workweek.
Take Action
A key finding of Microsoft’s recent
Work Trend Index report
highlighting insights from frontline workers is that most say culture
and communication need to be better prioritized from the top. All
employees have valuable insights and feedback to share that could
improve the collective workplace experience, so it’s critical leaders
look at the complete picture rather than making decisions in a silo.
Employees
want to know their feedback is valued and actively considered, and they
notice when employers are “talking the talk” but not “walking the
walk.” Therefore, once employers understand opportunities to improve
digital experiences, it’s key they also take action toward closing any
gaps. Furthermore, they need to be transparent on priorities and
progress along the way. Together, communication and transparency create a
positive feedback loop moving forward.
To
accomplish this, consider leveraging an employee experience platform
that seamlessly integrates with existing tools to digitally reimagine
company culture — creating connections, surfacing knowledge and
insights, capturing feedback, and providing recommendations (and nudges
to take action) — all in employees’ natural flow of work. Employee
experience platforms, while not the only answer, play a vital role in
communicating culture across the organization, increasing access to
learning and supporting workers’ well-being.
It’s
important to recognize that whatever changes are made likely won’t be
permanent. As the pandemic has shown us many times, change is fluid and
flexibility is key. Employers should continue to listen to what their
employees want and need — what’s working and what isn’t — and adjust
accordingly.
Keep the Door Open
The
technology we use changes frequently, so it’s critical employers keep
pace by giving employees a forum to provide feedback, continually
understanding how they are engaging with the tools offered to them, and
where to make improvements.
By
showing employees that leaders consistently follow through on
opportunities to improve their digital workplace experiences, employers
set themselves apart as a great place to work amidst the war for talent,
thus improving recruiting and retention efforts.
If
the pandemic has reminded us of anything, it’s that the future truly is
uncertain. But, by following the data, listening to our employees and
customers, and incorporating flexibility into everything we do, we
believe we can build a world of work that is better than any that’s come
before.
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