Employees are no longer working five days a week in the office—remote work has taken over. And as the workplace has adapted and reinvented itself, so has workplace technology, with employee experience technology at the heart of this shift. We’ll speak to these changes below.
Companies are recognizing the need to uplevel the digital workplace experience for several reasons, including attracting and retaining top talent. In fact:
- A report by Catalyst found that employee expectations of work and life have shifted—and leadership may want to approach the workplace with a new set of people skills.
- Harvard Business Review shares that 41% of employees in the global workforce are considering resigning from their roles. And of that percentage, 36% don’t yet have another job lined up.
- In a recent study by Microsoft on the relationship between technology and workers, it was found that technology ranks third on the list of factors that workers say could help reduce workplace stress, and undoubtedly improve retention rates
The right intranet can boost productivity and employee engagement, and when “designed around employees’ needs, [it] can minimize unnecessary complications,” according to Spiceworks.
By adopting an employee-centric intranet that’s built upon leading employee experience technology, companies can better retain their top talent. The changes this technology will create in the workplace will be startling, with a few capabilities topping organization’s priority lists:
- Central, virtual hub built for a modern workforce
- Secure launchpad with seamless integrations to apps that users know and love
- User interface that’s easy to learn and use
Now for a bit more about each, and why they’re crucial to employee experience technology.
Central, virtual hub built for a modern workforce
With employees no longer working under one roof anymore, it is vital to create a workplace where employees still feel connected to their teams. If workers feel isolated, they become disengaged and are unable to flourish
Your employee experience technology should include a virtual headquarters where team members can gather and communicate with leadership, and with one another. This keeps the lines of communication open and eliminates any confusion.
And part of being on the same page means having a single source of truth to refer to.
The reality is this: intranets that have multiple sources of truth, fail. With a modern intranet, everyone has access to the same data across departments, locations, and roles. There’s no such thing as not being able to access the intel you need to do your job properly. Employees have what they need when they need it, all housed on one platform. This includes emails, files, and mobile notifications.
Stress is reduced when employees have confidence in the reference data they’re citing. This also results in a happier employee experience and, as a result, an improved customer experience. Confident, unstressed employees are better equipped to deal with the average customer, as well as the not-so-average who may challenge them with complaints.
Another part of this is having technology that provides seamless integrations with workplace apps.
Secure launchpad with seamless integrations to apps that users know and love
Just as employee experience technology saves time by breaking down silos and creating a one-stop-shop work environment, it also helps with integrating apps.
With the workplace becoming increasingly spread out with remote workers, and new locations of businesses opening, more apps and systems are being introduced. Logging in and out of these apps to find what you need is not only time-consuming but frustrating. And it makes it difficult for employees to connect and get work completed.
Seamless integrations eliminate the need to retire systems, instead, you can incorporate them, using one login, and one platform. And it’s also a secure option, which is a must in today’s society. Information security is an essential element of any employee experience technology.
Here are a few intranet security features to look for:
- Securely backed-up data: All data should be physically backed at each data center, where it’s cloned over secure links to a secure archive. These backups should never transfer offsite and be securely destroyed when no longer needed. There should also be a near real-time back-up of information that is refreshed and stored securely.
- Encrypted data: All data must be encrypted to prevent unauthorized access.
- Static source code tool: Make sure source code is periodically scanned using an on-demand static source code analysis tool built upon the best coding practices to inform writing of efficient, scalable code with less risk of breach and technical debt.
Importantly, ensure that your data 100% belongs to you, as this is not always the case and it’s a terrible shock to learn when it’s too late!
User-interface that is easy to learn and use
With smart search, you can equip employees to find what they need, when they need it to suit whatever context. And as AI learns and adapts to employee use, it serves up relevant content —every time.
For example, your new employee doesn’t need the same information that your employee of ten years does. And employees from different departments need data specific to them. Smart search understands these nuances and grows with your employee’s needs, surfacing only relevant intel.
Smart search is able to:
- Stay up-to-date with relevant search results based on AI-powered recency, your search patterns, and group popularity.
- Integrate your favorite content management systems and incorporate data from sources like Atlassian, Box,TM Google Drive, Dropbox,TM and more.
- Provide global knowledge in any language, translating content for you
And with refined search results, employees can target their search by site, content type, author, and publish date. This cuts out the noise that so often leads to frustration and Employee Listening captures real-time employee feedback to head off any frustration that slips through before it takes root!
It creates a feedback loop where employees can give 100% anonymous feedback, eliminating any worry that they’ll be singled out or punished for being honest. This feedback optimizes the employee experience and creates a company culture where the workforce feels heard and appreciated.
You can also identify gaps in awareness and alignment, identify problematic issues, or recognize and amplify internal champions. All of this leads to positive actions where your employees’ experiences and corresponding productivity are each improved. An effective employee experience strategy is crucial for improving employee retention rates. When employees feel heard and see that the company is working with them, their commitment to the organization increases significantly. Employee experience technology plays a critical role in facilitating these outcomes. Contact us today for a demo of our employee experience technology.
