Employee engagement is an important metric that sheds light on the level of employee involvement in a company. The concept has also become a key part of the effort to attract and retain top talent. As a matter of fact, a study conducted by Harvard Business Analytic Services found that 92 percent of executives surveyed believe that employee engagement is critical to their company's success and a key to productivity, loyalty and customer satisfaction.
Table of Contents
- Why you should build an employer brand
- Competing for highly skilled worker
- 3 main drivers of employee engagement
- 5 ways technology promotes enthusiasm and innovation
- Conclusion
Why you should build an employer brand
Employer branding enhances your company’s reputation as a great place to work. Job candidates can search a variety of sources to find out about your employees’ perception of working for you. They might look at online review sites like Glassdoor, social media, tap professional connections through LinkedIn and carefully examine your website and career page. Engaged employees will become brand ambassadors and generate a positive buzz on social media and at industry organizations.
3 main drivers of employee engagement
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Employee engagement describes the relationship between a company and its employees. It describes their degree of emotional attachment, motivation and commitment to the employer’s goals as well as its alignment with their own sense of purpose.
At its core, employee engagement involves three dimensions:
- Intellectual: How do employees think about the company? Can they identify with its values?
- Emotional: How do employees feel at work? Are they satisfied with the work environment and their job?
- Behavioral: Do employees do their work with commitment and motivation? Are they loyal and would they recommend the company to others as a great place to work?
Competing for highly skilled workers
Employee engagement also plays a crucial role in the war for talent. Due to the shortage of skilled workers and the increased expectations of job seekers, it’s becoming more difficult to find and retain qualified staff. It is no longer enough to offer a competitive salary and generous benefits. Career development opportunities and the company’s mission and values often have equal weight.
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Companies that use the best employee engagement tactics do more than support creativity and collaboration. For example, a study by Unisys and HFS Research found that for 62% of the employees surveyed, access to technology is a very motivating factor and improves work performance. These are some of the ways to build a flourishing digital environment.
Companies that use the best employee engagement tactics do more than support creativity and collaboration. For example, a study by Unisys and HFS Research found that for 62% of the employees surveyed, access to technology is a very motivating factor and improves work performance.
Research cited in a Forrester Best Practice Report on the digital employee experience (DEX), confirms that a good DEX score correlates with higher employee engagement and retention rates. However, the report also notes that only 41% of the infrastructure decision-makers they surveyed said that their IT team had improving DEX as a goal.
The most progressive companies will take DEX into account when considering updates to their technology stacks. These are some of the digital tools that will enable you to build a flourishing digital environment.
1. Collaboration tools
These days, hybrid work and digitalization are the norm. So, it is imperative to provide employees with up-to-date, high-quality tools that promote collaboration in teams and facilitate sharing or information and participating in projects remotely. Through chats, video calls, and platforms like a document management system (DMS), teams work together more efficiently, exchange ideas and complete projects within deadlines -- no matter where or when they work.
2. Automation of manual processes
Some organizations still rely on manual processes for routine tasks such as capturing, reviewing and entering data into business applications. As a result, their employees spend countless hours on monotonous tasks such as data entry and searching for information in paper files, unorganized shared drives or their email inboxes.
This brings processes to a standstill and can result in the introduction of human error and employee frustration. A DMS solves this problem by simplifying how documents are captured, stored, edited, searched, and by automating workflows. For employees, this eliminates manual, error-prone routine tasks. Instead, they work more productively and spend their energy on more valuable and rewarding activities.
3. eLearning
Training and development opportunities are among the most important factors for increasing employee satisfaction and retention. Providing this ongoing education boosts productivity in the long term. Through digital and location-independent elearning offerings, employees can decide when and where they want to complete the courses and at what pace. Companies, on the other hand, can analyze successes, adapt content in a targeted manner, and better support employees along the way.
4. Bring-your-own-device (BYOD)
BYOD enables employees to use their own notebooks, smartphones and tablets for work. They can access the corporate network and internal company data and applications, send emails or log into the intranet. Employees enjoy a better user experience, while companies benefit from lower technology acquisition costs. However, it is important to ensure your company creates comprehensive policies, compliance rules that protect confidential data and maintain a high level of security standards..
5. Gamification
Gamification describes the use of playful elements and mechanisms in a non-game context. This includes, among other things, points, or badges when certain goals are met, team competitions and quizzes. This approach can boost morale and lighten up training and education sessions. Playful elements also help to increase employee engagement at work by creating incentives through rewards.
Conclusion
Investing in technologies that promote employee engagement benefits has advantages for companies and employees alike. Taking the initiative and consistently engaging employees not only increases their loyalty and productivity. Companies also benefit from a positive reputation and brand image and, of course, from increased revenue. Due to a shortage of skilled workers and the prevalence of hybrid work, where employees want to work from anywhere, a company with a strong focus on technology will be recognized as an attractive and progressive employer.
