How Tech Can Play A Key Role in Enhancing Employee Engagement

Technology today is playing a more prominent and significant role in how we work. Organisations continue to develop technology-based networks to promote employee engagement. Keeping employees engaged in the new normal is a priority and quite a challenge for business leaders across the globe. In simple terms, organisations that fail to provide easy accessibility tools for enabling online collaboration and communication amongst teams may notice employee disengagement and lack of motivation.

A survey conducted by Freshworks and Harvard Business Review found that 92% of the respondents agreed that employee engagement is critical to their organization’s success. Technology plays a key role in getting work done in this ‘new normal’ as well as a crucial role in employee engagement strategies.

Companies need to focus on collaboration technologies that employees already use, are familiar with and want to continuing using. Social networks, online chat tools, video conferencing, and collaborative writing platforms are all being used by different teams across  departments for various reasons. According to a report by Deloitte, amid the COVID-19 outbreak, 39% of executives found that introducing digital collaboration platforms is the most important factor in making remote work sustainable. The challenge for businesses is to find the right tool or combination of tools that work best for their organization and then make sure those tools are easy to deploy and access.

Mobile or online learning and training has also skyrocketed in recent years and has become a valuable employee engagement tool. Employees can access training material anytime and anywhere they want. One of the main benefits of this learning is ensuring employees do not miss out on important and necessary training material, which helps companies avoid potential safety issues, both physical health and mental wellbeing. Employees become more engaged because they can train at their own pace.

Using technology for social interactions is a great way to build relationships with co-workers. It can help break the ice and create a more open and friendly work environment. Co-workers feel more comfortable asking for help when they know each other better, improving employee engagement. Furthermore, employees can also actively help promote the business by posting thoughts and ideas on social media, positively impacting the company’s reputation.

Technology in the workforce environment will continue to expand throughout the years. It will continue to be a  crucial component of any employee engagement strategy. It can help drive higher levels of productivity and innovation, but companies need to be strategic about the technology they use. Employees have different needs depending on their roles in the company, so employers need to determine which tools will work best for them before implementing new technologies into their business environment. Leaders, managers, HR professionals, or engineers responsible for designing a digital platform strategy need to be aware of tapping into this data stream to offer employees more opportunities to engage with their work on an individual level.

(The author Mathew Philip is Senior Director & Country Manager Sales – India  at LogMeIn and the views expressed in this article are his own)