5 ways to use technology to improve employee experience

Digital as the cornerstone of the employee experience

There’s no doubt that focusing on employee experience pays off. From 59% lower turnover rates to a 10% boost in customer satisfaction, enterprises reap plenty of benefits by going the extra mile for their employees. But what does an effective employee experience strategy look like in 2021?

As the world of work rapidly changes, so do your employees’ needs and expectations. In the work-from-anywhere era, lavish office spaces and corporate happy hours are unlikely to make an impact. Instead, the quality of your employees’ day-to-day experience depends on their satisfaction with workplace technology.

From catching up with colleagues to collaborating with third-party partners, virtually every interaction your employees have is powered by digital tools. All too often, these experiences leave much to be desired, with just 38% of employees reporting that they are satisfied with the technology their company provides.

Cloud technology reigns supreme in the remote era

Cloud computing is not a new idea. The idea finds its roots all the way back in 1960s, and the term itself was first coined in 1996 by Compaq computers. But it wasn’t until 2006 and the launch of Amazon Web Services that the cloud computing we think of today really took shape. Since then, cloud technology has grown into a 370-billion-dollar market in 2020 and is expected to grow to $830 billion by 2025.

This growth has seen cloud-based tools become a staple of the modern workplace. With remote work on the rise, leaders are increasingly prioritizing cloud-based solutions that employees can access anywhere. 40% of enterprises have expedited their move to the cloud in response to COVID-19 and workplace dispersion.

Unlocking cloud-based collaboration

Cloud-based collaboration tools have forever changed the way we work, giving employees the ability to work together on documents in real-time from anywhere.

2020 put outstanding fears to rest over transitioning to the cloud and saw even the most cloud-adverse enterprises make the jump to enable remote work. Teams, Zoom, Yammer, and Slack became household names as cloud technology connected people across the world. Equally, for many companies cloud suites like Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace provided the essential infrastructure needed enable work to continue remotely.

Transforming productivity with cloud technology

As cloud technology continues to expand its reach, more and more of the tools employees rely on every day are hosted in the cloud.

Cloud-based technology makes it easier to connect and collaborate, but simultaneously drives further increases in employee productivity. 82% of business leaders report that cloud-based collaboration tools help businesses execute faster and better than ever before possible.

Streamlined access to shared tools and the ability to seamlessly collaborate with colleagues has led enterprises to remodel their processes around the cloud. Today, your employees might use Salesforce to manage customer relations, message their colleagues on Slack about a potential lead, and then decide to organize a follow-up meeting on Zoom.

Introducing cloud-based tools is clearly a step in the right direction for enhancing the employee experience. However, if you want to take digital satisfaction to the next level, consider how these tools come together in your digital ecosystem.

Using a cloud intranet to enhance digital employee experience

Frequently, there’s a disconnect between how leaders view workplace technology versus what employees think about it. Although 90% of C-suite executives believe their company pays attention to their people’s technological needs, just 53% of staff says the same.

How can you bridge these gaps and create a seamless digital experience that leverages every capability within your technological toolbox? As the center of your digital workplace, your cloud-based intranet software holds the key to creating a single pane of glass experience that will enhance both employee satisfaction and productivity.

5 ways tech can boost employee experience

Your workforce uses technology to connect, collaborate, and communicate, and the quality of their digital experiences profoundly impacts overall satisfaction. If you’re looking to supercharge employee experience in 2021, leverage your intranet to achieve the following:

#1. Achieve peak productivity

Your employees want digital tools that will take their work to the next level. More than one third of workers note that their primary motivation for adopting new technology is the promise of heightened efficiency and improved teamwork.

An intranet with a robust integrations framework allows you to bring together disparate systems in one, intuitive user experience. This 'single pane of glass' view to the digital ecosystem eliminates the need for constant platform switching, empowering your employees to reach peak productivity. From Microsoft 365 to Google Workspace, maximize your existing cloud investments by using your intranet to bring together various workloads, and put information into context.

#2. Make sure every voice is heard

When employees feel heard at work, they are 4.6 times more likely to feel empowered to perform to their fullest potential. If you want to improve workplace performance and engagement in one, look no further than prioritizing employee feedback.

Sidestep the disconnect that often occurs between your C-suite and staff members by getting to the bottom of what your employees really want. Start by leveraging your intranet to launch pulse surveys that measure employee sentiment. Take feedback efforts one step further with discussion forums and suggestion boxes that will amplify voices from across your organization.

#3. Recreate the office water cooler

The link between workplace friendships and employee engagement is well demonstrated, but can it survive in the work from anywhere era? With office happy hours and traditional team-building activities on hold, your employees are looking for new ways to connect with colleagues.

By taking advantage of social networking capabilities, your intranet can fulfill the role your office water cooler once played. @mentioning, #hashtages, commenting, and following make it easy for your users to build relationships with their colleagues near and far.

#4. Cultivate a shared sense of purpose

Employees want to work for organizations that are making a difference. In fact, 9 out of 10 workers value purpose so much that they would be willing to take a pay cut to do more meaningful work. If you want to inspire your employees, make sure everyone feels connected to your organization’s mission statement.

Particularly as workforces disperse, some employees may feel as if they are performing tasks in a vacuum. To prevent this sense of disconnect from setting in, use your intranet to launch corporate give-back schemes and volunteer initiatives. Turn to social networking capabilities to spark conversations about what your organization stands for and how you can continue to serve your community.

#5. Give employees the recognition they deserve

Everyone is eager to be recognized for a job well done, yet only 1 in 3 employees report receiving praise for doing good work over the past week. While some leaders may have once relied on in-office celebrations to thank their employees, recognition efforts need a revamp to resonate in the work-from-home age.

Turn to your intranet to launch a recognition scheme that will highlight difference makers in every role and region. Award badges and kudos to employees who embody your organization’s values and create a series of blog spotlights to recognize internal ambassadors.

Upgrade employee experience with digital technology

The quality of your employees’ digital experiences has an undeniable impact on overall workplace satisfaction levels. If you’re looking to upgrade employee experience with next-generation intranet technology, get in touch with our digital workplace experts.