How Technology is Advancing Employee Engagement and Productivity in Modern Workplace

The role of technology in shaping businesses and industries cannot be disputed. Technology has worked wonders for businesses and helped businesses become more efficient and attain sustainability. Many departments have benefitted from technology. The Human Resource department is among the major beneficiaries of technology in the workplace. Technology has played a major role in shaping team dynamics and work culture in modern businesses. Among the many benefits of technology in the workplace is employee engagement and productivity. The link between technology and employee engagement is very evident. Businesses must leverage technology to boost employee engagement and productivity. But what is employee engagement? Simply put, employee engagement is a measure of how invested a workforce is in the organization and its goals. According to Forbes, employee engagement “Is the emotional commitment the employee has to the organization and its goals.”   Employee engagement is not a measure of how happy the employee is while at work or how satisfied they are, it is a measure of their commitment to the organization and how invested they are beyond their paycheck. Employee engagement is very crucial for every business. In 2021, a Gallup study poll found that only 36% of employees in the US were actively engaged and that 15% of the total workforce in the US was disengaged. Worldwide, only 20% of the workforce would say that they are engaged. As daunting as these statistics are, all is not lost. There is a way out. Businesses are finding smarter ways to increase employee engagement and make their workforce optimal through technology.

Why Employee Engagement Matters

Before we explore how technology and employee engagement relate and how to leverage technology to increase employee engagement, let us take a look at why employee engagement is crucial for your business. For starters, an engaged employee wants the company to succeed; they look beyond the next paycheck. They believe in the vision and mission of the company. They will therefore put in all the effort to see the company excel consequently leading to increased productivity. Secondly, employee engagement is crucial for talent recruitment and retention. An engaged employee is a happy and satisfied employee. This level of satisfaction is a key factor when recruiting and sustaining talent and human resources. Employee engagement leads to customer satisfaction. An engaged employee works towards growing the business. They also execute their jobs efficiently, therefore, leading to greater customer service and satisfaction.

Technology and Employee Engagement

So what’s the role of technology in employee engagement? How does technology boost employee engagement and productivity? Keep on reading to find out. Some organizations are hesitant to issue their staff smart gadgets like phones and tablets. Employers perceive these gadgets to be productivity sinks that take up people’s time. However, these gadgets can be pretty useful in growing a business. So here you go – five different ways to leverage technology to boost employee engagement.

Hybrid and Remote Working

Flexibility is crucial in working. One of the easiest and outright ways of increasing employee engagement and productivity is by making work more flexible. Employees don’t have to be in the office in order to perform their tasks. The Covid-19 pandemic proved that work can effectively be done virtually and out of office. Flexible and virtual work is now the big thing. More and more workers are finding satisfaction in jobs that allow them to be flexible. According to research by DropDesk, 77% of people who work remotely – even occasionally – have improved productivity.  Of those, 30% work more in less time, and 24% do the same amount of work in less time. A survey by Boston Consulting Group found that despite the challenges of the pandemic, 75% of employees feel that they have maintained or improved their productivity through remote and hybrid working. The benefits of remote and hybrid working are numerous. Employees increase their productivity when working remotely or in a hybrid model. They also spend less time and money on a commute and are less stressed regarding work. This makes them enjoy work more and become engaged and more effective. Companies should use technology to encourage workers to work. If they do so, they reap the benefits of a happier, more motivated, engaged, and productive workforce.

Online Collaborative Working Tools

There is no doubt that the Covid-19 pandemic changed the workplace and workplace culture. Remote and hybrid working models are here to stay. The good thing is that technology has provided us with the tools to work together while in different locations. Employees no longer have to be in the same room just to work on a project together. There are many software for collaborative working and information sharing. Your business should rely on these applications to work on projects together and share business data and information. Tools such as Dropbox, Google Drive, Slack, Skype, and Zoom are all enablers of collaborative working that your business can leverage on for collaborative working.

Gamification

Business meetings and training can be pretty boring and less interactive. Many employees don’t want to take part in these boring sessions. These sessions can be pretty ineffective especially when filled with technical jargon. It is therefore your responsibility to make the process fun and engaging. Introduce interactive games to help your workforce in sharpening their skills and become more effective. Gamification makes day-to-day activities practical and easy to understand. Using it can massively increase employee engagement and participation. It also brings out the competitive nature in people, which when exploited properly enhances productivity. Gamification allows your employees to build a workplace community where they can easily discuss work-related issues. Take advantage of digital platforms such as Jostle with which workers can easily share their achievements within the group. People have a natural desire to compete. Gamification will motivate them to take efforts for increasing their performance and outperform their colleagues. Also, these games act as a performance tracking tool and give your employees prompt feedback so that they can do better and continually improve.

Recognition and Support Networks

Human beings love to be appreciated. It feels good to be acknowledged and recognized for something. This recognition and acknowledgment is a source of motivation. A workforce is no different. 43% of workers cite a lack of recognition as one of their biggest sources of dissatisfaction and unhappiness at work. Recognition by management and fellow workmates goes a long way to boost employee productivity. There are many tools to foster recognition. A tool like Workhuman helps your workforce feel wanted and valued. Teammates become each other’s cheerleaders and create stronger support networks through Peer-to-Peer recognition.

Online Learning for Employee Training

Employee training is very critical in building capacity. New methodologies and information is being generated daily. The need for learning never ceases. Online learning is changing things. The modern employee lives a multifaceted life balancing life and work. It is therefore vital that workers who moonlight as learners access content and complete training at the pace and time that suit them. Online learning has really made skill and knowledge acquisition convenient. An employee can still be useful while learning. Business doesn’t have to stop just because the worker is in class. Online learning has also helped to reduce costs. The employee does not have to commute to school and back. It also saves time which can then be appropriated for business functions. Online learning is very convenient.  Employees can complete training whenever and wherever they want.  Technology has changed the dynamics of work and school. It is only natural that we use this training method to help increase flexible working practices and raise enthusiasm toward learning.

Wrap up

Technology is a game changer. There is no doubt about it. The correlation between technology and employee engagement is positive. Every business ought to use technology to advance employee productivity. Technology has changed the workplace and greatly increased employee engagement and productivity. You need to leverage on it to grow your business. So to close out, these are five ways to use technology for employee engagement and productivity. An overall approach is to increase flexibility, empower your workers and let them use technology to work more flexibly, more remotely, and more freely. Your workforce desires flexibility. It makes them effective in their task. The good thing is technology has availed that to us. Salesforce is among the tech solutions that could help your business to grow. Salesforce is helping businesses all over the world to attain optimal employee engagement and make the workforce more productive. Get in touch with us for customized and premium Salesforce-managed services to help your team achieve your digital transformation goals.