According to a recent study, employee engagement across the workforce is at a historic low. Many employees cite disengagement with the work they are tasked to perform each day, due to a variety of underlying causes. It could be they are not content with their current job position, or that they do not feel completely connected with the employer on a broader scale. Regardless of the root cause, employers and their HR departments are recognising the pressing need to improve employee engagement – and fast.
HR technology has swooped in to help boost employee engagement for countless organisations, with each employer implementing the strategies and solutions that work best for their employees’ needs. Below are the seven areas where HR technology is making the most impressive waves in increasing employee engagement quickly and efficiently.
Training and education tools
Many employees lack engagement in their work because they feel as though they do not have the adequate skills to complete the tasks assigned to them. Employees may also feel as though training and education offered by the employer is not easily accessible. Certain HR technology resources are solely focused on providing robust education and training to employees on several levels. HR departments can integrate training tools with a variety of other technology systems to help track employee progress, and many of these resources are available via mobile applications that make employees more likely to use them consistently. When employees feel strongly that their employer promotes and makes available quality training and education opportunities, they are more likely to remain engaged in their work.
Career pathing
Leaning on the back of education and training tech, HR departments have powerful technology-infused tools to help with career pathing. The process of career pathing allows employees to engage in their own career trajectories, offering different scenarios based on pre-defined job pathways. Technology tools offered to HR departments today compile career opportunities for employees and make them easily accessible through intuitive applications. These technology tools also link back to other HR systems, creating a simple, streamlined way for employers and HR departments to track progress toward career goals over time.
Performance management
One of the most notable trends in HR technology over the last several years is the development and deployment of comprehensive performance management software. These tools give employers the unique ability to identify gaps in skill sets among employees through performance tracking while also offering employees the ability to create career goals that align with the organisation. Performance management technology provides accurate employee evaluation data, and syncs with training initiatives to help keep employees engaged over the long term.
Scheduling flexibility
A significant number of employees cite lacking engagement due to inflexibility in their work schedules, which ultimately bleeds into their personal life. Having little to no balance between work and life responsibilities makes it difficult to offer one’s best work to an employer on a consistent basis. Several technology firms now offer help in this department, giving HR managers the ability to provide more flexible work hours, remote work, and scheduling assistance with ease. These technology tools give employees more control over their work life in a way that lays the groundwork for more appreciation for an employer, and therefore, higher engagement on the job.
Data analytics
The number of HR technology systems available to employers today seems endless, but no matter how many are used in conjunction, HR departments have an invaluable new resource on their hands. Big data – the information gathered and stored from HR technology platforms – has the potential to change the trajectory of an organisation as it relates to employee engagement. As information is collected on education and training programs, performance management, career pathing, and even benefits acceptance, many HR technology tools aggregate these details and form insights for the company. The data analytics component of many HR tech platforms can lead to quicker responses to employee needs, which ultimately improves engagement.
Benefits administration
Employees may be drawn to one company over another because of the benefits offered in addition to wages, but without the right technology tools in place, new and long-time talent may be unaware of what’s truly available to them on the job. HR technology has been integral in creating easier, more efficient ways to communicate and administer benefits to employees of companies both large and small. When employees have a better understanding of what’s available to them, how to access their benefits, and how to change them through self-service tools, engagement is likely to improve.
Feedback and recognition
One of the most promising strategies for increasing employee engagement with the help of HR technology relates back to the need for workers to feel as though their voices are heard and their work is recognised. Several HR technology platforms exist that offer feedback assistance through customisable surveys, sent out to employees digitally. The data collected from these feedback requests are analysed and offer valuable insight back to the organisation on needs, wants, and concerns. Similarly, several technology tools give employers the ability to quickly recognise a job well done by a team or an individual employee, and that data can be connected back to a performance management platform seamlessly.
All of these HR technology tools have the ability to change the direction of a company based on an increased level of engagement from its employees.
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