A positive digital employee experience is more important than ever. It can act as a differentiator between you and your competitors, and as a way to retain employees. Especially as more and more companies insist employees return to the office with vague reasons like it improving collaboration.
The truth is that most employees prefer a hybrid model. This is more accessible for people with caregiving responsibilities or chronic health issues. It also helps fight off the loneliness that can come from working at home all day, every day.
To ensure that employees are successful, no matter where or when they work, you need to provide a positive digital employee experience. So let’s look at the benefits of providing a positive digital employee experience, and how to do just that.
Benefits of providing a positive digital employee experience
Here are some of the benefits of a positive digital employee experience:
Increased productivity
It’s only when we have the right tools that we can do our jobs to the best of our abilities. Lacking the right tools can lead to frustration, disengagement, and a reduction in productivity.
Higher employee retention
If employees don’t feel like they can do their jobs in the way that they want or need, they’re not going to stick around. Providing them with the right tools is key.
It’s worth noting that some people will prefer slightly different tools. Consider if it’s worth making these changes to retain talent.
For instance, in marketing, there are countless SEO-related tools. Many do similar things but most marketers have their preferences. Is it possible to change tools so that the employee feels more comfortable using the tool rather than lose them because they get frustrated?
Improved talent attraction
When candidates see that you have a positive digital employee experience, it makes them more likely to want to work for you.
No one wants to work with companies that still use fax machines and pagers. Yet, I wouldn’t be surprised if a company like that still existed somewhere. (I worked for one that still used fax machines 10 years ago. Up until that point I’d never seen one.)
Using old-fashioned equipment suggests you’re still in the dark ages in other ways, too. For instance, the way you treat employees or your expectations of them, and maybe even your pay equity.
A positive digital employee experience is more accessible, helping you to attract a wider range of talent. This includes people who have a disability, are neurodiverse, have caregiving responsibilities, or prefer working from home.
Better/smoother communication
There’s nothing worse than trying to contact someone and finding out that you can’t. Or when a message won’t send, or there’s some other issue.
The right communication tools will enable you to provide a positive digital employee experience for everyone. There are so many options now that there’s something suitable for every way of working and budget.
How to provide a positive digital employee experience
So, what do you need to support a positive digital employee experience?
Communication tools
For a digital workforce to be effective, they need effective communication tools. Slack, Teams, and an email provider like Google or Outlook keep employees connected. That way, they can contact each other even if they work at different times or in different time zones.
Video tools are also helpful, particularly for demos that may require screen recordings. Or when someone is sharing information and finds it easier to explain when speaking rather than writing.
Many of these tools now integrate so that you don’t need to switch between apps to share videos or sync calendar appointments.
CRM
A CRM can be a useful tool for more than just sales teams. Marketers and more can benefit from a CRM that they can use on their phone, laptop, or tablet.
A CRM keeps all the information they need in one place, making it easier to find and sync between colleagues.
Calendar/scheduling tool
A calendar/scheduling tool, such as Google Calendar and/or Calendly, ensures that your employees can connect with each other at the right time.
Employees are in control of when they’re available, and it’s a seamless experience for their colleagues to schedule a meeting with them. This reduces the carbon footprint of sending emails to organize meetings. Plus, it makes it a quicker, less stressful process for everyone, leading to a more positive digital employee experience.
Hardware
The right device(s) ensures that an employee can work from anywhere. And I use the word “right” because sometimes, a laptop is slow or not fit for purpose, which can cause hurdles when an employee tries to do their job.
For instance, a software developer requires a powerful computer to complete their work. If they don’t have the right sort of laptop, it can slow them down, lead to frustrations, and be a reason that they quit.
ERGs
ERGs are the perfect way to keep employees connected. They help them form bonds with colleagues who have similar interests or backgrounds, as well as making it easier for them to network and problem solve.
Utilizing an all-in-one platform like Workrowd can help you take your ERGs to the next level, keeping everything in one place and maximizing participation and engagement.
Surveys
It’s impossible to get everything right, which is why collecting feedback is so important.
Sometimes, employees don’t feel comfortable raising issues in person. But, they do feel comfortable answering an anonymous survey.
Feedback can help you benchmark what’s going on in your company based on the internal results that you get. It can then lead to you providing a more positive digital employee experience.
Want to send more efficient, effective feedback surveys? Workrowd can help! Our platform sends automated surveys and analyzes the data automatically so that you’ve got more time to implement change. Get in touch to book your free demo.
Conclusion
A positive digital employee experience can make your employer brand stand out. It’s key for attracting top talent and retaining them.
It requires investing in the right tools so that employees can perform at their best. It also requires trusting employees to do their best work.
If you’d like help providing a more positive digital employee experience, get in touch today to book your free Workrowd demo. Our all-in-one employee experience platform ensures everyone has seamless access to the best your organization has to offer. Visit us online or email us directly at hello@workrowd.com to schedule some time to chat.
