The Future of the Employee Experience
Productiv is a Business Reporter client.
With the rise of hybrid and remote work, company leaders must prioritize a seamless digital experience for employees.
In the age of the Great Resignation, companies must fight harder than ever to retain their talent. However, maintaining a culture where team members are productive, engaged and satisfied has become more challenging with the rise of hybrid and remote workers. That’s why it’s critical for companies to focus on positively shaping their employees’ journey.
It’s incumbent on company leadership to prioritize a world-class experience for everyone, regardless of where they sit. A key part of retaining talent is ensuring that every employee has all the tools and information they need to do their best work, from their first day on the job. We’re already seeing forward-thinking companies embracing this mindset and positively impacting the experience of their employees.
Why the digital work experience matters
One frequently overlooked touchpoint of the employee experience is digital technology. With the shift to a distributed workforce, companies now rely on hundreds of SaaS applications. In parallel with the growth of apps managed by IT, business units are independently adopting apps based on what they believe their teams need to be productive.
Collaboration is fundamental to a productive workforce, particularly one with remote or hybrid workers. But companies need to focus on tools that collectively boost employee productivity and get rid of the noise; 71% of workers say the quantity of tools available to them is increasing complexity. Although apps are being purchased with good intentions, companies need insights and data to see which tools are enabling workers, and where apps are obstructing interdepartmental communication.
According to an analysis of Productiv data across hundreds of customers and thousands of apps, only 45% of app licenses are being used by employees on a regular basis. We also identified concerning trends around an increasing number of apps with similar functionality for tasks, including project management, messaging and file sharing.
In light of this data, companies should be asking important questions to unlock productivity and enhance the employee experience. Are employees using the right tools, and do they have access to multiple apps that are serving the same function?
How CIOs and IT teams can help
It’s imperative that modern CIOs partner with business leaders and employees to deliver a seamless digital experience. However, the path to providing an engaging digital experience at scale is not straightforward. IT organizations must invest in the following areas to positively influence employee engagement:
- Create a data foundation to deliver personalized employee experiences. It’s important to understand how applications are being used at a deeper level than log-in data. Who uses each app, and who are those users collaborating with? How is IT leveraging app usage data to help understand and drive the digital employee experience?
- Be strategic about the app portfolio. Armed with the right data, IT organizations can thoughtfully migrate and consolidate duplicate apps while deprecating the tools that aren’t really being used. Machine-learning models can also help IT manage their app portfolio with greater precision to improve visibility and compliance, optimize spend and reduce employee confusion due to fragmentation.
- Improve the onboarding experience. Having a smooth and positive onboarding experience for employees sets up new hires for success. IT should collaborate with other departments to ensure that new hires have access to the right apps—and know what purpose each tool serves—from the start. Automating operations can also help IT streamline this process without exhausting resources.
Widespread adoption of hybrid and remote work is expected to become the norm and not decline. With that in mind, companies should prioritize ensuring the best digital work experience for every employee. The future of the employee experience is one where the CIO and IT team play a critical role in delivering a highly personalized and engaging experience for every worker.
—Jody Shapiro, CEO and Co-Founder, Productiv
Visit productiv.com to learn more about how Productiv can help you improve your employee experience.