7 Jul 2023
Engaging with technology for positive outcomes
The post pandemic period has benefitted from a growing awareness of the value to business of positive employee engagement. Employee well-being is an essential component of an engaged and committed team, and its importance in developing and retaining staff is recognised. HR teams are now focussed on supporting employees in any way they can to ensure they remain engaged and motivated.
Many employees become engaged at an emotional level and feel an instinctive commitment to their employer and in turn this emotion drives behaviour. The more engaged employees frequently exhibit elevated levels of enthusiasm for, and dedication to the business. There can be little doubt that engaged employees can produce beneficial outcomes for themselves and those around them. Initiatives taken to ensure the well-being of teams can be met with a positive response simply because the individual feels valued and not alone.
Technology quickly came to the forefront of remote and hybrid working practices. Consequently, providing employees with the tools needed to perform their role and deploying technologies that enhance the work experience are now a priority for business.
However, although technology is essential, the idea is not to disengage employees from their team and other colleagues whilst working remotely, but to minimise the time required to complete routine and time consuming tasks. Administrative work is a necessary part of any job, but employees bogged down by admin may become bored and forget what they love about their job. With tools that automate and/or minimise the routine an employee is free to pursue activities that create engagement with others and support their work-life balance.
Global HR and payroll software provider Frontier Software recommends the introduction of Employee Self Service software to empower employees, by delivering access to their personal information 24/7. Deployment options include browser based and mobile, thus ensuring those employees with flexible work arrangements can access data as and when it is most convenient for them, thereby enhancing the employee experience.
Self Service offers benefits that support employee engagement such as:
- Increased employee autonomy
- Increased employee input to decision making
- A solid basis for learning, performance appraisal and career planning
Self Service aids the processes underpinning employee engagement, such as easy to use leave administration and immediate access to pay data. When coupled with the potential cost savings and efficiencies for your business, Employee Self Service offers a practical, effective tool to facilitate engagement and produce positive outcomes! Now is a perfect time to consider the benefits of software that makes life simpler and, by adding Self Service to your HR tool kit, you reap the rewards of employee engagement.
Why Getting HR Technology Right Matters
Here are a couple of the consequences of inaction around HR solutions.
Lower job satisfaction - When employees are frustrated with HR technology, they are less likely to be satisfied with their jobs overall. But, where they are satisfied with their jobs, they are more likely to stay long-term, saving the high costs associated with retention issues and employee turnover.
Reduced innovation - When employees are disengaged and frustrated, they are less likely to be innovative. Further, where employees focus on administrative tasks rather than their core responsibilities, they may not have the time or energy for innovation or creativity.
Your business should strive to find a balance between automation and human interaction, personalise the employee experience, embrace flexibility, and focus on the user experience.
For 40 years HR & Payroll software experts, Frontier Software, have been successfully delivering systems to record, manage and analyse your people data. With unlimited data, history and easy to use reporting tools; human capital analytics are at your fingertips in real time, any time. Contact us to learn more.
Article originally published on London Loves Business July 2023.