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Amit Masram

How HR Technology can influence better Digital Employee Experience 

The global pandemic has had a far-reaching impact on every aspect of life, and definitely, the business and organizations are not any exceptions. As new variants of the coronavirus threaten to comb the globe, companies are preparing for an uncertain start to 2022, looking to pivot and make changes to their approaches and models to stay competitive.

One aspect that has become the center of the debate is “Employee Experience.” The pandemic created a new sense of urgency around Employee Experience as employers deployed a slew of measures like restructuring cost control, including cutting pay and benefits and adopting a flexible work model in response to the crisis.

With the sequence of events unfolding so quickly, there was little time to organize the change. These measures took an enormous toll on people with declines in productivity, engagement, and wellbeing, among other areas, at many organizations.

As a result, the organization’s awareness of the importance of the EX increased dramatically during the past year. A recent WillisTowersWatson 2021 Employee Experience Survey findings confirm this.

Before the pandemic, 52% said enhancing the EX was a priority Today, 92% say that improving the EX is a priority over the subsequent three years Importantly, nine in 10 employers indicate that enhancing the EX is a priority over the following three years.

Digital employee experience is gaining importance in the post-pandemic workplace and shaping the overall employee experience. Digital EX is a subset of the overall Employee Experience, but it’s a powerful driver in the new post COVID world. HR Technology and digital transformation’s purpose and actual value are about designing people’s work.

.Before the pandemic, the three elements constituted EX: The physical experience (our workplace, conference rooms, our view, recreational areas, etc.), the digital experience (our computer and systems and tools), and the cultural experience (how we communicated with the people around us, said and unsaid belief, values, and the way people treat us).

With the remote and hybrid work models firmly cementing their place, digital and cultural experiences are dominant. The employer’s ability to impact the physical experience is greatly diminished now.

The concept of employee experience has been within the workplace for several years; it’s emerged as a top strategic priority for several organizations. However, a recent Gartner survey revealed that only 13% of employees are delighted with their experience.

Creating a compelling Employee experience relies on many factors, including internal and external factors depending upon how one looks at it. However, a significant factor contributing more is the challenge to remain current relevant in light of the continuous shift within the employee behaviors, needs, preferences. Managing talent today presents fundamentally different challenges for organizations than within the past.

Employees aren’t contributing the equivalent level of discretionary effort, have higher expectations for their work experience, and are more vocal about workplace dissatisfaction. This is often further accentuated by the continued “Great Resignation” wave worldwide.

In addition, various workers have left their employers this year, leaving employers struggling to fill critical positions. Organizations are making significant investments to enhance employee experience, like onboarding investments and workplace redesign, but these may only incrementally improve employee satisfaction and engagement. In an exceedingly nutshell, the value to still meet employees’ ever-growing expectations is unsustainable.

DEX Platforms that can tap these moments are likely to play a significant role in designing approaches, policies, and practices that can diagnose and capture the movement in different employee groups. Repository of “moments that matter” will hold the key for Influencing Employee Experience Design powered by these platforms

Although the worldwide pandemic has led to economic, health, and social damage, it has also presented a rare opportunity to experiment with the workplace and deconstruct work itself. Moreover, it has offered exciting possibilities in the long run as multiple new ways of working can be continued shortly.

Diagnosing the drivers of productivity during this new environment and designing appropriate, sustainable working models are crucial to work’s success—both today and tomorrow.

Numerous studies have confirmed that today’s workforce is inclined to continue a remote-working model within the future. With remote working models, technology will play a pivotal role in supporting the shift. Hence, digital employee experience is gaining importance within the post-COVID workplace and shaping the general employee experience.

Before the pandemic, the three elements constituted EX: The physical experience (actual workplace, including conference rooms, cafeterias, recreational lounges, etc.), the digital experience (our computer, tools, apps we use), and also the cultural experience (said and unsaid rules, norms and the way we relate to the people we work with).

However, with remote and hybrid work models likely to remain alive longer, the digital and cultural experiences will dominate and greatly influence employees. With our new WFH reality, these experiences have become more critical and interconnected.

As large numbers of “digital natives” enter and advance within the workforce, Digital Employee Experience will be a strong driver of the Employee Experience within the new post COVID world.

According to an estimate, by 2025, it’s estimated that millennials and Gen Z together will form nearly 64% of the world’s working-age population. These employee groups will expect spontaneous, consumer-like digital experiences in their work environment.

Gen Z workers, especially, are likely to think about seamlessness at a minimum and can favor foregoing employers that don’t provide it. As organizations learn to control within the new environment, unearthing new layers of expectations and desires that directly positively influence EX, powered by HR Technology, will become crucial.

About the Author

Amit Masram is an award-winning global HR Leader based in Toronto. He brings over 15 years of experience in regional and international roles across Europe, North America, and Asia. He worked in various industries in different countries in Digital HR Transformation roles in high growth in SAAS-based and Product Tech companies.

He has demonstrated success in accelerating the scale-up of tech companies leveraging digital HR, HR Technology, AI-powered automation. He led the accelerated scale-up of InfoCepts, recognized by Gartner as one of the world’s top-40 data and analytics companies. In addition, he is passionate about HR Technology, translating complex needs into tailored HR programs to enhance employee experience.