Modern Work Methods with Yesterday’s Tools

Work environments and employee needs are constantly changing. To work effectively, it is necessary to follow these changes technologically. Intranets, as we knew and created them in the past, no longer meet the needs of the modern business environment.

Recently, I started going back to the gym where I met an acquaintance with whom I collaborated on the renovation of an intranet in a large Slovenian company a decade ago. As we reminisced about those times and discussed the changes that have occurred in the meantime, we also touched on the topic of the corona crisis and how it affected communication in companies.

She said that in her company, they communicated with employees about corona measures by sending instructions in physical form to their homes. There was no option for digital information of employees outside the company, in fact, there still isn’t. I shared my experience from another environment where, after the end of quarantine, employees did not return to the workplace in time because they were not properly informed about the change in work mode. The notice was posted on the intranet, which does not allow remote access. We both nostalgically smiled and continued with our workout.

The Importance of Employee Experience

The employee experience refers to their perception and feelings about the work environment, colleagues, and company culture. It encompasses everything from the first contact with the workplace, training, daily interactions with colleagues and management, rewards, benefits, company efforts for personal growth and development of employees, and possible challenges and problems.

A positive employee experience has undoubtedly become crucial for companies that want to maintain a competitive advantage and attract the best talents.

Factors influencing a positive employee experience in a company are work, internal communication, knowledge, and interpersonal relationships. Work includes optimization and digitalization of work processes that employees carry out daily. Internal communication refers to providing all necessary information to employees for work. Knowledge stems from how the company manages data, whether it stores them in silos or gains new insights from them, which it can use in offering its products and services. Relationships are built by people, connected in a formal or informal way, through various channels. All this is permeated with the concept of digitalization, which includes digital tools and digital literacy of employees.

In a time when most employees outside the work environment are used to using modern digital tools for information, communication, and collaboration, it is crucial that companies also follow these trends. However, many organizations still use outdated tools and methods of information exchange, thus not meeting employee expectations. This can lead to their dissatisfaction, reduced productivity, and even unwanted departures.

Digital Employee Experience Platforms for Today and Tomorrow

A digital platform for information, communication, and collaboration that positively affects the employee experience in today’s organization has the following characteristics:

• First and foremost, it must be inclusive for all colleagues, including those who work in production, trade, construction sites, or in the field. Most digital platforms today allow easy access to key work information and company announcements only to overhead workers, i.e., those in offices.
• The platform must be accessible via various devices and support work from anywhere and at any time. This allows employees greater flexibility and productivity. This need is particularly pronounced now when many people are opting for work from home.
• It must offer an intuitive user experience and easy access to necessary work information, regardless of where this information is created or processed.
• The digital platform must simplify complex or time-consuming tasks. Submitting a vacation request or its confirmation with a few clicks within a web tool or mobile application is much easier and faster than filling out and transferring a paper request to the relevant persons (manager, HR service).
• It must enable content and functionalities that are tailored to individual employees based on their specific needs, interests, or preferences.
• It must be adaptable in a way that it can support new business requirements. Mergers, opening new locations and stores, crisis communication are examples of this.

The employee experience is a trend that is in strong momentum. In this, digital platforms play one of the important roles, as they can be the link between the company and colleagues. It is crucial that the chosen platform provides a comparable experience in interacting with digital services, as employees have outside the business environment. In this way, organizations will more easily retain their best staff and work with increasing added value.