How to master ‘Employee Experience’ through technology?
Digital disruption is seen as a boon or a bane.
Many organizations have embraced it gracefully and with a challenge, while many others have fallen by the wayside.
Some of them have not seen it coming. Look at how Kodak failed to see digital photography as an emerging competitor. HMV, the famous music records company, and Blockbuster, the video rental company, could not see Netflix as an emerging competitor.
Companies like Amazon, Flipkart, and others could adapt themselves to the digital disruption and re-engineer their business models, products & services to ride the digital wave.
Digital technologies enable organizations and businesses to scale up quickly, reach a wider audience worldwide, offer seamless service that is fast and reliable, and, more importantly, provide a superior customer experience.
It also enables businesses to offer modular solutions, which helps customers choose what they want and bring down their costs. It provides flexibility for the customer rather than forcing a ‘one size fits all product or service.
Much of the Human Resources function is to do with service. HR will do well to adopt digital technologies to serve their stakeholders better viz. Business, managers, employees, partners, and other stakeholders.
The entire Life Cycle of an employee, from Start to Retire, can leverage digital technologies for a superior employee experience. Let’s look at how technology can impact each of these stages:
People are no longer seeking jobs; Organizations are seeking Talented People.
It’s a war for talent today in the highly competitive world.
Organizations are striving to build a brand in the cluttered market and fish for highly talented people. Hence Recruitment becomes an essential function in Organizations for a competitive advantage. Sourcing, screening, scheduling, video interviewing, offer fixation, and candidate engagement is now better managed with digital technology.
Many Organizations have implemented Recruitment Process Automation and have also started Robotic Video Interviews for initial screening of candidates or the 1st round of interviews.
On-boarding:
Technology is helping Organizations to keep candidates engaged through chat bots and digital assistants like an Alexa or Google Assistant to answer any queries or help the yet-to-join prospective employee.
The entire on-boarding process is automated and digitized, doing away with paperwork and ensuring seamless integration into the organization and its processes.
Documentation:
Organizations are resorting to digital e-files and doing away with paperwork. All candidate details, credentials, and statutory documents are now digitized and filed electronically. Offer letters, increment letters, promotion letters, transfers, payslips etc. are now issued via email and electronic form. This has helped the organization in space, time to retrieve safety and & reliability, and costs.
Performance Management:
The entire process of Performance Management is now electronically managed, starting with the Goal setting process, identifying KRAs and defining KPIs, setting timelines, tracking progress, aligning with company objectives, collaborating with others, seeking 360 feedback, dynamic feedback, and even introducing a Dynamic Performance Management system.
Training & Development:
The COVID 19 pandemic has forced Organizations to adopt remote working and Educational Institutions to Teach remotely.
This has encouraged and hastened the e-learning system of learning.
Now training can be organized from anywhere in the world; trainers can be from anywhere in the world and addressing participants anywhere in the world.
It has also enabled participants to learn at their own pace, time, and setting.
Organizations are using gamification to excite younger employees to adapt to e-learning.
Recognition & Rewards:
The emergence of social media has encouraged people to seek and give feedback.
Recognition has become part and parcel of our life.
This has extended to the workplace as well. HRMS systems with social platforms are now providing opportunities to employees and all stakeholders to provide dynamic, live feedback and recognize top performers and at the same time give negative feedback or thumbs down for bad performers.
Many organizations now use these digital social platforms to instantly reward people they recognize as Top Performers or a job well done with points, goodies, appreciation certificates, etc.
Payroll & Compliance
Managing the payment of salaries and payroll of large Organizations without technology is near to impossible.
HRMS systems help service the employees in a seamless way and on time.
It also brought flexibility regarding the Compensation package of employees with Flexible Benefits package, design your compensation package, etc.
It has also helped employees design their packages depending on their needs and the tax reliefs they seek.
Employee Engagement:
Organizations can better serve the employees by implementing chat bots that can address any employee queries 24×7, 365 days a year.
They can offer digital assistants to talk to employees like an Alexa, train them, inform them, keep them motivated etc.
There are digital tools available that can track dynamically on the fly and gauge people’s moods, engagement & satisfaction levels and help organizations better understand their employees and take proactive action.
Hence, we find that organizations leveraging digital technologies can serve their stakeholders better, increase their efficiency, bring down the cost of service, and ensure greater satisfaction and provide a superior Employee Experience.
It’s time to go to Digital HR.
About Author:
Mr. Ramesh Ranjan, Advisor – Farsight Technologies | Founder & Editor – Human Engineers
Mr. Ramesh has served the H.R. and Businesses for 35 Years. He is a former V.P. of H.R. in Schneider electric and worked in Indian & Multi-National Companies in various capacities, including leadership role for the last 20 years.
