Transforming the Employee Experience in a Hybrid World: HR & IT Collaboration is Key

Transforming the employee experience matters now more than ever, as organizations adapt to the hybrid world of work. With the unprecedented challenges brought about by the pandemic, one thing is clear: technology is a key element to keeping your people happy and empowering them to work efficiently and effectively.

The Great Resignation shows no signs of slowing down, with today’s modern workers most likely to leave a job that doesn’t live up to their expectations. And most of these expectations are driven by technology. People demand workplace flexibility, a positive digital work culture with tools that are fit for purpose, ongoing digital training and education, and opportunities for career growth.

HR and IT must work together to boost employee experience in a post-COVID world

The pandemic put the spotlight on the reality that enhancing workplace engagement and experience is not just HR’s job. A stronger focus on a collaborative culture means every department must play its part. In a digital workplace, IT leaders are compelled to step up to develop a proactive workplace technology strategy and optimize processes, including those that prioritize employee engagement.. 

HR and IT must join forces to meet employees’ expectations and help them overcome the challenges of a hybrid workplace. HR will not be able to engage the workforce and build positive experiences without leveraging tech tools, while IT systems and processes won’t be effective if the workplace culture does not engage and listen to employees to encourage and support them in a more hybrid and virtual working environment.

Here’s how HR and IT can collaborate to create a digital workplace that redefines productivity and makes employees feel a sense of purpose, satisfaction, and recognition.

Encourage employee feedback to make smart tech investments

IT and HR leaders must focus on people-centered digital workplace experiences. They can work together to simplify the employee feedback process and act on the user-experience data they collect. Online feedback channels like employee pulse surveys, open forum discussions, focus groups and seminars give people a voice and make them feel that their thoughts and opinions are valued in the workplace.

Leaders can use the insights from these online feedback platforms to better understand people’s current tech experiences, and the tools they use and need. They can leverage the data to identify gaps in knowledge and implementation of digital practices and fine-tune collaboration applications to improve workplace engagement.

Create digital experiences that foster a sense of belonging

IT and HR leaders must see to it that workplace technology makes everyone – no matter when, where, or how they work – feel engaged, included, productive, and safe. There are several ‘Moments that Matter’ throughout the employee journey where HR and IT can partner to create positive digital experiences that attract, develop, and retain talent.

Automated workplace solutions, for example, make the onboarding process faster, smarter, and more meaningful. Leaders can train and mentor people through personalized digital programs that make learning easy, accessible, and fun. They can also promote team-building by celebrating and connecting with employees regularly through virtual meetups and hangout sessions.

Simplify communications on an ‘everywhere’ employee experience platform

People appreciate communication channels that let them access personalized and up-to-the-minute information they need to get work done and achieve their goals. HR and IT can collaborate to create a unified, well-designed engagement platform that allows people, teams, and departments to connect and collaborate more efficiently. Among the core design principles at LiveTiles for instance is to “be where the user is” so we can engage employees with the content and resources they need, no matter where they are, or what device they use.

LiveTiles’ intelligent workplace solutions and collaboration software help organizations to transform the digital employee experience by removing the complexity and noise to ensure that no person is left behind in the digital workplace. These tech tools facilitate teamwork, transparency, communication, and ongoing, real-time collaboration that enable people to do their best work.

Bottom Line

People and technology are critical and interdependent elements that empower organizations to thrive in the future of work. A collaborative relationship between HR and IT will transform the employee experience and encourage employee retention, meaningful communications, and effective performance.