Technology has changed the way we operate our businesses and, as a result, the way we manage our employees has evolved.
Organisations can now maximise their employee engagement through implementing digitation across their practices and ensure that employees are spending their time productively through automated systems. Technology does not need to be complicated, however, it can be highly distracting. With different notifications perpetually bombarding the employee eye line, is it any wonder that companies are now seeking out more innovative ways to ensure their employees remain engaged.
When monitoring employee engagement, we take into account two key elements which are the worker's commitment and their motivation, in line with their personal and wider business goals. Overall, studies have revealed that employees who have a higher engagement level, are often around 25% more productive than their peers.
Skills gap
With up to four generations currently in the working market, there is definitely going to be vastly different skills across the scope of employee abilities. Each generation will possess a slightly different work ethic, preference and skills, with Millennials identified as the most tech-savvy of the current workforce makeup.
Millennials are recognised as technology natives and as the most adaptable when it comes to technology and computer skills. With Millennials making up a bigger portion of the workforce, this can drive the evolution and consequent digitisation of more roles. Since 2010, of the 13 million new jobs created in the US, 30% of these require highly-skilled technology and digital knowledge, with Millennials easily walking into these roles compared to older generations.
Workplace training can aim to bridge the gap between older and younger generations, in order to ensure knowledge sharing is occurring and workplaces are collaborative, Millennials can share their technology savviness in order to support the continued learning of Baby-Boomers and Gen X.
Evolving communication
Communication is now easier than ever, with accessibility making conversation between people around the world even easier. Sharing information makes the sharing of knowledge easier and simpler and allows employees to communicate with each other and collaborate via a range of platforms.
Internal communication has proven to be a huge challenge for businesses, struggling in particular with sourcing the right tool for the job. Now there are almost too many options, including the likes of Snapchat, Skype, Instagram and slack to name just a few.
Dynamic Signal survey of employees further uncovered that staff noted them would feel more informed and overall more engaged if they were able to communicate through a mobile app. Although traditionally mobile phones would have no place in the workplace, they should now be utilised to offer more flexible working solutions and the ability to communicate with employees which they find the most beneficial.
Work and leisure
The lines between downtime and work time are more blurred than ever, with an increasing number of businesses offering their employees the opportunity to work remotely or from home. With the ability to make calls, send emails and manage workloads from anywhere, from the beach to the boardroom, work can be completed on the fly rather than confined to the tedious 9-5.
Ever improving technology teamed with flexible hours actually has been proven to show employees taking on more work and working longer hours during their downtime, without extra pay. This is due to the fact that they have developed a genuine interest in their job, the company and the industry, therefore are happy to be more flexible when extra work needs to be covered.
Workplace training in the modern age
It is crucial to ensure that workplace training includes the discussion in terms of ways of working and explains how the workplace has or will evolve to meet the needs of technology-driven generations whilst nurturing and developing the older generation skill set. It is important to adjust workplace training accordingly to ensure that the skills of the digital natives are being pushed further and those who struggle more using and working with technology are receiving the support they need.