5 Ways Technology can Optimize Employee Engagement

Employee engagement has become quite a buzzword in the contemporary corporate world. More and more businesses are now acknowledging how vital employee engagement is for business success. In fact, as per Forbes, highly engaged organizations can generate 21 percent higher profitability than their contemporaries. Further, it is also true that as per Applauz, every dollar spent on engagement strategies yields a return of 4 dollars. 

These vital insights clearly explain the correlation between high engagement and the amplification of business success. Having said that, business leaders are keen on developing unique strategies for fostering high engagement. However, practically speaking, cultivating high engagement can be as simple as investing in the right technological advancements. 

Today, the expanse of technology is facilitating unthinkable business opportunities. In this digital age, stellar technologies are at the helm of a fascinating revolution. There is no area of business operations today that cannot be optimized with the right technology. Having said that, technological advancements are also playing a game-changing role in boosting engagement. 

In this blog, we look at the different ways in which technology enables a culture of high engagement. So, let us get started without further ado! 

Advantages of technology in driving high engagement 

1. Technology enables enhanced collaboration 

As a business leader, when you gauge the engagement levels within the organization, you often look at the bigger picture. You look at how teams perform exceptionally well and manage their engagement. Needless to say, teams are engaged when there is effective collaboration and communication among team members. 

When there is effective collaboration and strategic communication in the workplace, there is high trust. This trust further becomes the foundation of high engagement and exceptional performances. In fact, as per Harvard Business Review, employees in high trust companies manifest 76 percent higher engagement. 

Further, another major factor that is worth considering is that organizations are going increasingly remote. Virtual workplaces and hybrid workplaces are swiftly replacing traditional work environments. To substantiate, as per Gartner, more than 80 percent of employers intend to make the switch to remote work arrangements. No wonder, even you may have similar plans. 

However, in a virtual work environment, effective communication and collaboration will always remain a concern. The significance of collaboration further intensifies in remote working environments and that is where technology offers great relief. Today, you have ample collaboration and communication software to choose from for driving high coordination and trust. 

In fact, as per Fortune Business Insights, the team global market for team collaboration software is anticipated to reach 40.8 billion by 2028. Further, as per McKinsey, more than 80 percent of businesses have been successful in cultivating higher engagement with social collaboration tools. Clearly, in a rampantly changing business environment, collaboration and communication technologies have become essential cogs in the wheel of business success.

2. Technology optimizes learning outcomes

Workplace learning and development are crucial to both employers and employees. In fact, if you look at it from your employees’ perspective, workplace learning is a major determinant of engagement. Your employees feel highly motivated when they see their organization investing wholeheartedly in their careers. For them, their career advancement is paramount. 

In case you are not providing your employees adequate and indulging learning experiences, engagement levels are likely to stay low. However, emerging learning technologies can help you in overhauling the employee learning landscape for the better. 

To substantiate, incredible workplace learning technologies can make your employees fall in love with their career development experiences. Corporate e-learning solutions like LMS (Learning Management Systems), gamified learning solutions, and corporate learning apps are making such a great difference in employee engagement levels. Also, technology facilitates video-based learning that offers greater learning outcomes. 

Besides, in virtual working environments, these e-learning solutions are becoming indispensable. Can you imagine a virtual organization delivering on employees’ learning expectations without the integration of these learning solutions? Certainly not! 

This explains why the dependence of the corporate world on these learning technologies is increasing swiftly. In fact, the market size for corporate e-learning is expected to reach USD 108.09 billion by 2026. These technologies have great potential to create immersive learning experiences that can definitely cultivate high engagement among your employees. 

3. Technology facilitates effective performance management 

For any organization, performance management mechanisms are essential for boosting employee productivity and engagement. With respect to that, employee benefits and rewards hold enormous significance. To elucidate, as per HubSpot, 69 percent of employees say that they will engage in a better way when they are rewarded suitably. 

However, knowing that is not enough. What is more crucial to ascertain is the kind of employee benefits and rewards that work the best for your organization. In determining that, data analytic tools can play a significant and game-changing role. You can never really go wrong with data from performance dashboards and analytic tools, right? 

With data, you can determine the right benefits that can take engagement levels to a new high and lead the organization to new horizons of business success. 

Besides, another imperative aspect of employee engagement is feedback sharing. As per HubSpot, 98 percent of employees will feel disengaged if their superiors share little or no feedback. 

However, with performance tracking and internal communication tools, you can incorporate regular feedback mechanisms to foster sustained engagement. All in all, with suitable technology, you can set SMART goals and objectives in performance management. 

4. Technology offers greater flexibility to employees
   
   

Flexibility has become the new normal in this revamped business world. In the modern workplace, flexible work arrangements are among the top expectations of employees. Having said that, flexibility has become a vital factor both for engagement and retention. 

You would be quite amused to know that as per a Gartner Survey, 43 percent of employees feel that flexible work arrangements help them achieve higher productivity and engagement.  Besides, almost 90 percent of organizations have achieved higher engagement and retention by offering flexibility to employees.

However, who would have thought about a decade ago that flexibility could thrive in such a manner one day? Today, the culture of flexibility is booming only because we have the technological infrastructure to make it a reality. 

Organizations are able to embrace flexibility because they have reliable technology to coordinate flexible work arrangements. By contributing to greater workplace flexibility, technology is certainly optimizing engagement in an unimaginable way. 

5. Technology can help in preventing burnout 

Employee burnout is an alarming trend that is rising swiftly. As per Forbes, as many as 52 percent of employees experienced burnout situations in 2021. This clearly implies that a large proportion of the global workforce is vulnerable to burnout. 

Needless to say, you cannot drive high engagement in a workforce that is highly susceptible to burnout. For promoting high engagement in them, you first need to provide effective burnout assistance to them. In doing so, technology can again play a crucial role.

To elucidate, with the integration of the right technology, you can effectively automate repetitive and routine tasks. Besides, technology can also add immensely to employee productivity hence, adding value to their motivation and satisfaction. To validate, as per Formstack, more than 90 percent of employees feel that their efficiency and satisfaction have dramatically increased because of technological advancements in the workplace.

This sense of greater satisfaction, lesser vulnerability to burnout, and higher self worth would surely contribute to higher employee engagement. 

To encapsulate, there are multifarious ways in which technology can boost employee engagement. The key is to do enough research before choosing the right technological advancements for your organization. As long as you are investing in the right tools and software, you would certainly reap great benefits.