Digitisation is revolutionising the way in which organisations deploy and get the best out of their most important asset – their people. Mobile and social platforms are driving social interaction and communication, and workers now expect their interactions at work to mirror those in their personal lives.
An equivalent shift in mindset is needed. Just as your business strives to adapt to the fluctuating demands of your customers, so it is important to take a similar approach towards employee expectations. However, many HR departments in the Middle East are lagging behind in this regard.
According to our research, only a quarter of millennials in the region (the generation born between 1980 and 2000) believe HR programmes help create a positive work environment, compared to 41% of baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964).
This suggests that the evolution of workplace systems has not kept up with the generational shift in the workforce, and that they are rapidly becoming outdated. In addition, just 54% of millennials say they have a clear understanding of HR policies within their organisation, so these need to be communicated more effectively.
Rigorous planning for talent outcomes
The question: how can employers embrace technology and new communication channels to create a more positive employee experience?
The solution does not simply boil down to splurging on technology. In fact, our research shows that employers with the best people practices spend about 60% of the average organisational outlay on tech, but achieve far better results.
Effectiveness and efficiency is achieved through rigorous planning for talent outcomes and driving agile linkages between programmes, technology, platforms and analytics.
Here are three technology-related ways in which to enhance your employee experience.
Mirror consumer experience in your working environment
1) Mirror consumer experience in your working environment
Bring customer-engagement tactics into the workplace, mirroring consumer experience. Give your staff greater access to information and build collaboration and social learning.
User-friendly platforms allow employees to take control of their personal career development, while analytics support managers to make more effective people decisions, based on evidence.
2) Move to unified talent management platforms
Having standalone systems for performance management, rewards, learning and development and succession planning no longer makes sense.
Technological advancements have made it possible to have single ‘unified’ platforms, based on a single technology and data model, with a focus on tracking employees’ progress, rewarding them appropriately and endowing them with the tools they need to become successful.
Savvy organisations are investing in ‘software as a service’ (SaaS) HR platforms, which are arguably more cost-effective in the long term, help to drive efficiency and enable the streamlining of work processes to enhance the end-user experience.
3) Make best use of analytics
HR departments typically sit on huge amounts of employee data, gathered at various stages of the employee life-cycle, for example, during the recruitment process right through to engagement surveys, performance validation studies and more.
Aim to go beyond measuring and benchmarking against past data to take advantage of predictive capabilities and enhance future business results.
For example, analysing the capabilities of high-performing employees will inform your recruitment and selection practices.
Additionally, data on employee engagement, performance and leadership can be combined to build leader profiles.