Insights
Why tech’s untapped potential holds the key to a better employee experience
Author
Alison Bawn
People Director
Virgin Media O2 Business
5 minutes
24th May 2023
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51% of UK business leaders say less than half their employees are currently using unified communications and collaboration tools to their full capability, according to our latest report, ‘Tech untapped’.
Underutilised tech means money down the drain. And with 40% of our survey respondents saying employee productivity is their most important focus for the year ahead, there’s clearly a huge untapped opportunity for digital tools to have a positive impact.
The good news? Making the most of this opportunity doesn’t have to mean more investment in new technology.
Prioritising the right tools and training will ensure your employees achieve more with their time. It’s these subtle changes that will help you unlock the full potential of your existing tech.
“It’s about rinsing out as much functionality and as much value add of the investments that you've made in tech while protecting and empowering employees to work in the ways that work for them.”
Paula Eavis, Director of Human Resources, Bunzl UK
Is your tech stack working for you?
Tech is growing in complexity at an incredible rate. Whilst this means it’s capable of helping your business in new ways, it’s also getting harder to ensure your tech stack works for you and your employees.
An overabundance of collaboration tools, for example, won’t actually help your employees. Instead, you run the risk of overwhelming them with unnecessary complications.
So it’s key to take the time to review what tech you already have in place. Do you really know what all your solutions are capable of? And most importantly, do your employees?
Having the right solutions in place won’t always be effective unless your employees are willing to use them.
18% of businesses say employee resistance to technology or limited digital skills holds back their operational efficiency, according to our report.
Speak to your employees and make sure you understand what their needs are before onboarding them onto solutions. This allows you to highlight the features they will be most likely to use and help them understand how existing tools can make their lives easier, not harder.
These conversations may require IT expertise that your IT team perhaps doesn’t have yet, or doesn’t have the time to share. Challenge your suppliers to give you the knowledge you need to fully implement the solutions you already have.
“We need to use the tools we already have to try and reduce the burden on staff and make their lives easier. That’s where technology lends itself to enabling efficiencies, in improving working life for our people.”
Graham Walsh, Medical Director, Yorkshire, and Humber Academic Health Science Network
Does your business have a digital skills gap?
“Tech is extremely powerful. But it has to be used well. And that comes down to training.”
Joe Di Fede, IT Director, ESG
Your IT team shouldn’t be the only ones well-versed in technology.
As tech becomes more embedded into the ways we work, employees need regular training to ensure their skills are up to scratch.
Firstly, this ensures your employees have the knowledge they need to get the most out of their tools – by revealing shortcuts and additional features that they may not have been aware of, for example.
But it also gives them the confidence to try new ways of working that can make them more productive and cut out mundane tasks. New AI-powered solutions are automating more basic tasks, for example, cutting out needless admin for those with the skills to use them.
As technology evolves, regular refresher training sessions are ever more important. It keeps employees able to adapt and continue to work effectively.
42% of employees would be more likely to stay in their current role if they were provided more technical training. It’s clear that having the right tools for the job also makes a real difference to an employee’s loyalty, meaning you can more effectively retain the talent at the heart of your business.
Beyond productivity to creating cultural change
Just 25% of respondents in our ‘Tech untapped’ report labelled employee experience as their top concern in 2023.
Understanding that the benefits of effective tech go beyond just productivity is an important first step in retaining the talent at the heart of your business.
Because allowing employees to focus on more strategic tasks can help them to build different skills. By engaging in more challenging work, employees can develop new skills and knowledge that can benefit both themselves and the organisation.
This can lead to higher employee retention rates and a more skilled and experienced workforce.
81% of employees agree that technology plays an important role in helping them stay engaged and happy in their job. So in the long run, it’s a win-win.
“We often talk about culture and having a good culture. If you feel valued, you feel respected, you feel empowered. It lends itself very well to feeling motivated, engaged, and therefore more productive, helping with retention and recruitment as well. So that's really important. Using technology to create efficiencies, to give people time back and allow them to contribute in a more meaningful way off the back of it.”
Will Richards, Workplace Deployment Director, ISS Facility Services UK
This all starts with realising that making an investment in tech isn’t enough to guarantee a return in efficiencies for your business. Considering your employees’ digital skills, regular training, and time spent on tasks means you’ll be unlocking more value from your tech long after your purchase.
Want to discover more about the untapped tech potential in your organisation?
Read the full report today.
Or if you want to speak to one of our experts directly, get in touch.
