<img height="1" width="1" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=144127152979800&amp;ev=PageView &amp;noscript=1">
Blog: The Employee Experience You Need to Drive Your Business Forward

Blog: The Employee Experience You Need to Drive Your Business Forward

If one thing has been made evident about the workplace in 2020, it’s that better-supported employees translate to a more resilient business. Organizations that place emphasis on making technology an integral part of the employee experience had a smoother time adapting to the rapid changes of this past year.

A recent Pulse Survey by Harvard Business Journal reported that 85% of respondents that prioritized the employee experience felt that they were well prepared for the transition to more remote work in the wake of the pandemic. Harvard Business Journal's survey reported that of the organizations that prioritized the employee experience, 94% reported having a competitive advantage as a result of their quick ability to shift to remote work.

Forrester recently forecasted that remote work will have a lasting 300% increase above that of the pre-Covid workplace. Yes, you read that right—the remote workplace is predicted to settle at triple what it was before the pandemic. To drive your business forward in 2021, it’s clear that a key component will be to enhance the employee experience, capitalizing on the benefits of more flexible work.

Digital Transformation

As the workforce continues contributing remotely or with a hybrid approach (in-office and at home), improving the employee experience requires an emphasis on digital solutions. A 2020 IDC survey found that 83% of North American C-suite decision makers “highlighted that they needed to adopt a dynamic work model or engage in the ‘Future of Work’ as they become a digital business.” A digital transformation of the workplace not only drives a better employee experience, but productivity, cost savings, and better engagement with stakeholders as well.

Here are a few ways that you can digitally transform the workplace to drive your employee experience forward, and thus drive your business forward:

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

The way in which teams across your organization work together has been disrupted. Digital collaboration platforms and connective technologies are now a must. At this point you’ve probably adopted new digital communication platforms like video conferencing and instant chat. In 2021, it’s time to create a more seamless approach to how your employees use these platforms. With multifaceted solutions, like Cisco Webex, as well as integrated instant messaging solutions, you can better mimic the collaborative interactions your employees once had in the office.

It’s more than just providing the one-off ability to communicate with a coworker via a pre-scheduled virtual meeting or slow-to-respond email chains, but the in-depth and intuitive nature in which people interact on projects—instant chats, quick call scheduling, document sharing and tracking on the cloud. This upcoming year is about more than just facilitating remote communications—that should have been done in 2020. This year is about optimizing the way your teams work together.

Fast and Reliable Connectivity

Your employees depend on their mobile devices and connectivity to interact with each other, customers, and partners.  As the pandemic initially slowed down business operations, it’s now time to accelerate wherever you can to catch up. There’s no room for dropped calls with customers, network downtime at the home offices, and the endless spinning cursor on the screen when deadlines are on the line. You and your employees need faster speeds and lower latency, and you can have this with 5G and Wi-Fi 6 technology.

5G next-generation mobile networks use more channels across radio spectrum frequencies, offering speeds similar to hardwired fiber-optic connections delivered wirelessly. Wi-Fi 6 adds a third 6GHz band to the existing 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands used by current Wi-Fi devices, increasing spectrum to improve connectivity. All in all, faster connections and greater bandwidth can help improve business efficiency as well as the remote work experience for your users.

Mobility and Device Choice

Mobile-device dependence in the remote/hybrid workplace, means your employees need devices that can adapt as quickly and as often as they’re expected to in their own constantly shifting workplace. Mobile phones, tablets, and lightweight laptops enable your associates to work anywhere, so if they return back to the office there’s no need to switch devices. If they choose to remain remote, they are empowered to work in whatever environment is most comfortable to them—their home office, the kitchen table, or perhaps on the porch for some sunlight and fresh air.

Working in the same space at home from nine-to-five Monday through Friday for months on end isn’t a ritual your employees are used to. Mobile devices allow your employees to move around and switch up their environment. That’s important.

When it comes to which specific devices to provide your employees, there are many benefits to offering you employees a variety of devices to choose from. Device choice allows them to work more efficiently and productively. TechRepublic reported that 68%of enterprise workers believe that they’re more productive when they’re allowed to select their own device. This is possibly because individuals work more efficiently when they’re using the devices they’re most familiar and comfortable with.

User-Centric Support

User support is needed because this new way of working isn’t the easiest transition for everyone. New technologies, different work environments, the absence of an IT department around the corner—these are all factors to consider in how you support your end users. Offer IT support that is accessible, proactive, and easy. For example, CompuCom’s Service Desk offers multi-channel remote support options (phone, chat, email/web, and self-service). That way our customers’ employees can get the help they require when and how they prefer it. Flexible support that your employees are more likely to leverage means less user downtime and more efficiencies across your organization in response to large-scale transitions.

Digital Amenities and Wellness

Whether it’s larger workloads or personal trials, it’s important to note that your employees are likely under a lot of stress and pressure as a result of the events that have unfolded in 2020. It goes a long way to adopt digital solutions to engage with your remote employees, like virtual recognition emails, videos, and newsletter features. Even a monthly webcast in place to address your organization's recent accomplishments and provide a routine cadence to offer your employees a verbal “thank you” can go a long way.

Digitally Transform Your Employee Experience

It’s pretty simple, better supported employees translate to better business outcomes. Though it doesn’t take an expert to see this, an experienced managed service provider can help get you there faster. From procuring, configuring, deploying, and overseeing the devices your employees need, to managing your projects, transitions, security, and IT support, CompuCom can make your digital transformation easier. We’ll help you drive your employee experience forward to better drive your business forward in 2021.