Going beyond process improvements
Keeping employees engaged, productive, and connected has never been more important—or more difficult.
Workers today, both the employed and the looking, are accustomed to digital life. They expect to find answers at the point of need, whether they’re filing a medical claim, scheduling vacation time or seeking parental leave information. Disconnected, multi-step processes, such as those typically found in offices, run counter to the seamless, technology-enhanced life workers experience everywhere else. They find the dichotomy frustrating. They’re used to the system serving the individual, not the individual accommodating to a dated system.
According to a recent American Worker Survey of more than 2,200 employees, 61% – nearly five out of eight – are actively looking to leave their jobs or are at least thinking about it. This may be due to a number of different factors; but the point is, no successful organization can allow workers to be so disappointed or frustrated that that a majority of them wants out.
That fact is why a growing number of organizations are re-thinking their approach to human resources—investing in technology that enables the human-centric employee experiences that are essential to an efficient, productive future. And while it sounds ironic, it takes digital technology to make the positive human interactions happen. Today’s employees believe that getting answers quickly and easily should be as simple as a few keystrokes, just as it would be in any other area of their lives.
“Organizations must create a seamless digital work environment that is embedded in the tools employees already use, that is personalized to individual needs and sensibly linked to the way people move throughout their work lives – particularly at the most critical points in the journey.”
– John Doel, Principal, Human Capital Advisory, KPMG LLP
C-suite leaders, especially chief human resources officers (CHROs), know that making employee experiences special is foundational to the acquisition, retention and fostering of talent. It requires a seamless alignment of people, technology, and processes to create a system that recognizes and motivates each employee as an individual. A human-centric methodology allows companies to design and build a framework that enables employees to thrive – whether in the office, on the assembly line, in the field, or working remotely from home.
What workers want, and deserve from their employers
Careful and deliberate consideration of a worker’s path toward initial and ongoing engagement, employment satisfaction, increased education, and potential elevation within the organization must all be part of an integrated, human-centric employee experience.
A human-centric framework considers employee satisfaction and feedback in constructing an experience layer that gives workers a single point of entry for access to educational, third-party, and professional resources to proactively resolve any career-defining issues. According to the American Worker survey referenced previously, one-third of employees have seen their happiness worsen over the past year. This coupled with economic headwinds means organizations need to quickly assess employee tools and workflows and identify areas for improving efficiency, not only with an eye on the bottom line, but with the goal of improving employees’ experiences that can lift morale.
Organizations that invest in workforce experience are realizing measurable enterprise value. Recently, a KPMG client focused on workforce experience to drive value beyond traditional back-office efficiency and effectiveness and was able to unlock the potential of modern ways of working across the enterprise. They calculated an 18% reduction in turnover, 25% simplification of systems, $28M savings in time to fill, and a $10M savings in HR and IT administrative expenses.
Empowering employees requires effective engagement at every instance
As the “great resignation” morphs into the new “great re-engagement,” organizations must use human-centric principles and leading practices to create high-performing cultures where individual needs – personal and professional – are met, even exceeded. This is a blueprint for success in any industry. The new talent being pursued, and the experienced talent that drives organizational initiatives, are seeing the world well beyond the office walls and pure compensation. For example, they are concerned with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs as nearly half (48%) of those surveyed say they benefit from these initiatives. And 72 percent believe it is important for their organizations to respond to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues.
Organizations that commit to a strong, human-centric employee engagement model, and the proper technology to enable it, future proof their organizations for ongoing shareholder, institutional, and brand value. Employees better understand the mission and their roles toward achieving that mission. They have the necessary tools and processes essential to superior job performance and, more importantly, they know there is an unwavering commitment from leadership to each employee’s well-being. A blueprint for quantifiable and qualitative success must be human-centric.
This article is a first in a series that will address the human-centric employee experience, from employee and employer perspectives. Each will present ways for organizations to think and act when it comes to developing and delivering superior engagement experiences and journeys for their employees, including the technology that enables them.
Discover more in our blog series
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