Improving Digital Employee Experience
Hybrid work models have a lot to offer – reduced business expenses, the ability to hire talent from anywhere, and a more flexible work environment. But there are employee challenges that come with a virtual work style, which is why having a solid digital employee experience strategy is so important.
Worker surveys show remote employees struggle with everything from managing work-life balance to exhaustion. A digital employee experience strategy can resolve these problems, prevent burnout, and ensure your teams view your digital work culture as supportive and positive rather than draining or toxic.
Let’s look at the digital employee experience, why it matters, and what strategies and software your organization can use to achieve a better experience for your remote and hybrid teams.
What Is Digital Employee Experience?
Digital employee experience – or DEX – is how your employees feel about and perceive the experience of working for your company as part of a work-from-wherever team. As Forrester analysts Andrew Hewitt and Cheryl McKinnon explain, DEX encompasses the interactions employees have with your company’s technologies, processes, and policy choices.
How easy it is to communicate with co-workers. Company rules surrounding time tracking and work hours. The frequency and length of virtual meetings. Digital company culture. All these concepts fall within DEX.
So, as you look at what you can do to create a digital employee experience strategy, explore ways to improve these issues through the types of software and processes you have in place.
Strategies and Software Solutions to Improve the Digital Employee Experience
Mastering DEX takes planning and collaboration across departments, including HR and IT. But there are a few steps your organization can take to improve the employee experience for your remote or hybrid teams.
1. Set Up Clear Communication Channels
Do your employees know who to reach out to when they have an issue? Is there a feedback loop in place through employee surveys, small group meetings, or manager oversight to identify problems with the digital company culture?
To ensure your people are thriving, set up a process for gathering honest feedback and interacting with employees individually so you can identify and resolve issues immediately. Also, set up a channel for suggestions – your employees can provide insightful ideas that help improve digital processes.
2. Follow Digital Etiquette Best Practices
With a huge rise in remote work over the past couple of years, a few digital etiquette best practices have emerged. Implementing these rules can help to prevent burnout and enable your teams to feel supported at work.
- Be mindful of employees’ time. Don’t force people into the office for the sake of it. If a meeting or task can happen virtually, give people the option.
- Make mental health a priority. Humans are social creatures, and no amount of technological innovation or workplace change will alter that fact. With digital teams, people experience less human interaction, which can lead to feelings of loneliness. To combat this, business leaders and managers can find ways to prioritize mental health, such as setting up a channel for reaching out about issues and encouraging healthy habits, such as exercise, sleeping well, spending time in nature, and taking time for oneself.
- Empower your workers to set healthy boundaries. Use software that has an indicator function so co-workers know when someone is available or not. Technology can also be used to set reminders for your employees to take regular breaks. It’s also important for business owners and managers to set a good example – for instance, if you’re working late at night and answering calls on the weekend, your staff might follow suit.
3. Use a Communications Platform Designed for Hybrid Work
Another key part of the digital employee experience is software. And the most important DEX platform is communications.
For the best experience, your teams need a tool that lets them access all the important communication channels from one place and is easy to use. Ideally, your software helps them save time and simplifies workflows. It should include high-quality video conferencing, chat, file sharing, and more – and it should integrate with other business tools for better data visibility.
Start Improving DEX Today with YeoVoice Powered by Elevate
YeoVoice powered by Elevate offers all the features and functionality you need to boost DEX. It’s a cloud-based solution with industry-leading security, support, and reliability. Learn more today.
Information used in this article was provided by our partners at Intermedia.