In 2022, 64% of HR leaders plan to upskill their employees to new processes or technologies, demonstrating an appetite for alternative methods to engage digitally savvy employees
Amidst the rise in hybrid working and the Great Resignation, employers understand that they must provide a competitive employee experience to attract, and crucially, to retain top talent. This should go hand in hand with digital transformation initiatives.
Tangible benefits and salary alone are no longer sufficient to differentiate the employer brand and employee experience. Employers need to create a stronger emotional connection with employees to ensure they are engaged and connected with the organisation. As personalisation becomes ubiquitous, businesses must embrace an array of innovative digital tools to make the employee experience seamless.
Leveraging learning and development tools
Professional development programmes are an effective tool to empower employees by giving them the opportunity to continually upgrade their skills in line with new trends and job roles. This not only improves the talent pool in the organisation but enhances employees’ experience of the workplace by ensuring they are constantly growing and developing.
In recent years, more and more organisations have been expanding beyond traditional approaches to workplace learning by introducing digital coaching programmes. Investing in soft skills through methods such as coaching has become more important than ever in recent years as we move towards an increasingly hybrid approach to work in many industries.
Digital coaching tools use artificial intelligence (AI) to help employees choose and match them to the right coach based on their personality. Coaches and coachees start the coaching process by planning their sessions and defining the goals they hope to achieve over time. After assessing the employee’s strengths and areas to improve, the coach creates a learning and improvement strategy plan for the employees. The progress is then tracked and measured based on defined milestones and outcomes.
Learning and development tools such as coaching are highly effective thanks to their high levels of personalisation. No longer are employees engaging with blanket e-learning programmes – they want to focus on their specific skillset and improve their weaknesses. Therefore, personalised professional development programmes help to empower individuals, increase employee engagement, improve individual performance, and ensure high employee commitment.
Curated communication methods
Given that most companies now operate in a hybrid or even entirely remote model, today’s workforce meet on a face-to-face basis much less frequently than in the past. There are a multitude of benefits associated with remote work for employees and employers alike, but there are also some challenges. Communication is often chief among them.
Personalisation is king in our personal lives nowadays, with everything from streaming services to e-commerce sites offering personalised recommendations to users. Employers must rethink how they communicate with employees with this in mind.
Companies can leverage targeted communication using the communication software provided by their benefits administration tool as a starting point. For example, they can curate and tailor messages according to various teams and divisions, seniority levels, countries, or even those with specific company benefits.
To build on this, the next step of personalisation can be achieved using AI-powered employer branding and copywriting tools to craft email and notification message templates. This helps companies write faster, saving time and quickly scaling their efforts. These templates can then be fed into the benefits administration system so that the AI can personalise messages with the information it has. These customised messages make employees feel seen, heard and taken care of, increasing employee engagement and loyalty.
Creating a fine balance
HR tech has made huge strides in recent years and is a great tool in driving a personalised employee experience. Yet, it is only one part of a broader solution – managers also need to play an active role. They must understand the varied needs of employees so that they can leverage technology to curate an employee experience that is inclusive and attentive to all.
Technology serves as an enabler in employee engagement, but it is not the end game. Human connection and personal touch remain equally crucial in motivating employees and making them feel appreciated. That can go a long way when it comes to increasing engagement levels.
Companies that are successful in leveraging technology to curate personalised employee experiences, as well as maintaining strong human connections in the workplace that drive collaboration, nurture healthy working relationships, and promote knowledge-sharing will be the companies that are most successful in retaining a robust talent pool that is highly engaged.
About the Author
Juliane Sterzl is SVP EMEA at CoachHub. CoachHub is the leading global talent development platform that enables organizations to create a personalized, measurable and scalable coaching program for the entire workforce, regardless of department and seniority level. By doing so, organizations are able to reap a multitude of benefits, including increased employee engagement, higher levels of productivity, improved job performance and increased retention.
Featured image: ©BullRun
