Employee Engagement in the Digital Era: Insights from Industry Leaders
The rise of remote work has fundamentally changed the way businesses operate. While it offers flexibility and a wider talent pool, it also presents challenges in building a strong company culture, effective communication, and a supportive tech infrastructure.
This blog post is an extract of wisdom from industry leaders at the Intranet Reloaded conference, featured on the “Brewing Engagement” podcast.
Prioritizing Employee Experience
Ruth Neighbors, Senior Director of Strategy at Social Edge Consulting, emphasizes prioritizing employee experience. Drawing from her extensive experience spanning two decades, Ruth elucidates the critical role of modern intranets in facilitating seamless collaboration and engagement, especially in remote settings.
Empowerment through Technology: Ruth underscores that modern intranets and digital tools are essential to empower employees, regardless of their physical location. Modern intranets like PeopleOne offer many features designed to cultivate a culture of connectivity and collaborative environment, thereby enhancing employee experience.
Cultivating Communities of Practice: Ruth advocates for the creation of online communities that mirror real-world interactions. By facilitating knowledge sharing, digital workplaces can serve as catalysts for innovation and collaboration, driving organizational success.
Leadership by Example: Ruth highlights the role of leadership in cultivating a culture of engagement. By participating in online discussions and communications, leaders can inspire employees to embrace digital collaboration tools, thereby enriching the employee experience. A study by the State of Business Communication found 60% of business leaders believe effective communication with leaders increases employee confidence.
Empowering Employees through Flexibility and Engagement
Christophe Garnier, Co-founder, and CEO of Upflex underscores the importance of prioritizing employee happiness and well-being to drive organizational efficiency and growth.
Flexibility as a Cornerstone: Christophe emphasizes the need for organizations to prioritize flexibility, enabling employees to achieve work-life balance and encouraging a conducive environment for collaboration and connection. Deloitte findings indicate 94% of respondents see benefits in work flexibility, citing reduced stress, improved mental health, and enhanced work-life balance as top gains.
Listening to Employee Needs: Christophe stresses the need for a culture of active listening, where organizations solicit employee feedback and tailor engagement initiatives to meet employee needs and preferences. Gitnux research shows that active listening boosts collaboration by 25%, reduces misunderstandings by 40%, and lifts employee satisfaction by 16%.
Driving Engagement through Effective Management Practices
Andrea Derler, Principal of Research and Value at Visier, sheds light on the pivotal role of managers in driving employee engagement and organizational success.
Valuing Employee Contributions: Andrea emphasizes the importance of recognizing and valuing employee contributions, both through tangible rewards and meaningful feedback.
Effective Communication: Andrea underlines that transparent communication and active listening builds a culture of trust and engagement. Clear communication from managers builds strong teams and drives success. According to a survey by Gitnux, 91% of employees believe that clear communication impacts the success of their projects and tasks.
Cultivating a Sense of Belonging and Inclusion
Lauren Espin, Head of DEI Communications Programs at Siemens USA, emphasizes the intrinsic link between Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEI&B) initiatives and employee engagement.
Creating a Culture of Belonging: Lauren highlights the importance of creating a culture where every employee feels valued, seen, and belonged. Organizations can enhance employee morale and engagement by championing a diverse and inclusive work environment. SurveyMonkey states that 78% of the workforce desire to work for a company focusing on DEI.
Consistency and Commitment: Lauren stresses the importance of consistency in messaging and values, reinforcing the organization’s commitment to fostering a culture of belonging and equity.
Embracing Digital Transformation for Enhanced Employee Experience
Tricia Burke, VP of Infrastructure and Operations at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, shares insights into her organization’s journey towards embracing digital transformation and enhancing employee engagement.
Leveraging Technology for Efficiency: Tricia highlights the transformative impact of migrating to cloud-based platforms and leveraging SaaS technology to streamline processes and enhance collaboration.
User-Centric Design: Tricia mentions it is important to prioritize user experience and creating intuitive digital workplaces that serve as centralized hubs for information and communication.
Wrapping Up: Empowering Employees for Success
Empowering employees is paramount for organizational success. As we navigate the complexities of the modern workplace, let us heed the insights shared by these industry leaders and embark on a journey toward unlocking the full potential of our workforce.
PeopleOne – a modern intranet enhances workplace connectivity through improved horizontal (across co-workers) and vertical communication (across leadership). PeopleOne strengthens company culture with community features, facilitates peer recognition via the Kudos module, and provides platforms for employees to voice their opinions, ensuring everyone feels valued and heard.
To learn more employee engagement strategies and learn how modern intranets can reimagine the digital workplace, request a demo and learn more about PeopleOne.
