Attract Employees To The Office Through Employee Experiences
The world, and businesses alike are still slowly returning to routine normalcy, if it can even be called that, in this post pandemic state of affairs. Regardless of how organizations are working; remotely, back in the office full time, or a combination of the two in a hybrid schedule, HR professionals know that employee connection has become an urgent matter. Retaining top talent is critical to an organization’s growth and success. Therefore, creating an experience that entices your staff to appreciate the workplace and make it a worthwhile day is imperative.
Create an Authentic Employee Experience
Post Pandemic conditions have staff members still on edge, which has created a focus on the employee’s well-being. Mental health check ins, and balancing work life with personal life have become significant for workers. Thus, employers are taking the time to prioritize that the employee’s experience is as authentic, engaging, and supportive as possible.
Companies have shifted their efforts to provide the necessary tools that their workforce needs to complete their daily tasks. This includes how employees communicate and collaborate with their colleagues and customers remotely, over various locations. Each employee needs the proper digital tools in place to connect accordingly.
A workplace app can provide all the tools and systems employees need daily under one unified, branded platform. This app can allow an employee to quickly access the information they need, reducing wasted time and the hindrance of logging into multiple systems.
Key features include:
- Collaborating in-person and virtually with colleagues through neighborhoods and virtual or in-person meetings
- Booking meeting rooms and desk space
- Navigating a redesigned office with wayfinding
- Accessing office entry and services with a digital ID on their phone or smart watch
- Accessing personal information like payroll, vacation time, and training
- Tracking goals progress
- Creating IT and/or facilities tickets
- Submitting expense reports
- Organizing travel arrangements
- Arranging their commute through transit and parking
- Scheduling gym classes
- Ordering food
Jim Cichanski, founder and chief human resource officer of Flex HR, says, “The return to normalcy in the workplace has been anything but typical, with some companies opting to close their offices entirely and others requiring employees to return to the facility, while a third hybrid approach presents unique challenges due to its many variables, such as shared spaces and reduced office sizes, making it more important than ever to use workplace apps to help manage workflow and scheduling demands. It’s crucial to provide comprehensive training to employees to ensure they have access to these essential tools and technology.”
The features of such apps allow employees to personalize their experience based on their job, physical location, and personal preferences. Workplace platform usage often leads to increased engagement, loyalty, happier, and more productive employees.
Create A Social and Fun Workplace Environment
Make the workplace more appealing and enjoyable by also offering social events, treasure hunts, professional knowledge games, in-app discounts, photo sharing, or even free office lunches. Companies can expect increased commitment and productivity by providing all the tools and systems employees need daily under one unified, branded app.
Workplace apps can also be used for employees to interact socially, in-person or virtually. For example, companies can employ gamification to incentivize people — and create FOMO — to come to the office more often, engage with colleagues from across the building and the world, and make the app fun and interactive.
Creating a work environment for employees to interact in a social environment, helps to generate a thriving workplace culture. In our recent article Creating a Better Company Culture, Jenny Morehead, CEO of Flex HR, states that it’s important for “people to experience joy in their work. Otherwise, what is it all for? I think enough companies have caught on to the fact that employees can find nice places to work now with good work-life balance and with people who care, and if you are not one of those companies, you’re falling behind.”
Ultimately, as we move toward a new era of work, companies that prioritize the employee experience will undoubtedly have a competitive advantage. One key component of this capability will be how organizations incorporate workplace platforms into their staff’s work setting.
Contact Flex HR today to ensure your Human Resources are in the right hands.