Outdated Digital Tools and Technology are a Key Factor in the Great Reshuffle

• Recent research from Adobe found that one-third of employees surveyed felt that they were held back by managers who were using outdated technology or who struggled to use modern collaboration tools.  
• Implementing the right tools and technology will allow companies to have successful business outcomes and retain employees in the new world of work. 
• In a Q&A with Marc Gingras, SVP of Employee Experience Strategy at WorkForce Software, he explained why modern technology is essential for the success of the modern workforce. 

Organizations are still facing a war on talent amidst the Great Reshuffle. In order to retain valuable talent, companies need to recognize and meet their needs.  

Recent research from Adobe found that one-third of employees surveyed felt that they were held back by managers who were using outdated technology or who struggled to use modern collaboration tools. 

Even more, 72% of employees and 88% of managers said that access to modern digital tools is a key factor when evaluating new jobs. In the past, business leaders have primarily focused on providing tools for office and desk workers, leaving deskless workers – who make up nearly 80% of the global workforce – with inefficient technology solutions, or even manual, paper-based processes to get their daily tasks done.  

The lack of HR technology for deskless workers has created a huge gap. This missed opportunity creates challenges for employers when communicating with, planning for, and managing a large set of their workforce. 

In a Q&A with Marc Gingras, SVP of Employee Experience Strategy at WorkForce Software, he explained why modern technology is essential for the success of the modern workforce.  

Allwork.Space: How can tech bridge the employee and employer experience gap? 

Marc Gingras: There is a disparity between the workplace experiences that employers believe they are providing and the experiences that employees perceive they are having. Technology is a critical component when it comes to making sure employers are aligned with the wants and needs of their employees.  

With hybrid work on the rise, more companies need to make appropriate investments in technology that leverages data to make it easier to detect when there is a potential problem, capture employee feedback frequently and enable managers to take action in the moment.  

This will not only have a significant impact on employees’ experience, showing them that they are valued and cared for, and their needs are being met – this will increase morale and ultimately productivity in all areas of a business.  

Almost every aspect of an employees’ experience is managed somehow with the help of technology, from virtual break-out rooms to health declarations. 

Implementing the right tools and technology will allow companies to have successful business outcomes and retain employees in the new world of work, as well as allow employees to work more efficiently by providing real-time communication, accessibility to information (policy updates, guidelines, training materials, etc.) remote engagement and performance management. 

Allwork.Space: Why are consumer-grade tools that incorporate scheduling and task-based pay rules so critical for companies managing deskless workers? 

Marc Gingras: When you have a company with thousands of deskless workers, it’s necessary to incorporate automation for efficiency and compliance when building schedules. It’s not only about the number of employees on the clock for a set shift, but also about their skills and roles.  

If you’re a factory plant manager, do you have the line workers you need and enough engineers to oversee operations? How can you make sure you aren’t scheduling one employee for too much overtime, and not giving another any shifts?  

That’s where workforce management solutions come in – they make these processes more efficient and effective for HR teams and employees. With fatigue management solutions and machine learning-powered demand forecasting capabilities built in, these consumer-grade tools can help with scheduling based on need, availability and skills, all while taking into consideration employees’ PTO requests, labor laws and other external factors. 

Compliance laws can also differ by region or union and collective bargaining agreements/rules and remaining compliant is critical to avoid penalty. With regulations shifting suddenly – like new regulations for hazard pay coming as the result of COVID – it provides challenges for businesses.  

With modern solutions and automation, companies can adapt to meet the requirements of new labor laws as they are passed, helping organizations stay compliant with changes as they are implemented. With more data and powerful algorithms from consumer-grade tools, companies can proactively identify issues and implement actions to avoid business impacts. 

Allwork.Space: How are companies evolving to support multiple workforces within the workforce? 

Marc Gingras: Companies’ investments in engaging, user-friendly and smart workforce management systems have played a large role in helping employers support the multiple workforces within their workforce as these solutions have a significant impact on improving interactive communications that are easy to use and accessible for all employees.  

These modern systems enable communications that help reach to all employees, using data to power employee-employer interactions, digital assistants to streamline and automate work, gather immediate feedback from employees in the process of working and allowing business leaders to gain access to and share relevant updates that may be helpful in employees’ development and success within their roles.  

According to a 2021 survey produced by WorkForce Software and co-sponsored by SAPinsider, IBM and eightfold.ai, 59% of respondents are investing in technology to improve worker productivity and nearly 50% of the respondents are adding or improving employee feedback/surveys to be able to better react in the moment and increase employee satisfaction.  

However, even though there is a great need for software solutions, just over one-third (35%) of respondents are currently using or implementing workforce management solutions, and over half are either planning to implement WFM in the next 24 months or are aware of the need for this type of technology.  

By giving all workers access to workforce management technology and tools, employers are able to have a direct positive impact on employees’ day-to-day work experience, create a more connected workplace experience, see a boost in employee satisfaction and productivity, overall company culture, business outcomes and gain a competitive edge.