Technology Plays a Part In the Employee Experience
I’ve heard the comment many times that technology is just a tool. By definition, a tool is a device used to carry out a particular function. That totally makes sense. We use our tech to communicate, make purchases, learn new things, etc. So, technology is a tool.
But I also can’t help but wonder if it’s more than that because not having technology can be a disadvantage. For example, I was chatting with some talent acquisition professionals recently and we got on the topic of recruiting technology. One person at the table said that her company didn’t have an applicant tracking system (ATS). She felt that not having this piece of tech was really holding back their effort to attract the best talent.
Does that mean there could be a point where a tool is so important that it becomes more than a tool? And is technology in that place? It might be time for organizations to start asking some questions:
- Does not having recruiting technology mean we face a disadvantage when it comes to hiring the best talent?
- Is not having a performance management system mean we’re incapable of being high-performance?
- How does not having a learning management system impact our ability to develop their future workforce?
You get my point. People have too many excellent tech experiences in their personal lives that they expect technology in their professional lives. Organizations can’t afford not to invest in their technology. It’s a necessary component of the candidate and employee experience.
As someone who remembers working with a typewriter, I can’t imagine doing it today. I mean seriously, could you imagine working for a company without word processing software?! And as more technologies become an essential part of our lives, it will only create more pressure on businesses to add tech. On a personal note, I will freely admit that it took us a long time to get rid of our landline and now that a few months have passed, I wonder what took me so long.
That being said, tech isn’t always cheap – even when it provides a return on investment. Organizations should be thinking now about their technology adoption strategy. Start getting the budget in place and getting employees ready for the transition. Adding technology isn’t about reducing headcount. It’s about building an employee experience that aligns with capabilities that employees can experience outside of work.
Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby while exploring the streets of Fort Lauderdale, FL
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