We’ve all seen the stats. We’ve read the articles. Many employers have even seen the phenomenon firsthand. Employee engagement took a major hit in 2023, and 2024 isn’t looking very rosy either.
According to a recent report from wellness portal provider MediKeeper, employee burnout, persistent concerns surrounding remote and hybrid work, and the still uncertain role of AI in the workplace, all loom large on the horizon and will be key concerns for employers to address in the year ahead.
To counter this, savvy employers – and the HR pros who support them – understand that clear policies, consistent enforcement, and effective communication can help dramatically improve employee engagement. In the case of work-from-home policies, for example, ensuring each worker understands the communication and collaboration expectations with managers and peers can alleviate stress and reduce frustrations. This, in turn, helps to reduce attrition and minimize burnout caused by employees needing to take up the slack of departed colleagues.
To accomplish this at scale, the knee-jerk reaction often requires acquiring more technology. However, constantly adding new tech tools can often do more harm than good.
Over the past several years, the number of HR applications deployed within a company has steadily increased. Sapient Insights Group has been tracking this number through their annual systems survey report, and between the years of 2019 and 2021, the average organization went from deploying 8.85 HR solutions to 16.24 solutions. This near doubling of the number of applications will surely increase as AI technology finds new inroads and use cases.
At this pace, systems designed to “lighten the load” for already overworked HR teams can actually create more work.
Unlike some business applications, HR systems are typically not of the “install it once, use it forever” variety. Creating new policies and procedures, an evolving regulatory landscape, and shifting business and operational needs often require HR systems to evolve just to keep pace continually.
Failing to adequately maintain these systems often forces employers to address the situation by:
- developing manual workarounds (which increases inefficiency),
- adding even more technology to close the gaps (which just digs the hole deeper), or
- adopting a “rip-and-replace” approach, blaming the existing tech for shortcomings that are really rooted elsewhere (which triggers another lengthy implementation timetable and forces employees to learn yet another system.)
Sometimes, pursuing technological perfection isn’t about finding the next shiny tool but optimizing what’s already in place.
Since its inception, Covalence Consulting has helped dozens of employers – and tens of thousands of employees – streamline operations and improve outcomes simply by fine-tuning the systems they already have in place today. A simple annual audit to identify gaps, an updating of their HR platform to close those gaps, and collaborating with HR pros and other end-users to ensure the system meets current needs is a time- and cost-effective way to maximize efficiency and minimize frustration.
More importantly, it often frees up the HR team to focus on what they do best: spending more time with employees, managers, and fellow business leaders to fully address the non-technology aspects of effectively leading high-performance teams.
Ultimately, achieving harmony between tech and tradition is an ongoing process. It requires continuous assessment of technological tools, regular employee feedback, and a commitment to refining policies and practices based on evolving needs. By taking this holistic approach, employers can create an environment where employees are not just efficient workers but active contributors to the organization’s success.
It’s time to view technology not as a standalone solution but as a tool that, when aligned with the foundational principles of clear communication, consistent policies, and optimized processes, can create a workplace that not only responds to changing employee needs but actively anticipates them as well.
For more information on how Covalence Consulting can help you keep pace with change, click here, and we’ll get a call on the books ASAP.