Every business has to ensure its employees are engaged and motivated. Low engagement levels mean the person isn’t motivated by the job. The lower the motivation, the less productive the person can be. The good news is that there is a way out of this – companies can improve employee engagement with technology.

What does employee engagement mean?

Before venturing into how companies can improve employee engagement, it’s a good idea to spend a moment to understand what employee engagement is about. When employees are engaged it means they are invested emotionally in the organization. They don’t just work for your company; they are actively hoping it succeeds. The employees understand your mission and, more importantly, they believe in this mission.

Engaged employees are not just worried about the size of the next paycheck. This is important because it means they’re productivity doesn’t just lay in the compensation. The employee, of course, wants to receive a fair compensation but they understand that in order to do that the company must succeed.

If you have an engaged workforce, everyone will be working towards a common goal. They feel part of the community – supporting each other along the way.

5 ways to improve employee engagement with technology 

Now, engaged workplaces don’t just pop up. The company has to put some effort into improving and maintaining employee engagement and one of the best ways to do this is with the help of technology.

Here are the five ways technology can help improve employee engagement.

Creating more opportunities for collaboration

With technology, you can encourage more collaboration within the workforce. Technology offers tools that facilitate co-working, which in turn will create relationships that are more meaningful, and help people feel part of a community.

Not only are digital technologies and software solutions able to increase communication, they can also create a more flexible environment for working. In the old days, you had to be in the same office space at the same time to collaborate or you risked wasting time going back and forth with e-mails. Nowadays, you can use technology to get a team working no matter where they are in the world. It has been proven how flexible work conditions actually improve employee satisfaction and happiness.

Allowing more transparency

Employees who are kept in the dark of important human resource question won’t feel closely associated with the organization. Secrecy doesn’t promote healthy relationships and engagement – the solution is to ensure the workplace is as transparent as possible.

The good news is that human resource software can improve workplace transparency in an instant. Cloud-based solutions allow both managers and employees access and manage information – employee monitoring is not only easier but it means it isn’t just done by the manager. There are plenty of options that improve transparency for payroll management to performance reviews. These can be a powerful tool to add to your digital solutions and they will improve employee engagement as a side effect.

Educating employees with mobile learning

Technology should also be used to train your employees. It’s easier to be engaged at work if you know what you are doing – inadequate training and onboarding can quickly hinder motivation and mean the employee is not as productive as they could be. But training employees can be difficult without technology. It used to also cost quite a bit of money to keep the workforce trained.

However, digital solutions allow you to opt for mobile training solutions. These allow the employee to train outside of the workplace at a time that suits them the best. The content can often be easily personalized, ensuring the employee doesn’t have to spend time on things they are already capable of doing.

Providing more feedback

It’s hard to feel connected with your work if you don’t know how well you are doing. A big part of ensuring employees are engaged is to help them understand the importance and value of the work they do. Providing feedback can do this instantly and with the help of technology, it isn’t difficult.

There are plenty of solutions available that allow your employees to monitor their own performance. In certain roles, customer feedback can also help and software can allow you to direct relevant feedback to the right sources.

Motivating employees with gamification

Of course, technology can also play a role in boosting motivation in general. Studies have shown gamification to be a good way to motivate people. This means adding a gaming element to things they do from learning to creating new habits like exercising regularly. This same tactic can also work in the workplace and improve employee engagement.

It’s a good idea to opt for digital technologies that allow gamification. These can range from reaching daily milestones to training new employees. Gamification will help people improve their skills and feel more connected with their co-workers.

An engaged workforce is a productive and happy workforce

The above solutions are cost-effective ways to improve employee engagement. You definitely want to try them because they have the power to improve your productivity and help your employees feel more connected with your mission. The happier your employees will be, the more your company will benefit from it.