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Many organisations now have a greater awareness of the importance of employee wellbeing to the workplace, which is good news for both employer and employee. Happy, healthy employees are engaged, productive, and more likely to contribute positively to the success of their organisation.
Improvements to HR management software, from its origins as a basic record keeping system, have seen it evolve into a valuable business tool. By streamlining processes and providing data-driven insights, software can contribute to building a workplace that prioritises the health of its workforce, helping to support employee wellbeing.
In the workplace, there is a significant reliance on technology and HR departments are no exception. Technology can play an important role in shaping the employee experience and is commonly used to simplify recruitment, onboarding, training, performance management, and more. Yet despite the potential benefits of using HR software, an improved employee experience is not always guaranteed.
Investing in technology to automate administrative tasks, manage employee data, and enhance the employee experience comes with some pitfalls and here we consider some of the more common ones.
Over-reliance on automation
HR processes that were once performed by people are now automated, from screening CVs to performance evaluations. The dehumanisation of the HR process is being noticed by employees. When interacting with machines alone and receiving generic automated messages, they can feel that their concerns are not taken seriously or are being addressed.
Lack of personalisation
HR technology often lacks personalisation and employees receive the same messages, notifications, and training regardless of their individual needs or preferences. These types of communications are easily spotted by employees and, if not carefully constructed, can lead to a lack of engagement and motivation. Employees can feel that they are not valued as individuals, which in turn can lead to disengagement and high staff turnover.
Inflexibility
Many HR systems handle only specific types of data or process, and this can be problematic when organisations need to adapt. During the pandemic, many organisations had to rapidly change to remote work. If the technology was not capable of supporting this move; for example, a lack of employee self-service or process automation tools, HR struggled to support employees to complete even the most basic of transactions.
Why Getting HR Technology Right Matters
Decision makers may acknowledge the shortcomings of their current HR systems, but not take remedial action. In doing so, they risk escalating employee frustration in ways that are detrimental to the organisation. A few considerations:
Job Burnout – With 24/7 technology, employees can feel the need to be constantly connected and responsive outside of normal working hours. This can damage the work-life balance and ultimately lead to burnout.
Lower job satisfaction – When employees are frustrated with technology, they are less likely to be satisfied with their jobs overall. Where they have job satisfaction, they are more likely to stay long-term, saving on the cost and upheaval associated with losing staff.
Reduced innovation – When employees are disengaged and frustrated, they are less likely to be productive or innovative in their thinking. Furthermore, where employees are consumed by routine administration, which could be easily automated, they may not have the time or energy for innovation or creativity.
In conclusion, all technology has the potential to revolutionise the way we work but can also hinder the employee experience. When employees feel they are interacting with a machine rather than a person, they can become disengaged and frustrated. This can lead to reduced engagement, increased turnover, lower job satisfaction, and reduced innovation. To mitigate the negative impact of HR technology on employee experience, organisations should strive to find a balance between automation and human interaction, personalise the employee experience, embrace flexibility, and focus on the user experience.
Frontier Software has been delivering software solutions to support HR Professionals for over 40 years. Software with highly configurable automation tools ensure personalised employee interactions create the right balance for your organisation and your people. Real-time data is readily available at your fingertips for accurate and informed decision making.
More Information:
Contact Frontier Software on 01276 456902, email sales@frontiersoftware.com or visit our website www.frontiersoftware.com.