For “Stranger Things” fans, sometimes the real world can feel like the Upside Down. The pandemic, the Great Resignation, the recession, and all the buzz around “quiet quitting” has put the hiring market in uncharted territory. No matter your industry, company size, or business type, hiring and retaining good employees continues to be a challenge.
One way a business can differentiate itself from the competition—besides free snacks, ping pong tables, and a flexible schedule—is to provide technology that makes employees’ jobs easier and more efficient.
Today’s best and brightest don’t want to work with inefficient, outdated systems. Companies looking to improve their employee recruiting and retention numbers can look in two key areas to determine if they are offering an attractive work environment for people on the hunt for a new opportunity.
Intuitive Design for Everyday Tools
Thoughtful, well-designed UX (user experience) and UI (user interface) for software applications is more important than ever. This is true especially for digital natives who are entering the workforce expecting tools that are easy to navigate and use.
Everything from text color to page layout to process workflow needs to be uncomplicated, efficient, and easy to learn. It’s a good idea for companies to take stock of the tools they are asking their employees to use on a daily basis and determine if they are making tasks overly complicated and burdensome. If so, it may be time to start shopping.
Transparency & Doing Work that Makes a Difference
Employees, especially those under age 40, want to know how their work ties into a company’s overall mission and goals. They don’t want to be another cog in the wheel. They want their work to matter. According to a Gallup poll, employee productivity increases by more than 50% when managers help their reports align their own goals with those of the organization.
Tools that enable employees to see how their day-to-day activities roll up into primary organizational goals will help them see how exactly their work contributes. Visibility into the bigger picture and the ability to tie short-term goals into overarching strategies and vision can help employees feel plugged in and valued, increase their productivity, and improve performance.
There is no silver bullet solution to surviving this difficult time of change and economic uncertainty. But making sure people on the job market and your most valued employees have the tools they need to do their jobs well is a great place to invest time and money. Nobody wants to come to an office operating in the dark ages, and companies willing to accommodate the needs of the newest workforce generation may find themselves with a leg up while we wait for the world to right itself.
