Why digital maturity is integral to the employee experience

A great employee experience isn’t just a ‘nice to have’, it’s essential in the war for talent and contributes to the bottom line. Employees want self-service tools, a consistent user experience and a smooth, frictionless way to interact with their managers and colleagues. On top of that, accurate, timely and clear payroll is a must.

A personalised experience makes them feel valued; this includes tailored L&D and rewards (not necessarily monetary) and improved work-life harmony. Yet in a recent survey, we found that 46% of employees in the UK are only moderately satisfied when it comes to the digital HR tools.

Whilst digital transformation undoubtedly boosts motivation and loyalty, some organisations are lagging behind in their digital maturity. Our research has found that a year from now, about 6 in 10 European companies will have implemented new projects to improve the customer experience. About half of companies will have done the same for digital transformation and HR process automation.

The pandemic has accelerated the need for contactless and automated processes that are accessible, intuitive and require minimal manual interventions. Diverse and dispersed teams are expected to collaborate and communicate remotely, and it is HR’s responsibility to procure suitable resources.

When it comes to current solutions available to UK employees, only 19-25% can confidently state that they are able to find answers to their HR questions instantly through digital solutions. This involves sourcing answers to topics such as annual leave, sick leave, expenses and pay slips in a completely digital way. The survey also found that an average of 47.6% of UK employees find the best way to do such activities is through a fixed device, such as a desktop or laptop.

In a recent online European study, the majority of polled organisations have projects in place or plan to launch projects within the next 12 months to tackle HR process automation (51.2%) or digital transformation (51.7%). Many employers are counting on third parties to help them boost their digital maturity levels. There are multiple touchpoints where HR can surprise and delight, starting at the very first encounter. By looking at three HR domains, we can demonstrate the opportunities digital presents:

Fully automated, robotic and integrated systems ensure global payroll accuracy and compliance, however complex. This improves the experience for employees and motivates in-life HR teams who can focus on strategic projects rather than administration and rectifying mistakes. It also facilitates personalised payroll. Fully outsourcing to a people solutions partner accelerates digital maturity, yet still allows companies to handle certain tasks in-house such as employee well-being.

Digital maturity is reached through diagnostic, prescriptive and predictive capability. HR leaders report that the frequency of requests from the C-suite for accurate people data increased dramatically throughout the pandemic. A modern solution integrates valuable data from Payroll & HR to reveal the true value of your workforce. Aligning skills and aspirations to business objectives enables talent development, helping employees be the best version of themselves. Without the right analytical tools/reports, you’re relying on guesswork.

A cloud-based Payroll & HR system lets employees self-serve from anywhere and facilitates tasks such as remote clocking in, online expenses processing and remote document management. Digital assistants guide employees through HR tasks during the lifecycle. For Payroll & HR teams, this negates manually keying (and rekeying) data, grappling with legislation and answering queries. Facilitating ‘power to the people’ can result in reduced absenteeism, improved time-to-value and loyalty.

Finally, digital tools can nurture continual dialogue with workers to listen and act upon their feedback, concerns and goals. Employee engagement surveys created by professional providers will pinpoint your current situation and where you could aspire to be in terms of employee experience.

It is widely recognised that people are more productive and loyal when they feel valued. Cloud and mobile technology are opening up HR innovation across new touchpoints; the most successful strategies are those that serve employees (including in-life HR) whilst boosting business growth.

Digital transformation is not an overnight process and digital maturity varies across organisations. However, it is essential in the ‘never normal’ to embrace initiatives such as remote collaboration, automated personalised payroll and smart talent management. Modern Payroll & HR solutions engage employees in ways that are not possible with legacy systems. By investing in automated, integrated and intuitive solutions, you will look after your best asset and bottom line through people-focused rewards and performance management.

A credible people solutions partner can guide you through technological investment, optimising sustainability, implementation and user experience. Your digital maturity will grow, along with your employer brand.