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HR Technology: Set the Tone for Your Employee Experience

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Image: Prostock-studio - Alamy Stock Photo
Company culture can make or break the employee experience, but HR tools and technologies can also play a major role. The chief people officer at Deputy, a workforce management and shift scheduling platform, recently explained how HR technology can simplify the onboarding process and improve the employee experience overall.
 
Workspace Connect interviewed Jodi Garg of Deputy to discuss the role of HR technology in helping employees perform their jobs more effectively. Garg also explained how technology is aiding the human experience and how self-service tools are becoming the preferred choice to enhance the user and employee experience. Finally, she discussed what HR departments could do to help retain employees.
 
Responses have been edited for conciseness and clarity.
 
How can HR technology improve onboarding processes and help prospective employees understand what experience to expect in the workplace?
 
JG: HR technology can simplify the onboarding process and improve the overall employee experience. Onboarding should set the tone for new hires as they begin their journey at a new workplace; a smooth transition indicates a coherent company culture. With the right technological tools in place, tasks like scheduling, timesheets, payroll, and employee communications can all be managed efficiently from day one—a win-win for employees and people managers alike—decreasing time to productivity.
 
How do HR technology tools such as shift scheduling platforms help employees perform their jobs more effectively?
 
JG: A shift scheduling platform helps employees plan ahead and stay organized. Scheduling software allows employees to take control of their schedules by managing their availability, swapping shifts, and tracking hours worked in one centralized location. When the scheduling process is flexible, seamless, and error-free, shift workers are more likely to remain engaged and perform their best. Furthermore, when employees have control over their schedules, they’re less likely to experience high-stress levels.
 
How do human resource management (HRM) tools like social collaboration (i.e., tools that employees use to communicate and collaborate with one another) or contingent worker information systems equip employees to feel empowered while also providing enhanced usability for HR departments and employees?
 
JG: According to Deputy’s 2022 State of Shift Work report, over 50% of shift workers in the U.S. want more focus on employee well-being. Social collaboration tools play a key role in promoting engagement in the workplace by eliminating communication barriers and ensuring everyone is on the same page.
 
By enabling employees to stay connected and communicate effectively with one another, HRM tools foster a sense of belonging and trust. For instance, Deputy has an in-app feature that ensures employees receive critical messages, company policies, and video announcements. In a world that increasingly relies on digital interactions, such tools make it possible that team members don’t have to physically work at the same time or location to achieve business goals as a unified team.
 
How do employee self-service systems reduce errors in HR systems? What kind of user experience features provide a high degree of accuracy while also ensuring a positive user experience?
 
JG: Human error happens to everyone, in and outside the workplace. Technology continues to improve the human experience, and self-service tools are increasingly becoming the preferred choice to enhance user and employee experience. When tracking things like payroll, benefits, and compliance, mistakes are bound to happen if these tasks are tracked manually or by third parties.
 
Employee self-service systems ease these problems with sophisticated technology that gets the information straight from the source [i.e., the employee]. A well-designed user experience will walk users through the necessary steps to ensure it sets up the user for success. Customers feel supported and comfortable using the product when the user experience is informative, engaging, and interactive.
 
What can HR departments do to retain employees?
JG: Employees want to feel valued and recognized. Purpose-driven work, meaningful manager relationships, career development, and growth go a long way regarding staff retention. Leaders and people teams should listen to feedback to address the needs of employees across the organization. Every team has different needs. Listening to learn is key in helping HR departments create a safe space that empowers employees to ask for the support they need.