One tech expert says employees are crying out for modern systems which mirror the online experiences they have at home.
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Employers are often worried about how their workforce will keep up with rapidly evolving technology but could their concerns be overshadowing a different issue? According to one industry expert, many employees are actually frustrated by their own company’s outdated tech.
“People find it absurd that outside of work they’re using Facebook and LinkedIn and they’re buying stuff of Amazon and eBay but inside of the organisation they have to fill in a paper form to request a holiday,” says Adam Hale, CEO of cloud software firm Fairsail. “People think it’s ridiculous and Dickensian.”
While tech developments will undoubtedly threaten jobs and make some employees uncomfortable, Hale says the vast majority of staff are embracing technology in their personal lives and now expect to see effective and user-friendly systems in the workplace.
“Yes, people want support from their employer to help them adapt but honestly I see a bigger demand from people who say tech has to work in the same way stuff outside works,” says Hale.
“We see this massive demand from people who are fed up with this manual crap and want something which has the same quality of experience they get in their personal life.”
Hale admits that very few employees will choose to join or leave an organisation because of its poor HR system but he says it certainly doesn’t help and can have a significant impact on how professional an employee perceives their company to be on the inside.
“You look form the outside at these incredible companies, unbelievable companies, real sophistication and yet you lift the covers and they’ve got all their people on a spreadsheet, some of them still provide paper pay slips,” says Hale.
“Companies need to start thinking about the workforce experience in the same way they think about the customer experience,” he continues. “You really need to be working hard on that frictionless user experience.”
