Balancing Technology and the Human Touch in Employee Engagement

Companies are taking employee engagement very seriously because it is one of the ways of retaining talent, increasing productivity, and making more profits. However, managing that right balance for the use of technology to help facilitate interaction with the user and to maintain meaningful human connection is tricky. In this article, we will look at the best practices of integrating digital tools while still keeping in mind the in-person relationship and interaction between leadership, managers, and staff.

Defining Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is the degree to which workers are enthusiastic, dedicated, and committed to their work and organizations. Employees who are engaged with the success of the company are interested in the success of the company, solve problems on their own, come up with new ideas, and often do things “above and beyond.” They are emotionally attached and willing to put in discretionary effort.

This may also indicate that disengaged employees are putting in time, not being passionate or creative, while organizations utilizing managed application services can provide the tools that help employees stay focused and productive. Negativity can be spread by actively disengaged workers. There is a strong correlation between low engagement and higher turnover, absenteeism, productivity, customer satisfaction, safety, and profits.

The Importance of Employee Engagement

With today’s tight labor market and the costs of repeatedly hiring and training new workers, engaging employees has become a necessity. Gallup estimates that actively disengaged employees cost the U.S. $450 billion to $500 billion per year in lost productivity. Highly engaged business units see 21% greater profitability.

Beyond performance metrics, engagement strategies that demonstrate genuine care and concern for personnel as human beings positively impact company culture, team cohesion, and employee well-being. This further motivates staff and attracts top talent.

Current State of Employee Engagement

Employee engagement remains lackluster at many organizations. Gallup’s most recent report showed only 32% of U.S. workers as engaged, compared to 50% who are not engaged and 18% actively disengaged. These percentages have barely budged over the past decade.

While executives rank engagement as a high priority, leaders often fail to regularly and effectively address driving factors like clear communication around strategy and priorities, collaborative goal-setting, professional development paths, autonomy and empowerment, work-life balance, and showing appreciation.

The Rise of Tech-Driven Employee Engagement

With engagement stagnant, many human resources departments have turned to technology platforms to stimulate participation, simplify processes, compile data, identify problem areas, and deliver solutions at scale. The latest tools feature pulse surveys, peer recognition programs, productivity trackers, goal-setting software, learning management systems, and communication apps.

Advocates argue that automated, app-based engagement initiatives increase reach, provide objective analytics, save managerial time, offer flexibility to remote staff, appeal to digitally inclined younger generations, and have shown positive ROI at leading tech firms.

Risks of Over-Reliance on Technology

However, critics contend that an overemphasis on technology in engagement strategies can undermine the human aspects so vital for genuine worker dedication and fulfillment. They warn that digital communication and surveys often feel impersonal and tone-deaf. Workplace culture suffers without in-person social connections and emotional intelligence from leadership.

70% of employees say they do not have a strong relationship with their manager. Weak relationships drive over half of voluntary turnover. 49% of workers who quit cite a lack of appreciation as key. Feeling cared for as a person requires human interaction.

Likewise, relying on apps and algorithms to set goals and monitor progress tends to feel imposed rather than participatory. Employees intrinsically motivate themselves when they have autonomy in shaping objectives aligned to their interests and strengths.

Finally, using technology to overly standardize, quantify, and gamify engagement programs often backfires. Employees resent being treated as data points instead of multi-dimensional individuals.

Balancing Tech and Human Touch

Forward-thinking companies realize the most successful employee engagement strategies artfully combine technology and human interaction to capitalize on the assets of both. Bersin research found that the highest engagement levels result when efficient tech tools facilitate more meaningful interpersonal relationships and conversations.

Leadership sets the tone for balancing automation and authenticity. Managers should champion technology aids while still prioritizing face-to-face communication, active listening, empathy, trust-building, and recognition. Rather than hand engagement over to HR platforms, they must remain transparently involved.

Likewise, digital surveys, goal trackers, enterprise social networks, and project management systems should aim to connect co-workers, not isolate them. They can free up time for richer discussion by streamlining logistics. But technology should empower teams, not manage them.

Physical spaces also impact this balance. Remote work gives them flexibility, but the office arrangement has to encourage in-person collaboration. Shared meals, creative brainstorming sessions, water cooler chats, and informal lounges – none of this lives up to the team that is built out of online interaction.

Best Practices

Here are some best practices for balancing technology and the human touch to lift employee engagement:

Pulse Surveys

To do the pulse surveys quickly, conduct them at least monthly or quarterly, and thus in real time, versus the more time-consuming annual engagement studies. Keep it simple with simple questions asked as scales, sentiment ratings, or text feedback. Discuss insights, trends, and action plans in small groups and company meetings to reinforce two-way communication around engagement issues. Solicit additional perspectives.

Productivity Apps

Give project management apps that promote transparency over these responsibilities, objectives, and progress to ensure priorities are aligned and there’s no duplication or confusion to avoid frustration. However, take care not to micromanage. Build in autonomy for teams and individuals to maintain ownership.

Peer Recognition

Implement online peer reward programs allowing employees to easily acknowledge co-workers for accomplishments, collaboration, innovation, embodiment of company values, etc. These virtual pats on the back enhance morale and unity. Integrate with in-person celebrations, shout-outs, and awards, reinforcing community and social ties.

Social Intranet

Create private employee networks, groups, and forums enabling staff to post updates, questions, ideas, kudos, and feedback, and viewable by the whole company or relevant departments to spur connection. Incorporate spaces for sharing personal updates, photos, hobbies, etc., to nurture relationships beyond job-specific interactions.

Message Boards

Strategically place digital signage in common spaces like breakrooms and lobbies, highlighting recent recognitions, wins, employee spotlights, birthday celebrations, event announcements, etc., to spark conversations. Rotate with displays of company vision/values, metrics, customer testimonials, quality reminders, safety procedures, etc., keeping all strategically aligned messaging in circulation.

Manager Training

Audit and upgrade remote manager skills around emotional intelligence, trust building, active listening, motivational interviewing techniques, accountability discussions, developmental feedback delivery, recognition skills, etc. Put training into practice through role-playing exercises, 1-on-1 coaching sessions, and mentoring programs with fellow leaders or subject matter experts.

Stay Interviews

Proactively schedule periodic “stay interviews” as informal conversations where managers ask about what employees enjoy, areas of frustration, work styles, career aspirations, ideas, and life outside work. This FaceTime demonstrates genuine interest and caring. Follow up on issues uncovered to reinforce listening and strengthen bonds. Surfacing concerns early prevents resentment and surprise departures.

Development Planning

Collaboratively design individual development plans using goal-setting/tracking apps synced with learning management training content, books, mentors, stretch assignments, new teams, lateral moves, special projects, job shadowing, and conferences, advancing skills and careers. Revisit plans quarterly in a 1-on-1 or small group coaching session, assessing fulfillment, celebrating milestones, adjusting course, and maintaining accountability through supportive relationships.

Wellness Incentives

Include wearables that are part of voluntary wellness challenges sponsored at the department or company level to encourage healthy habits. To track step counts, exercise, sleep, mindfulness minutes, etc., use the accompanying apps in this case. Tie virtual participation and accomplishments to real-world rewards like gift cards, events, or paid time off. Have leaders demonstrate commitment.

Gamification

Add points, status, badges, leaderboards, or whatever other tactics gamify learning, sales competitions, and other productivity targets in an intelligent, balanced way to even rationalize the fun. Be sure participants feel rewarded by the prestige and camaraderie gained, not punished or embarrassed by lower scores. Keep truly mission-critical work and compensation unaffected.

Anonymous Hotlines

Provide anonymous ethics, compliance, culture, fraud, safety, security, and HR hotlines allowing sensitive reporting without confrontation. Advertise through posters, videos, emails, etc. Make sure to have complete, caring follow-up procedures, including two-way communication, debriefs to prevent retaliation, review of policy, and cultural additions such as peer support and conflict mediation.

Off-Site Retreats

Get groups, departments, or whole organizations away to off-site retreat locations free from regular distractions. Facilitate productive strategy sessions as well as team-building activities, creative problem-solving, values exploration, skill-stretching, interdepartmental connections, informal networking, meals, entertainment, recreation, etc. These temporary yet immersive shared experiences strengthen bonds hard to reproduce virtually. New perspectives and ideas emerge from new environments.

Metrics Tied to Engagement

To confirm effectiveness in balancing technology and human interaction for optimal engagement, companies should monitor metrics like:

• Participation rates in pulse surveys, peer recognition programs, social intranets, wellness initiatives, and development planning

• Sentiment ratings and comments from pulse surveys and stay interviews

• Productivity data tied to project management, training, and other tech systems

• In-person event participation and associated content level and tone on intranets

• Qualitative notes from managers on employee attitudes, energy, collaboration, etc.

• Turnover and retention numbers over time across departments

• External awards for culture, leadership, benefits, etc.

Look for correlations between investments in both tech tools and human connections and rising engagement levels to guide ongoing balances and priorities. Measure the ROI of engagement strategies as reflected in productivity, innovation, customer service, safety, attendance, retention, recruitment, etc.

Summary

Based on today’s very complex business environment, there is no doubt that technology has been successful in alleviating the inefficiencies associated with connecting dispersed workforces and generating data to better guide human capital decisions. Yet, genuine employee engagement is the result of meeting the universal human needs for purpose, community, autonomy, mastery, care, and appreciation through interpersonal relationships.

Fully automated engagement schemes are often mere nonsense, as savvy leaders know that they tend to backfire, and there is no emotional commitment that is so ‘vital’ for discretionary effort and talent retention. Instead, it involves privileged combinations of technical systems and tools that can do their job well, a way of managing that treats people well, that builds work cultures and physical spaces that facilitate collaboration, and organizational values that celebrate individuals. This mix is worth paying dividends to both employees and employers.

This article is written by Krishna Surendra. HR Cloud is a leading provider of proven HR solutions, including recruiting, onboarding, employee communications & engagement, and rewards & recognition. Our user-friendly software increases employee productivity, delivers time and cost savings, and minimizes compliance risk.