How to Build a Strong Culture Through Better Technology

As technology advances, so does our opportunity to provide solutions that bring the entire organization together.

By understanding your team’s core needs, pain points, and long-term goals, you can find the best technology to meet them where they are now and in the future.

But with so many SaaS tools and apps appearing left and right, it can be difficult to know which ones your team would thrive with most. From productivity platforms to time trackers to schedule builders, the number of tech options on the market are endless.

However, it’s not necessarily about the tools you choose, but rather why you choose them.

It is about looking for tools that do more than just help you become more productive and focused at work. Finding technology that helps you fulfill your goals and connect your team helps build a strong company culture.

That is why we’ve put together this simple guide to help you build a strong work culture through better technology.

Offer remote and hybrid-work options

Using the right tech tools can offer employees the flexibility to work from home, either full time or part-time.

But you may be wondering … why is that important?

Well, a whopping 97% of surveyed employees stated that a flexible job would result in a huge improvement in their quality of life.

With 41% of workers saying that they’re more likely to consider joining a union now than 3 years ago, it’s not unreasonable for companies to expect a push for workplace rights to guarantee employees a healthy work/life balance. And yes, that means offering remote and hybrid options when possible.

Practically speaking, this could mean offering the option to work from home full-time, part-time, or letting the employee choose their own schedule and workplace. Offering a 4-day in-person work week with the option to work from home on Fridays could be another opportunity to promote flexibility and autonomy.

To encourage a healthy work exchange in any of these scenarios, it’s pivotal to get your hands on team collaboration tools that can help keep everyone engaged, connected, and in the know.

For instance, we recommend looking into remote and hybrid tools, such as monday.com, ClickUp, and Basecamp. These tools have powerful team collaboration features that can keep your entire crew in the loop, productive, and can encourage high morale and employee happiness.

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Keep everyone's data safe

Protecting your employees' privacy isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s a must if you want to stay in business, build trust, and promote an environment where your staff feels safe — all of which directly contribute to a strong company culture.

One way you can keep employee data safe is by focusing on providing better data storage. Look into a colocation data center, a facility in which a business can rent space for servers and other computing hardware. Having better data storage and security can lead to better functioning teams and fewer compliance headaches.

Applying change data capture can help you make faster and more accurate decisions with real time data movement so you can process data from a variety of sources — including your SaaS apps.

These data tools may sound a bit extreme, but they don’t just help you house employee data; they can also house other pertinent data, such as proprietary information and customer information.

Other tools you might find helpful are VPNs (virtual private networks) which act as protective data tunnels, and digital data platforms which keep your data safe in the cloud.

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Choose technology specific to your industry

There’s something about a tool made just for your industry that makes work easier and more fulfilling than a generic tool ever could.

Industry-specific apps are built with your work in mind so your team can benefit from personalized features they’ll need most.

For instance, transportation and logistics companies use vehicle fleet management software, an advanced technology that optimizes pickup and delivery routes with real-time GPS tracking, weather, and traffic overlays. This kind of tool helps improve drivers' performance and makes their work more efficient and engaging.

And teachers use EdTech software, technology designed specifically to help teachers and students navigate the online classroom. With EdTech on their side, teachers can plan lessons, assign homework, monitor exam progress, and communicate with students and parents as needed.

From the chiropractic industry to retail to banking to even floral design, there’s a tool out there with your industry’s name on it. All you need to do is carve out some time to search for niche-specific software in line with your goals.

When looking for industry-specific technology, keep the following tips in mind:

Look for an app that’s been around long enough to have credible reviews and ratings
Review every tech tool carefully, do the features line up with your needs?
Give the technology a try before investing in it (look for tools that offer free trials or free demos)
Ask your team what they think of the tool

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Choose technology that specializes in team building

Form a cohesive unit amongst your team by adding team building technology to your suite of tools.

Team building apps have features intended to help your employees interact with one another in an effort to form meaningful relationships.

One of our favorite team building features is the ability to congratulate or recognize team members for a job well done. Our Workmates solution offers these features which can help promote camaraderie, gratitude, and intrinsic motivation. Basecamp and Asana are examples of two other tools that also offer these features.

When looking for team building tools, consider your staff. What do their personalities, work styles, and strengths look like? What ways would they enjoy connecting with their peers? If you’re unsure, just send over a quick survey or questionnaire so you can hear it from them directly.

Let your seasoned employees have a say

Promoting employee autonomy and trust is essential to building a strong working culture.

When you strike the right balance between employee independence and team collaboration, you create harmony and flow. Every team member has unique gifts and skills, some of which work best in an independent setting and others that are highly effective in a group setting.

That’s why it’s important to let seasoned team members have a say when it comes to the tools they’re going to use.

Seasoned employees understand their roles inside and out. They’ve done their jobs enough times to understand what features they need for autonomous work and which features they need to thrive when working with others.

To help initiate this, consider hosting a few brainstorming sessions where employees can get together, sign up for free trials or demos, and test and rate each tech option.

You can ask your employees to document their thoughts along the way or take it a step further and have them write up some formal reviews.

After your team’s tested a variety of apps, get together for one last meeting to finalize the tools you’re going to use.

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Use tools that omit information silos

Information silos wreak havoc on even the best companies’ culture.

Not only do silos contribute to employee confusion and frustration, but they also facilitate a disconnect among teams.

Other than highly sensitive company information, your employees should have open access to all of the data, resources, and tools they need to perform their jobs well.

All-in-one workspaces, a Work OS, and team collaboration tools can help provide employees with the information they need to thrive at work.

Technology can also help omit information silos by:

Providing company-wide status updates
Displaying employee schedules and availability
Providing a central location for handbooks and other important company docs
Tracking task completion in real-time
Displaying assignments, projects, and due dates in real-time

Wrap up

As technology advances, organizations are given a prime window of opportunity to provide solutions that promote a strong company culture.

With an understanding of your team’s core needs, pain points, and long-term goals, you can implement technology that carries them through all phases of their work journey with you.

Are you ready to build a strong culture with better technology?

Here’s a quick recap of how to do just that:

Offer remote and hybrid-work options
Keep everyone's data safe
Choose technology specific to your industry
Choose technology that specializes in team building
Let your seasoned employees have a say
Use tools that omit information silos

And that’s it for today. Thanks so much for reading — we truly wish you nothing but success!

Author Bio:

Ioana Wilkinson is a freelance content writer and SEO strategist for B2B and B2C brands specializing in Business, Digital Marketing, SaaS, Tech, and Mental Health. Born in Transylvania, raised in Texas, and transplanted to Barcelona, Ioana’s most recent move has taken her to sunny Mexico.