Employee engagement and satisfaction is constant concern for many businesses. A happier workforce has the potential to be more productive, and can also result in a reduced employee turnover. As such, employers are often searching for new ways improve the satisfaction of their workers.
Research is showing that IT can actually be used to help make employees happier in their jobs, with adoption enhanced through ITIL training. Here are some ways to promote satisfaction by integrating technology into your business, and promoting the success of the company as a result.
Innovative technology is at the top of employees' hierarchy of needs.
1. Adopt advanced technological resources
With technology constantly developing and improving, employees are expecting to be able to use better and better technology while at work.
A 2013 report by Deloitte Access Economics reveals there is "digital hierarchy of needs" that reflects what employees want from their work environment in terms of IT. At the top of the hierarchy is access to innovative technologies, followed by having tech that is reliable, and lastly basic concerns such as pay. This demonstrates the level of importance that employees are placing on the technological resources that are available to them in a job.
In an interview with SmartCompany, Deloitte Access Economics' Associate Director John O'Mahony said that these days workers have higher expectations of tech and IT and work, and can be discontented when it is not as good as what they have at home.
"When they get to work, they're taking a step back and that's creating frustration, or disappointment," he said.
Consequently, maintaining available technology at a high standard and embracing innovations is key to keeping employees happy.
2. Use cloud infrastructure for flexibility and mobility
Similarly, the Deloitte report showed that having flexible IT policies significantly impact worker satisfaction. Of employees that reported being happy with their job, over 80 per cent were allowed flexible use of IT, such as using technology to work from home.
"It's not just that people have a good device at home, and at work. People are expecting that working isn't just going to be at a desk with an average computer. There needs to be generally more flexibility within the company's IT as a whole," said Mr O'Mahony.
An integral part of allowing employees flexibility at work is integrating cloud services to make company information mobile and accessible. However, successful cloud adoption is dependent on having the skills in the company to manage the infrastructure. According to a 2016 report by RightScale, a lack of resources or expertise is the most pressing cloud challenge for businesses. Luckily, training courses like TOGAF can be effective in helping professionals use IT resources in their enterprise architecture to improve business efficiency.
The rate of cyber incidents has increased by 38 per cent from 2014-2015.
3. Protect data with security precautions
Lastly, keeping employees happy is affected by giving them assurance that their personal information, as well as that of the company, is secure and being adequately protected.
A 2016 survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers reported that there was a 38 per cent increase in cyber incidents between 2014 and 2015. This demonstrates that cybersecurity is an increasingly prominent issue for businesses.
Of the businesses surveyed, 53 per cent had an employee training and awareness program, showing that one way to improve both general satisfaction and company data protection is by providing good IT security training for workers. This helps to promote cyber threat awareness, allowing employees to actively participate in security measures.
Overall, the effective implementation of IT and technology can go a long way to helping employees be more satisfied at work, and consequently help to boost their motivation and efficiency.
For more information on the types of training to improve the way your business managers its IT, contact ALC Training today.