What's HR Tech Got to Do With Employee Happiness? Hint: Everything

Employee happiness must be a top priority for every organization. We discuss how technology and employee happiness are intrinsically linked.

The secret to employee happiness? Intelligent technology implementation, and the use of specialized happiness-focused HR tech tools. For this article, we spoke to Dr. Sanja Licina, future of organizations lead at Globant, about:

• The link between technology and employee happiness
• How to implement technology in the workplace to maximize employee happiness
• How dedicated HR tech tools can improve your happiness index
   

Employee happiness has always been a priority for enlightened companies. Happy employees are more likely to work harder, stay with you longer, and give your company a glowing referral if/when they do decide to make the switch. But employee happiness can be hard to achieve – especially in dynamic, high-demand workplaces.

There are deadlines to reach, projects to close, and productivity targets to be met. In addition, one in five AmericansOpens a new window say that they are lonely, and the younger generation (18­–22) feels lonelier than its older counterparts. In the workplace, these feelings can impact the quality of work and require that companies focus on employee happiness.

Could HR technology address this requirement? How can HR leverage the latest tools to boost employee happiness?

In an exclusive conversation with Dr. Sanja Licina from GlobantOpens a new window , we explore this further. Dr. Licina is the future of organizations lead at Globant, the company behind the StarMeUp OS, which helps employers listen to the voice of employees and improve their happiness index.

Learn More:

What Is an Employee Engagement Survey? Definition, Process, Vendors, and ExamplesOpens a new window

The Undeniable Link Between Technology and Employee Happiness

• 53% said that digital tools make them more successful
• Technology results in better morale, say 42%
• A third “felt smarter” due to technology implementation
• 28% said that technology actually makes them happier
   

Technology can be instrumental in helping employees reinforce the feeling of interconnectedness and belonging in the workplace and perhaps combat the loneliness epidemic. Remember, belonging is a key lever for employee engagement and satisfaction as per Maslow’s pyramidOpens a new window . Using technology for this purpose can significantly contribute to employee happiness.

Dr. Licina shared an important statistic with us that illustrates this effect.

“Relationships with colleagues are incredibly important. Our research Opens a new window found that two out of three employees (62%) said they wish they knew their coworkers better, and 83% believe that knowing their coworkers better would make them more engaged team members,” she told us.

Learn More: Millennial How-To: What Makes This Generation Happy at Work?Opens a new window

3 Things to Remember When Implementing Technology for Employee Happiness

There are several ways HR (and the company as a whole) can step up their digital game so that employees feel happier, more successful, and motivated. Here are three useful ideas:

1. Make workplace platforms resemble consumer-grade technology

Employees will be more comfortable with an intranet that looks like Facebook or a cloud-based storage drive that has the same navigation flow as their home PCs.

Citing the research she mentioned earlier, Dr. Licina said, “An overwhelming majority of millennials (83%) and Gen Z (84%) employees are open to using technology to build stronger relationships with coworkers if these solutions look like the ones they’re using in their personal lives.”

2. Conduct surveys to pinpoint technology needs
 

Technology can only make employees happier if it was genuinely required and desired. Employee surveys can help you figure out areas of improvement where technology could make a difference.

“Employers need to rethink their approach when implementing new platforms to ensure younger employees actually use the tech and get real benefit from it,” agreed Dr. Licina. “Two factors they need to consider are whether or not the tool suits what workers are looking for, and whether or not it’s easy to interact with,” she added.

3. Use digital tools to share regular feedback

We can’t stress this enough: regular feedbackOpens a new window and recognition are vital to keeping your employees engaged and happy. Dr. Licina highlighted that 97% of employees wanted to be recognized at work. “However, this is still an area where organizations can improve – nearly three-fourths (72%) of employees aren’t satisfied with their organization’s current feedback processes,” she added.

We recommend a strength-based feedback approach, where managers/HR recognize positive behavior so that employees feel motivated to repeat these behavioral patterns in the future.

Learn More: 20 Fresh Employee Engagement Ideas for 2020Opens a new window

A Final Takeaway: Consider Using Dedicated HR Technology for Employee Happiness

As employee needs and expectations become more diverse, you need technologies that can track, measure, and improve your company’s happiness index. For instance, Dr. Licina uses Globant’s StarMeUp OSOpens a new window to streamline people processes and unearth valuable data.

Talking about using the tool, she says, “In my personal experience with Globant’s StarMeUp OS platform, we’ve seen that those employees who are recognized, and recognize others, are up to 14 times less likely to leave the organization than those who don’t exchange recognition with their colleagues,” she told us.

There are other HR technology tools you could consider to improve employee happiness, such as:

• 2DAYSMOODOpens a new window : A 15-second survey platform that ends with a positive or funny message, which, according to one customer, has proven to increase the number of happy employees from 66% to 80%
• Happiness LabOpens a new window : A platform that reveals real-time insights on emotional health, stress, and well-being through anonymized pulse, regular, and bespoke surveys
• FridayOpens a new window : A 2-minute pulse check to measure happiness every Friday, introducing regular feedback that suggests action points to increase employee happiness
• HapiOpens a new window : A customizable employee experience platform that combines benefits, discounted gifts, well-being, entertainment, and a host of other activities on one platform
   

“With technologies that truly help employees engage more impactfully with their colleagues and their organizations, we are going to start seeing a lot less dread for Mondays and many more happy employees,” said Dr. Licina.

While there are several factors driving employee happiness, technology is a significant part of the experience.

HR can first align the technology platforms in place for greater usability and comfort. Second, HR can adopt dedicated tools to track the various employee happiness drivers in play at the modern workplace. Finally, it is essential to acknowledge the risk of technology overexposure and manage it effectivelyOpens a new window . These three elements are crucial to the future of workOpens a new window , powered by a happy and motivated workforce.

What steps did you take for greater employee happiness in 2019?  Tell us more about it on FacebookOpens a new window , LinkedInOpens a new window , or TwitterOpens a new window . We’d love to know about your strategy and its outcomes!