Employee relations are struggling. Technology can help unlock employers’ good intentions.
From increased union action to concerns over inflation, organisations face serious staffing problems. Employees want both more support and more flexibility, and few organisations can afford to ignore these demands.
A poll from last year found that 53% believe that we are entering a new, “more unstable” period of employment relations. With a recession in sight, many organisations will have to cut back on staffing costs without treating their people as disposable. How can this be done? Well, the answer may have less to do with managerial strategies or interpersonal attitudes and more to do with implementing the right technology.
Leaders want to keep their teams happy
Despite the tough conditions, the vast majority of leaders understand their employees’ concerns and would like to show them that they are valued. Two-thirds of leaders say they would like to let employees choose their own hours, and a recent Indeed Flex Temporary staffing in 2023 survey discovered that the most common staffing challenge employers care about is supporting their employees through the cost of living crisis. The problem is therefore not about attitudes – it’s about the capacity to realise employers’ aspirations. They would like to create a more positive, flexible experience for their people; they simply don’t have the processes in place to do so.
Building the right system
Leaders need to leverage technology to solve these problems. While it may seem counterintuitive, the right solutions can actually enable procurement and people management to be more human-centric. From faster, clearer communication to greater worker autonomy, the right system can radically transform a company and enable them to treat its workers far better. The result? Talent is treated with the respect they deserve, leading to a boost in morale, retention and productivity.
This won’t be achieved through any old technology. Instead, leaders need to ensure the solutions they implement fulfil three key criteria.
Simple, user-friendly system
There’s been a boom in HR technology since COVID-19 hit, and many companies struggle because their tech stack is now too hard to navigate. A recent survey found that companies with more than one tech solution actually have a harder time finding the information they need. If a system is hard to use, people simply won’t use it – no matter the benefits it theoretically offers. It needs to centralise data, to ensure everyone can access it; streamline onboarding, to ensure users don’t get bored; and provide a user-friendly interface to ensure employees can find everything they need.
The ability to improve operational flexibility
Plenty of technology is designed to improve efficiency without actually enabling operational agility. Just simplifying processes is not enough. Your technology should actively improve the way your workforce functions. That means embedding it into your staffing strategy. From flexible working to introducing temporary staff, the right system will allow workers to feel more empowered – rather than simply lumping them with a new piece of admin to deal with. Employees’ lives should be made easier, right from the start, giving them a sense of clarity and confidence that ultimately leads to a greater sense of being valued.
Business insights into the employee experience
From staffing data to worker feedback, technology can be leveraged in a range of ways to actively help leaders make better decisions and offer a more positive experience to their workforce. Leaders should have a clear plan as to how a new solution will support their decision-making process. At Indeed Flex, our systems are used for a number of purposes – including enabling data-driven staffing decisions, demand planning and collating feedback from a blended workforce. This ensures our technology not only helps organisations access high-quality temporary workers, but it also helps them actively improve the way their organisations operate, which is why we regularly update the Indeed Flex platform to fit your needs.
