There has been much discussion recently concerning possible future recessions across various parts of the globe. Whilst here in the UK, a recession is not technically in effect, shrinks in the economy, alongside a cost of living crisis has made many feel that one is already here. With this comes the unfortunate discussion around budget cuts as organisations understandably look towards the areas they can cut back on in an effort to remain strong in trying times. Some companies may look to make savings on employee experience and neglect XLA and DeX projects but in our view this would the wrong approach as focusing on experience metrics can actually help organisations in challenging financial climates. Indeed we've pointed out numerous times in our blog how important employee experience is for organisation. Here, we'd like to present just a few reasons why digital employee experience initiatives shouldn't be neglected in economically tough times.
Being able to understand application usage and save money is already possible through DEX
In lots of organisations, there is a plethora of different systems and versions, this is not only confusing for the IT customer but also costly. We see time and time again, employees using their "preferred" application rather than the corporate standard (for example people using MS Teams when Zoom is the corporate standard or people refusing application upgrades). Wouldn't it be great to see what people use, understand why they prefer to use them and then be able to make purchasing/upgrade decisions based on experience and productivity? This would undoubtedly save a lot of unwanted/wasted purchases and "buyers regret" and therefore save money. A DeX tool like Nexthink can give you this and more.
Think about hardware deployments. Surely there is a better way of deciding who gets a new machine than just time? Some people may require new machines before the 3-5 year renewal time frame whereas others are perfectly happy using their older machines that are still working fine. With a DeX tool, our customers have saved thousands of pounds by being able to understand how well a machine is performing and matching that to the sentiment and operational needs of the employee. They can use this valuable data to decide when a machine needs replacing rather than the blanket approach of just time.
Examples of being able to understand where money is being spent is important in times when it is to be saved. Indeed, since 2009, this has been pointed out. This is precisely the kind of data that a tool like Nexthink can gather in their Green IT library. This library can identify the devices with the highest carbon output and the machines and screens that are left on overnight as well as fulfill Nexthink's usual capabilities in monitoring application behaviour, before offering solutions to tackle these problems. They can help organisations cut down on their energy consumption using targeted actions and engage employees in best practices.
Having a DEX tool with this kind of capability can have a double benefit. Firstly, by monitoring computer carbon output and utilising power management techniques, organisations can help save money and reduce harmful energy usage. Secondly, the DEX tools enables us to engage employees in energy initiatives, thereby letting them have an active role, and thus feel valued, in the initiatives and running of the organisation. We've spoken many times about what an increased sense of value can have on employee...
Enhanced productivity, and in turn, revenue
It feels like a record on repeat to mention productivity as its often the go-to benefit of any DEX initiative. However, when it comes to the economic benefits of productivity, it's a no brainer that you will want to enable your employees productivity as much as possible. The more productive your employees can be, the more efficient they can be with their tasks, and therefore, less time is taken. According to resource management tool Saviom, this higher productivity helps in reducing operational costs, which in turn fuels profitability of the organisation. A DEX tool such as Nexthink can go a long way to ensuring this by proactively working to ensure as strong a digital experience for employees as possible by quickly finding, diagnosing and fixing IT issues before they have a chance to create a bad experience.
The article above by Saviom goes on to say how high productivity in employees can lead to better employee retention. It is clear, therefore, supporting your employees to be as productive as possible in their role can not only benefit them as people, but also the revenue of your business. In addition, working to promote employee retention means the expensive process of hiring is avoided. Ultimately, supported and valued employees are more likely to stick around, and encouraging this can be made possible through DEX initiatives, from engaging employees in organisational campaigns to proactively ensuring that their IT experience is made to be as seamless as possible. Speaking of employee retention:
Reduced turnover means fewer expensive hiring processes
It is more costly to hire new staff than it is to support and thereby retain current staff. This is already well known. In research conducted by Oxford Economics, it's been found that up to 28 weeks is required for newly hired staff to reach their most optimum productivity levels. According to the research, this can incur a cost of around £25,000 per newly hired employee. It is often believed that having access to the right digital tools when they are needed will encourage employees to stay. What's more, as the Academy to Innovate HR believe, ensuring the satisfaction of employees can have a positive effect on the reputation of the organisation. It therefore stands to reason, if organisations want to encourage employee retention and avoid the consequential costs of not doing so, maintaining supportive DEX initiatives, and thereby supporting employees with their wants and needs, is one good way of going about it.
Sources
Boatman, A., n.d. Digital Employee Experience Explained: A Definitive Guide for HR. [online] Academy to Innovate HR. Available at: https://www.aihr.com/blog/digital-employee-experience/ Accessed: August 2022.
Brignall, M., 2021. ‘The Great Resignation’: almost one in four UK workers planning job change. [online] The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2021/nov/01/the-great-resignation-almost-one-in-four-workers-planning-job-change Accessed: August 2022.
Omer, N., 2022. Monday briefing: The UK has slumped into recession once more – how will Sunak and Hunt respond? [online] The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/14/first-edition-uk-economy-recession Accessed: November 2022.
Saviom. 2021. The Effects of Low Productivity on Business Growth. Saviom. [online] Available at: https://www.saviom.com/blog/effects-of-low-productivity-business-growth/ Accessed: August 2022.
Thompson, C., 2009. How to Recession-Proof Your IT Department. eWeek. [online] Available at: https://www.eweek.com/it-management/how-to-recession-proof-your-it-department/ Accessed: July 2022.