It’s an exciting — and challenging — time to be a chief human resources officer (CHRO) or human capital leader. With a growing emphasis on building a strong, skilled workforce, the pressure’s on to prioritize investments in HR that can help attract and retain talent.
Employee engagement is key, and it depends on a handful of factors.
gettyEmployee engagement is key, and it depends on a handful of factors. While not an exhaustive list, some of these key factors include providing effective ongoing training and learning opportunities, empowering employees to manage and advance their careers, listening to and treating them well, communicating clearly about issues that affect them and nurturing a corporate culture that values inclusion and belonging.
HR leaders also know that cloud solutions can transform how employees work and can enable employee engagement initiatives. In the PwC US Cloud Business Survey, more than half (55%) say the biggest potential impact of cloud on their business are changes to processes and ways of working. Specific HR benefits cited in a recent PwC HR tech survey include increased employee engagement, greater control for HR teams, productivity improvements and cost savings.
As with any move to cloud, migrating legacy systems to cloud-based ones typically requires rethinking your people strategy. Developing the right people strategies combined with tech solutions and unique collaborative experiences can help create a workforce nimble enough for whatever the future holds.
By updating outdated HR applications and intelligently connecting technology to business processes to your people, human resources can evolve and become a vital component of a truly intelligent enterprise. SAP SuccessFactors cloud-based HXM Suite, for example, can help companies better understand what employees need, how they work and what motivates them. We know that employees who feel prepared, connected and empowered to do their work are more engaged and more likely to stay with a company longer and serve as ambassadors and evangelists for the brand. Cloud-based talent management platforms offer the flexibility and scalability businesses need in today’s ever-evolving labor market.
HR leaders are relying on technology — specifically human experience management (HXM) systems — to better engage employees with solutions that address five critical areas.
1. Bridge the skills gap
A majority (88%) of board members now view hiring and retaining talent as very important to a company’s prospects in 2022, according to PwC’s 2022 Pulse Survey. The entire C-suite is now focused on talent, and this partnership must balance short-term tactics with longer-term strategies.
Upskilling plays a key role in retaining top talent. Technology solutions are uniquely suited to help companies train employees in new skills — not least because many of the required skills these days are digital. Within PwC and in our work helping clients bridge the skills gap and prepare for the future, we encourage companies to employ a business-driven, people-powered upskilling strategy that relies on technology as a delivery mechanism for skills assessment, training and continuous development.
SAP SuccessFactors offers a learning platform designed to help companies prepare their people with the necessary skills training, assessment and management. The solution supports a variety of learning styles for people in different roles at different points in their career, and it’s designed to:
- Boost learner engagement with blended learning capabilities and tailored content.
- Improve regulatory adherence and lower legal risk by automating compliance training.
- Support employees at various stages in their career development.
PwC’s TechAtWork survey, revealed that today’s workforce was curious about technology, and ready to invest time in learning. Employees report that they’re willing to spend up to two days per month on training to upgrade their digital skills, if offered by their employer — a median response of 15 hours each month. Even when people are motivated to develop their skills, many feel there aren’t enough ways to do it through their workplace. Only 50% of staff and 64% of managers are satisfied with the available resources to learn how to use new technology, signaling an opportunity for leaders to open new pathways for learning and development. What’s more, those who are working on their skills say employers don’t acknowledge that effort: 46% say their company doesn’t value employees who are technologically savvy.
2. Empower your workforce
At its most basic level, the concept of employee empowerment is giving employees the tools they need to do their jobs well and making them feel they have control over their own career development and advancement. This includes giving your people autonomy so they can work without being micromanaged while also feeling their supervisor will go to bat for them if necessary.
Having some control over where, when and how to get work done plays a role as well. Hybrid work environments are becoming relatively common, but beyond this flexibility, employees also need secure, frictionless access to the tools they need to do their jobs.
Be sure your cloud-based HR platform lets you create a unified digital experience for employees in which they can access tools, learn new skills, communicate and collaborate with their managers and colleagues, and handle basic HR-related tasks.
3. Build employee trust
In our most recent Consumer Intelligence Series Survey on Trust, 84% of executives told us they think employee trust is high, but there’s apparently a disconnect. Only 69% of employees told us they agree. The top reason employees gave (47%) for trusting their employer was being treated well. Everyone’s definition of good treatment varies, but giving employees competitive compensation and a workplace in which they feel valued are a start.
Companies can also demonstrate a true commitment to employee well-being through a variety of programs and policies aimed at wellness and a healthy work-life balance. All the better if such programs are created or revamped using employee input and take actions to improve employee experience and engagement based on insights from the data.
4. Promote transparent communication
Now more than ever, transparent, empathetic communication is part of “walking the walk” in deepening employee trust. Communication is a two-way exercise, and that includes listening to employees, acting on what they tell you and sharing information frequently and honestly. It appears that companies aren’t doing enough. In our surveys since the start of the pandemic, PwC has asked business leaders what they’re doing to strengthen their workforce and company culture. In one survey conducted in the fall of 2021, only 30% of respondents strongly agreed they’re doing what’s necessary to build high levels of trust between workers and their direct supervisors.
One way to measure the business impact of the employee experience is through programs powered by SAP’s Qualtrics XM Platform. Using a standardized methodology, you can get closer to your employee engagement and track improvements over time with more frequent feedback from your employees. Using Qualtrics employee pulse surveys, you can measure fluctuations in engagement and step in to improve the employee experience. Having insights into the actions you can take, as well as the ability to align and prioritize focus areas of improvement at every meaningful touchpoint across the employee lifecycle can help create a workplace culture built on transparency and trust — setting a foundation that wards off high turnover and improves the employee experience and sentiments.
5. Create more culture, less clash
Communication is only one aspect of a positive corporate culture, but it’s a biggie. In our research and work helping clients assess organizational culture and develop improvement strategies, PwC has found that organizations with a distinctive culture are more likely to generate greater revenue and improve employee and customer satisfaction.
Strong cloud-based HR platforms are designed to help companies address the complex elements of establishing an organizational culture that’s positive, meaningful and inclusive.
Use data to drive your people strategy
One of the top reasons to move HR systems — especially employee experience management — to cloud is that platforms like SAP SuccessFactors allow you to draw from all kinds of employee-related data and use that data to inform decision-making. These platforms can help you put your people at the center of everything and make it easier to source, hire and retain talent while streamlining your time and payroll processing and your compliance and regulatory efforts. With an engaged workforce and corporate culture built on trust, you can be ready for whatever comes next.
Learn more about how PwC and SAP are helping companies with HR transformation powered by SAP’s cloud-based solutions.
