Consumers have more control of and insight into their purchases than ever before. They can easily read product reviews before purchasing, compare different options, track their deliveries every step of the way and create their own reviews once they receive the products. This digital consumer experience has influenced the workplace, changing the way employers interact with their talent.
Today’s job seekers have become more accustomed to digital experiences, from learning about the companies and their cultures before applying for a position to being able to track the progress of their job applications. They also want the same level of transparency and ease of communication when they become employees. As this digitized consumer experience continues to transfer to the world of work, are you ready to meet the expectations of talent?
Changing attitudes drive the need for digitalization
The need to change in order to keep up with talent expectations is clear. According to Randstad Sourceright’s 2019 Talent Trends research, the majority of working professionals (61%) report that their expectations of employers are continually growing. Meanwhile, 83% of employers say their expectations of employees are increasing as well.
One of the biggest changes is in the ways we communicate. As people are connected to each other throughout the day via their mobile devices, more rely on the same channels to communicate with colleagues. A study by Inc. magazine found that 75% of millennials and Gen Z, the two youngest generations in the workplace, prefer to text each other rather than speak in person. Another study found that millennials are more likely to prefer being fired via text message than their older peers (although both groups still preferred an in-person discussion).
As a result, the workplace must be technologically accessible to provide the experience that workers are accustomed to in their personal lives and that they increasingly prefer at work. More important, similar to how consumer technology has been simplified, workplace technology should also be intuitive and easy to use to ensure successful adoption and implementation.
Organizations should also provide the right work tools to allow employees to easily connect and collaborate with each other –across the hall or across continents. Whether it is your intranet, HR portals, messaging tools, project-management software, or video conferencing technology, navigation should be straightforward and the user experience should be convenient and efficient.
Building the digital skills of the workforce
As digitalization continues to influence the candidate and employee experience, companies should strive to evolve their talent strategies and build a digitally fluent workforce. How can you achieve this? Consider the following five steps:
- Identify high performers and early adopters who can support your digital transformation and serve as ambassadors for the rest of the team.
- Make sure those who seek to upskill their talents receive ample opportunities to advance their knowledge in different areas, such as coding, content optimization, and other digital skills.
- Solicit feedback from talent on how they think it would be best to accelerate the digitalization of business models.
- Regularly survey candidates, employees and contingent talent to understand their work and communications preferences and habits.
- Ensure that a solid team of experts are in place to help lead your workforce to achieve digital fluency.
As the consumer world becomes more digitalized, candidates and employees alike expect their interactions with employers to evolve as well. Knowing which technologies can be leveraged in the world of work – and having a plan to incorporate them – will set your organization up for success.
MORE: Hiring digital talent for your digital transformation
