In today’s time Technology is overriding everything in the areas of organization’s functions. Technology via one-o-one, instant connect from anywhere have a big impact of creating better experience in least time – all with the help of our IoT devices. According to the World Economic Forum, the future of an Internet of Things (IoT) enabled workplace could increase operational efficiency, optimize human-machine collaboration, and maximize productivity.
The future of workplace is going to be brighter with the use of IoT, especially in the areas of Employee Engagement and Retention.
As demands on our time increase, engagement in the business environment is crucial and employers are always looking to improve productivity, reduce employee churn, keep costs down and, if there’s any time left in the working week, innovate more. Technology can be an enabler for HR transformation and is a potential driver of greater efficiency and effectiveness.
IoT enables higher levels of user enjoyment, creating an engaging work experience. IoT in the workplace is powerful innovation, resulting in happier work, more efficient employees and which creates the better Workplace to work. If we can create and provide the better Employee Experience, we will be able to not only engage our employees, but also retain them.
Employee Experience is forward looking approach. When we talk about experience, we not only talk about the engagements, but we also talk about the experiences created in totality over a period starting from Pre-boarding interaction to joining the Alumni group. Internet of Things (IoT) –enable and empower us to have better employee communications, employee’s development and create a better process bringing engagement closer to the employees.
Let’s see, how exactly will IoT technology improve Employee Engagement and Retention at Workplace through various factors?
Increased efficiency and productivity:
The latest and greatest IoT developments will enable you to get more in less time. Imagine being able to fulfill large-scale tasks faster while making fewer mistakes in your work.
What’s more, the enhanced connectivity IoT offers lets companies more easily connect with their customers and clients, preventing potential problems and creating new revenue streams based on automatically collected feedback.
Better collaboration:
It is potentially improving interactions among employees. According to a Harvard Business Review survey, companies are already seeing important benefits of IoT-based initiatives, and 58% respondents say, they have seen increased collaboration within the business. Soon, video conferencing that previously required use of a fixed device but now from Computer, Laptop, i-pad or smartphone will be possible from any part of an enterprise base.
Real Time Data and hassle-free communication:
Communication is a vital part of employee engagement. IoT platform that makes it possible for the Enterprise to simply connect in many ways. For Ex, they can instantly book meeting rooms, communicate with any team member, exchange ideas, and do a lot more. In this way, IoT optimizes the effectiveness of employees’ workday and offers better work experience. It makes easy to monitor mobile workforce and track their activities without stressing too much. It can also be used for team-based interaction. It may help to create fitness and wellness trackers to start a friendly competition amongst team members. As a result, employee engagement will increase, and team members will be inspired to become physically active; a win-win for all involved!
People Analytics:
It is important for HR to understand the significance of people analytics that comes from IoT. There’s no doubt that Internet of Things would generate an unprecedented amount of data associated with people and their related processes. For example, if there is a group of people who are dissatisfied and want to leave the organization, analytics could help inform HR before they decide to leave and hence retain some of them. The data is extensively useful for decision and strategy makers. With IoT, Advanced data analytics and machine learning tools can simplify running engagement programs and can easily support in measuring engagement level.
Flexible work environment:
Flexible working patterns and the ability to work out of the office are the requirements for the coming generations. So, it is important to equip all our employees with laptops to enable them to work from home – and go a step further – encourage home working.Trust me, IoT technology would be a big contributor. IoT would enable HR to create flex workspace, with the flexibility to manage work through mobile and wearable devices.
Continuous Performance Management:
The enhanced connectivity with IoT devices helps in establishing a digital culture where managers and employees can connect frequently and share opinions on performance, improve skills and become better. It helps in providing Real Time Feedback on performance in order to support them to perform better while keeping them engaged & connected for better experience and retention.
Remote learning and training:
Up-skilling or Training is an area where IoT can make a marked difference. From innovative, interactive learning to real-life simulated scenarios for skill assessment, this can be used to provide high-quality training and allow field staff to be guided remotely. Analytics could also be used to identify areas and personnel where training/reskilling may be necessary or deliver customized training and development programs for employees. With the help of this application any meeting or training attended by an employee can be registered immediately by considering the actual hours spent on trainings and discussions based on the location of the user.
Managing Rewards and Benefits:
Communicating Rewards and benefits in order to create better experience for employees has become easier with the help of IoT. It has eased implementation and management of personalized packages, it makes the whole process more efficient and optimises the benefits. With a user-friendly interface, ease of operation, freedom and flexibility, AI aids seamless integration of unconventional, new-age employee benefits with traditional incentive packages and thereby creates a novel employee experience.
Equality and fairness:
With tools to manage talent, monitor effectiveness, measure productivity, performance, facilitate capability building, predict trends, and red-flag potential problems, IoT can turn employee management into the biggest weapon to treat all the employees with Equality and fairness. From the analysis of historical data to identifying patterns, from connections and linkages to forecasting, It opens the route to actionable insights and solutions for superlative employee engagement and hence retaining employees who might leave due to unfair treatment and not getting equality.
Lastly, I would say, IoT brings a lot of positive developments for business in order to retaining people and keeping them satisfied, engaged and well trained & developed for the changing business environment. “The Internet of things” is the way of the future which will connect employees at all the levels internally as well as externally with customers to have seamless communication and will provide the opportunities to businesses, customers and employees for greater productivity and efficiency and will create Win-Win situation for all!
