Technology has become an integral part of everyday business processes and operations. Managers increasingly rely on new apps, data, tools, equipment, and analytics to add value to their companies.
Some organizations seek standalone tools to address specific issues, while others are more interested in full-scale, integrated solutions.
Here are the main innovations transforming employee management today.
Time tracking
US businesses lose a startling 50 million hours of productivity daily because not all work activities are recorded. Just unrecorded emailing can incur annual damages of up to $50,000. Automated time tracking offers employers and employees numerous advantages. As many as 93% of workforce members report their paychecks always come on time, thanks to time tracking and other productivity tools. What’s more, almost a third of businesses report an increase in returns within half a year of implementing time tracking tools.
A time tracking app can help manage employee productivity. Employers can identify inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and unproductive work patterns by monitoring how much time employees spend on projects and tasks.
By analyzing time data, employers can make better project plans, allocate resources more effectively, and address productivity issues promptly.
Time tracking tools record the time spent on tasks and projects and allow managers to generate productivity metrics based on that, identifying any unproductive patterns in the process. They can detect idle time or periods of inactivity, yielding insight into productivity issues and improvement opportunities.
AI for recruitment purposes
AI technology has transformed recruitment. AI tools help recruiters review cover letters, sift through resumes, and conduct interviews online. They can influence who applies.
Researchers asked around 500 job candidates what their thoughts were on applying for a job through an AI-guided system. The study showed that people whose attitudes to AI were positive and who were already enthusiastic about the potential employer were more willing to apply. On the other hand, candidates who were distrustful or anxious about AI or less excited about the company were disinclined to complete job applications.
Apparently, the use of automated tools in the recruitment process can impact different people in surprising ways, influencing who ends up applying for jobs.
The adoption of AI tools is expected to increase in 2024. A recent survey showed that 81% of companies planned to invest in AI technology to enhance and automate their recruiting processes. In the past two years, 30% of the companies have invested in AI recruiting solutions.
Automated systems
Employees are increasingly willing to be managed, work with, and even take advice from an automated system. Robot coworkers are now a fact of life, and numerous factors influence how people react to them. Reactions are more positive when automated systems feel authentic.
In a series of five studies, subjects reacted much more positively when a system’s human origins were highlighted and it was presented in an authentic way. When technologies seemed less genuine, people’s experiences when interacting with them were worse, even if the effort is made to give them human-like qualities.
Another study found people were more likely to get angry at negative feedback from a human-like system that assigned work and made supervisory decisions. This is because they attributed more agency to such systems and were more inclined to feel these were “responsible” for the bad feedback.
Total experience apps
The concept of “total experience” involves a strategy integrating user, customer, and employee experiences to accelerate growth. One way to achieve this goal is by ensuring a smooth and consistent experience across all platforms, devices, and apps. Employers have known their customers need a seamless experience for some time, but they are increasingly grasping its importance to employees and the overlap between customer and employee experiences.
Companies that use office technology to improve their staff’s experience at work are more likely to excel at other experiences. Employees can be more productive and serve customers more effectively if companies adopt conferencing solutions for collaboration across locations. Some businesses are integrating their contact center solutions with their communication systems, enabling high-quality customer service and effective internal collaboration.
Recap
- Time tracking
- AI for recruitment
- Robotic systems
- Total experience apps
