Developing and retaining talent is more important now than perhaps ever for employers. When implemented with the user in mind, technology can play an important role in employee retention, hiring and satisfaction. Research released from TRUCE Software, a leading provider of Contextual Mobility Management (CMM) solutions for businesses, asked workers to weigh in on what that looks like.
About a third (31%) of respondents said enforcing work/life boundaries is the best way employers can attract, retain and empower employees, and one in five (21%) said offering the latest technology is the best way to do so. As labor shortages continue to pinch virtually every industry, employers can gather from these findings a sense for how to use tech as a lever for enhancing the employee experience.
The data also found respondents largely view technology at work favorably. Half believe work-related technology will help them be more productive at work this year and over a third believe it will make them more flexible. That's in line with what TRUCE's study specific to workforce mobility found last year, where 60% of respondents said they believe mobile devices make them more productive on the job.
With the blurred lines between work and personal life being a recurring theme in the data, the challenges associated with technology at work can't be overlooked. Respondents expressed a desire for more policies to protect work/life balance, and roughly a quarter said having to always be connected was their biggest concern with work technology.
As for who is responsible for managing the blurred lines between work and personal life, a surprisingly high 43% of respondents said they believe it is solely their responsibility. A generational difference in opinion also emerged in response to this question. People over 45 believe it is a personal responsibility and younger people see it more commonly as a responsibility of their employer.
"Technology at work has incredible benefits but its challenges must also be addressed if employers want to attract and hold on to their people," said Joe Boyle, TRUCE CEO. "Empowering the workforce with the best technology has to offer, especially as more work processes become digitized, is important to the overall employee experience. Technology has the power to provide choice, increase productivity, enhance safety and help establish work/life balance when it's implemented with the user in mind."
