Is technology friend or foe to human engagement at work?

When you need a hug, do you think, “Where’s the tech for that?” You’re more likely looking for a trusted friend, colleague, family member (or pet!) than a robot.  

 

It’s interesting that technology is so often a centerpiece of conversations about employee engagement. We latch onto a shiny new app, or roll out a new ERP module, and expect the employee experience to magically improve.

 

It’s not that technology doesn’t play a role. It certainly does. But the focus needs to start with the human element, so that when we do invest in technology we harness it in a helpful way and truly improve employee engagement.  

 

More than ever, employees are taking stock of their lives and how work fits into it. Burnout is at an all-time high. Employees are demanding change. They’re questioning their employers’ mission and values. As so many of us have seen firsthand, an enormous number of people are jumping ship if their job no longer aligns with their career goals and personal beliefs.

 

Is it more than just a job? 

 

Thousands of employers partner with us here at Jellyvision. And we’re hearing one theme loud and clear: company leaders are facing fundamental questions about their employment value proposition right now. They’re asking us what their people are looking for from the employee-employer relationship.

 

At Jellyvision, we focus on one aspect of the employment value proposition: benefits. Every single one of our customers truly wants their employees to appreciate and use the benefits available to them. And for good reason: benefits make up 30 percent of an employer’s total compensation costs, an enormous expense.  

 

And yet 56 percent of employees aren’t taking advantage of all the benefits available to them. That’s a lot of investment down the drain: C-suite leaders say 53 percent of their healthcare spending is wasted due to employee confusion.   

 

Why? Is it because people don’t care about their benefits? That’s definitely not true: 85 percent of people said benefits are a critical component when they’re deciding whether to accept a job offer.  

 

But they’re not always easy to understand. Navigating benefits is a complicated maze, from ever-changing government regulations to plan design updates and endless acronyms and jargon.

 

To overcome this challenge, many employers invest in – you guessed it – more technology. In an effort to give employees the benefits information they so desperately need, we lean on tech to send those emails (most of which go unread), host those town halls (where most people have cameras off and aren’t even paying attention), or craft those Powerpoint presentations (there’s even an app for that).

 

Despite all that effort, a third of employees have never taken action on their employer’s benefits communications. Never. And we’re talking about health insurance: something that’s important to all of us, especially during a pandemic.  

 

Our intentions are good, but our approach has been off

 

This year we asked employees across the US how they’d most like to learn about the benefits available to them. Their response? They want a one-on-one conversation with an HR rep. And that makes sense, right? Your employees know and trust your HR team, and they want personalized, human advice that will help them navigate the benefits landscape to get the best outcomes for their family. No barrage of emails, no matter how personalized, can substitute for that.  

 

But even the best HR teams can’t be available 24/7, in all the moments when employees actually need guidance – when their child breaks a leg during a soccer game and they suddenly need an in-network emergency room, or at midnight when they’re finally making that chiropractor appointment and need to know what’s covered by insurance. That’s where the right technology, such as a benefits engagement platform, can help.  

 

That kind of technology is available when your HR team isn’t, or when an employee doesn’t actually want to talk to someone. Especially in the healthcare arena, many employees hesitate to share openly – like when they’re trying to have a baby, or are struggling with depression, or are concerned about a recent diagnosis that may affect their ability to work. These are highly sensitive, complex situations that are difficult to share. Maybe it’s true that no one could guide them better than someone on your HR team, but they can’t help if people aren’t comfortable asking for it.

 

So what can you do? When employees may not trust you enough to directly share sensitive information, technology is an excellent channel to facilitate open, authentic communication. It gives them an outlet to talk to someone (or something – robot hug, anyone?) in a confidential manner, whenever they need to.  

 

This is how we should be harnessing the power of technology. It keeps the human relationship at the center, building trust and facilitating two-way communication (listening before talking).

 

And it’s trustworthy and personalized to the needs and context of each person, meeting them where they are.  

 

The way forward: employee engagement technology that works for everyone

 

If your approach to improving employee engagement starts with technology that blasts all of the things to all of the employees in all of the ways at all of the times, it will fail. It doesn’t matter if it’s a shiny new app. Technology can help, but not if it doesn’t facilitate a two-way relationship between employee and employer.  

 

Put your humans and their unique needs and values first. What do they want from you as their employer? How can you use technology to build a safe space, where employees feel comfortable and empowered to share with you as much as you share with them? 

 

This is more than just a job for your employees. Technology can never replace the powerful connections that they form with each other. But when used in a constructive way, technology can support those relationships. And for us as employers, it strengthens the employee experience – and ultimately, our employment value proposition.  

 

It’s the future we’re building here at Jellyvision, and we hope you’ll join us.

 

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By Dana Hamerschlag, Chief Operating Officer, Jellyvision