Is Technology the Friend or Foe of Human Engagement at Work?

Jellyvision is a Business Reporter client.

Employers are scrambling to build trust and improve human connections within their workforces. Technology can make it or break it.

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 to 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. And 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 in the employee-employer relationship.

At Jellyvision, we focus on one aspect of the employment value proposition: benefits. Every one of our customers wants their employees to appreciate and use the benefits available to them. And for good reason: In the US, benefits comprise 31% of an employer’s total compensation costs, an enormous expense.

Yet 56% of employees aren’t taking advantage of all the benefits available to them—and that’s a lot of investment down the drain. C-suite leaders say 53% of their health care spending is wasted, primarily due to employee confusion.

It’s not because people don’t care about their benefits; 85% of people say 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 updates and endless acronyms and jargon.

To overcome this challenge, many employers invest in 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 virtual town halls (where most people have cameras off and aren’t paying attention) and craft those presentations (there’s an app for that).

Despite all that effort, a third of employees have never taken action on their employer’s benefits communications. And we’re talking about health insurance—something 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.

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 need critical guidance—like 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 when the right technology, such as a benefits engagement platform, can help.

That technology is available when your HR team isn’t, or when an employee doesn’t want to talk to anyone. Especially in the health care arena, many employees hesitate to share challenges openly—such as when they’re trying to have a baby, 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 can guide them better than someone on your HR team—but they can’t offer help if people aren’t comfortable asking for it.

So, what can you do? When HR is not available or employees are not comfortable directly sharing sensitive personal information, technology is an excellent channel to facilitate open, authentic communication, and enables them to talk to someone in a confidential manner whenever they need to.

This is how we should be harnessing the power of technology—keeping the human relationship at the center, building trust and facilitating two-way communication (listening before talking). Technology needs to be 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 everything to all your employees in all ways, all the time, 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?

Technology can never replace the powerful connections that employees can form with each other. But when used in a constructive way, technology can support those relationships. And for employers, it strengthens the employee experience—and ultimately, the employment value proposition.

We’re building the future here at Jellyvision, and we hope you’ll join us. Learn more.

This article originally appeared in Business Reporter. Image: iStock id1075598798