The rise of the use of mobile coupled with the digital workplace has transformed the employee experience, and organizations are prioritizing mobile in their corporate strategy more than ever. In the past, a mobile strategy would be a secondary thought in strategy sessions, and mobile would have to adapt to the way apps worked on larger devices. Now, the way employees interact with their mobile phones is at the forefront of the user journey and digital workplace strategy. In this blog, we'll go over 5 ways that a mobile-first approach makes the employee experience better.
1. Smoother Recruiting and Onboarding
Having a mobile-first approach can make the employee experience enjoyable from the moment they first interact with your company. When applying for a role at your organization, are they able to easily do so on mobile apps such as LinkedIn, or save their application and come back to it? The way you approach recruiting can deeply impact the talent you attract, so it's important to make it a great experience from the get-go.
Continue this trend by offering a smooth onboarding experience. Many organizations now employ virtual or hybrid onboarding, and this can be a great opportunity to make employees feel welcome on their first day. With an employee app, new-hires can easily access FAQs about the company, training sessions, resources and even technical support when needed. A branded app makes the journey more familiar, helps employees connect more seamlessly with the organization, and provides the tools & resources that set them up for success in their new role. It's an exciting way for an eager and motivated employee to get started on the right note.
2. Centralize Corporate Communications
When a company has a digital workplace strategy that prioritizes mobile, it allows all employees to be connected in one hub, creating a community. Providing an internal feed for employees to access company news and events ensures information equity, no matter which office you're in. Having a mobile app also increases accessibility to work material and therefore enables a connected lifestyle. By allowing employees to use a single sign-on (SSO), it facilitates all forms of work from in-office to remote, so they don't have to wait until they have the right device to access their work.
This also means simplifying the employee tech stack by having everything they need on a mobile hub. On an employee app, integrations are key to a smooth experience. This includes marketing and software technologies such as Microsoft Exchange and G Suite, to social media platforms such as LinkedIn and Facebook. Make it a truly frictionless experience by offering collaboration tools such as Zoom, indoor mapping to facilitate indoor navigation and desk booking in the office and by connecting to nearby office amenities so employees can order their breakfast sandwich in-app.
3. Support Wellness in the Workplace
Having an employee app is a great opportunity to promote wellness in the workplace. Many of your employees spend so much of their time on the screen and on their phones, so why not take that opportunity to remind them to take care of themselves? Introduce polls that serve as employee check-ins, include self-care reminders in company-wide news feeds and allow employees to set notifications when wellness-related content is added to the app.
A mobile hub is a great place to host mental health and wellness workshops, since it easily integrates with collaboration tools like Teams or Zoom. Company initiatives related to promoting meditation or healthy eating can also be a key way to create a space for employees to connect with each other and share fitness tips or recipes. With that, the mobile app serves as an opportunity to reduce stress in the workplace by allowing employees to quickly clear emails before starting work, always be able to communicate with their team in case of any issues, or plan their week ahead during their morning commute.
4. Increase Employee Engagement
Providing opportunities for employees to engage with each other is another way of improving their day-to-day experience. With a workplace app, a centralized news feed allows employees to engage with content from across the organization, even with teams and colleagues they don't typically get to interact with. They can take part in polls, or surveys, which is an easy way of collecting feedback and ensuring that staff feel that their voices are heard.
Employees can also share content to company Slack channels, from pet photos and employee shout-outs to interesting podcasts and cool new innovations in the industry. When employees are fully engaged in the workplace and can easily do so on one platform without jumping back and forth between apps, it fuels innovation and creativity and increases employee satisfaction. As employees are happier in the workplace they become an ambassador for your company, sharing their amazing experiences with their peers outside of the organization.
5. Improve the In-Office Experience
Whether it's an employee's first time visiting the office, or they're just used to working hybrid, a mobile app can facilitate the office experience and make it easier than ever. Before they even get to the office, employee apps like Inpixon's campus app allow employees to book a desk or conference room ahead of time, so they're in control of their day. They can choose the exact desk they want, the time frame they need it for and decide if they'd like to be near the office kitchen or nearest washroom. They can even order their coffee ahead of time to pick up once they arrive or book an afternoon gym session.
To add, when the app includes indoor navigation, employees can spend less time finding their space and more time being productive. This tool is also useful for visitors, who can easily navigate to the room they need to find, or the desk of the person who invited them, and order lunch in the app without ever having been to the office before.
Mobile-First Puts the Employee First
For a while, customers were always the number one priority. But it's been proven now that happy employees create happy customers - so why not invest in them? A digital workplace strategy that focuses on mobile is an effective way to improve the employee experience, increase their satisfaction and reduce turnover. Ready to take the leap towards digital transformation? Learn more about our employee experience platform or contact us today.