News in the Channel - issue #39

DIGITAL EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE

In these uncertain economic times, businesses look to become more productive. Increasingly, the digital employee experience (DEX) is recognised as an important part of achieving this. “The DEX isn’t just a nice-to-have – it’s a make-or-break factor for productivity, morale and even staff retention,” says Boom Collaboration co-founder Holli Hulett. “If employees are stuck with clunky tools, low-quality endpoints or frustrating tech, their engagement and efficiency takes a hit. A poor DEX doesn’t just slow people down, it creates a ripple effect. Remote meetings drag because people aren’t seen or heard clearly. IT teams get bogged down with preventable support issues.” Oliver Ridley, chief product and technology officer at Haiilo, says DEX is now business critical. “The modern workplace has become too complex,” he explains. “People spend more time navigating systems than doing meaningful work, and that drains productivity and morale. When tools are fragmented, employees feel overwhelmed. When work flows smoothly, they feel focused, valued and able to contribute at their best.” David Popay, lead consultant at Apogee digital services, says that as it becomes the norm for everyday businesses to run on data rather than intuition, the DEX has become a fundamental part of measuring performance. “We rely on devices and platforms in almost every facet of our working day – so when they fail, they create friction that inevitably impacts productivity, service levels and morale,” he says. “In this data driven era, this is not an issue that can be confined to the IT team. There are few departments that won’t rely on these devices – not to mention those who aren’t based in-office. The Office for National Statistics has found that about 40% of UK workers are remote or hybrid, and their performance needs to be quantified like any other.

“Employee experience isn’t a vague, holistic value anymore. It’s directly tied to business performance. Without guaranteed access to the tools and support that enable them to perform, even relatively small frustrations can have a disproportionate impact on day-to-day output.”

What makes a good DEX Sof Socratous, head of Logitech for Business Europe, says a good DEX feels consistent and intuitive. “People should be able to move between locations and spaces without having to waste time troubleshooting or feeling disadvantaged depending on where they end up working from,” he says. “It should support productivity in a way that feels natural, while also making collaboration easy and equitable. “That can be as simple as having the right personal tools in place. For example, reliable wireless peripherals like keyboards and mice create a more comfortable, consistent setup wherever someone is working. “That also means going beyond individual devices and designing the whole environment to work together. Personal workspaces need to be comfortable and consistent, meeting rooms need high-quality audio and video so conversations flow naturally and booking systems need to be simple and reliable so employees can access the spaces they need without frustration.

People spend more time navigating systems than doing meaningful work, and that drains productivity and morale. “ ”

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