When most people think about the components of strong internal comms, an effective digital employee experience (DEX) infrastructure is hardly the first thing that comes to mind. However, great DEX, focused on minimizing friction and IT roadblocks, is essential to executing internal communications plans.
Accessibility is key to executing internal communications. If multiple channels of communication are regularly undergoing maintenance or are affected by bugs and other technical issues, they're rendered useless. This not only breaks down communications across the org but also creates digital friction and impacts user productivity. Email, intranet, and other on-device and virtual applications such as Teams, Zoom, and project management tools are essential pathways for communicating and collaborating with employees. These important elements in executing daily tasks must run smoothly, and by using the right DEX infrastructure IT can remediate issues quickly, improving accessibility and reliability.
Investing in the right DEX tools can provide analytics and data to measure the success of your communications strategy. These tools can provide valuable insights into employee sentiment, communication preferences, and feedback. These insights mean you're better equipped to tailor internal communications channels and messaging for maximum views and engagement. These insights can also be useful for goal setting and establishing KPIs.
DEX tools are essential for onboarding and upskilling. With 55% of Gen Z graduates in the class of 2023 preferring hybrid or remote jobs, access to training and materials is more important than ever. Enterprise IT infrastructure must support extensive virtual training modules and live simulations while making sure that new hires are informed and connected to their colleagues. This can affect employee satisfaction, success, and ultimately retention.
Additionally, upskilling employees to use AI and other emerging technologies should be a business priority. Companies unwilling to adopt newer technologies run the risk of falling behind their competition, especially in today's hyper-competitive tech market. Investing in the right DEX improves agility and helps in accommodating additions to a company's tech stack. Maximum usage is crucial to a more efficient workplace and maintaining a competitive edge.
The right DEX can help employees adapt to change and maintain well-being. Through today's uncertain times and economic headwinds, change in the workplace is inevitable. Whether it relates to headcount, management, strategy, or even remediating a public crisis issue, ensuring employees are well-informed for smooth adaptation to changes is critical. Reliable channels of communication and productivity that can withstand restructuring and other crisis issues will minimize loss of productivity, motivation, and morale. It's also important for these tools to be functioning 24/7 to accommodate time-zones and support collaboration across global teams so as to not further muddle the blurry work-life balance lines that exist within remote work.
Ultimately, the right DEX tools and IT infrastructure provide the foundation on which a truly effective internal communications strategy can be executed. Essential elements such as onboarding, employee retention, and change management all rely on strong DEX and are essential to unlocking growth and creating value.
