Why An Employee Experience App Is Essential To An Agile Workplace

by James McDonald on January 10, 2019
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With new employee expectations, new technology and an evolving global economy, we’re redefining the workplace faster than ever before.

To keep pace with all these changes, workplace leaders around the world plan to adopt at least two new concepts that are relatively uncommon today.

The first is unassigned seating. Fifty-two percent of corporate executives plan to implement at least some level of unassigned seating to promote better space utilization and efficiency, according to CBRE’s 2018 Americas Occupier Survey.

An even greater percentage— 59 percent— plan to add mobile apps that help employees better navigate the workplace and collaborate with each other. In other words, they’re looking for an employee experience app.

What Is An Employee Experience App?

iOFFICE first coined the term with the introduction of the Hummingbird workplace app in 2018, but we aren’t the only company to recognize the need for this.

Put simply, an employee experience app is a digital tool that allows your workforce to find the people, places and resources they need to be productive throughout their day—and access them anywhere.

In this short video, our CMO Elizabeth Dukes talks about how Hummingbird makes it easy.


 

What Are The Benefits Of An Employee Experience App?

The average employee already spends more than half of their day away from their desk.

With a shift toward a more agile workplace, that’s only going to increase. A mobile app gives employees greater control over where and how they work. Imagine you’re an employee with back-to-back meetings throughout the day. In the meantime, you’re trying to finalize the details of an important contract with an impending deadline.

But first you need to confirm a few details with the legal department. You’ve been trying to get in touch with your general counsel all week, and you need an answer today. In the middle of all this, your laptop crashes and you don’t have time to run to the Apple store.

With an employee experience app, you could:

  • Find where your general counsel’s next meeting is scheduled
  • Reserve a nearby room for a quick discussion
  • Request service for your laptop and have someone from IT pick it up
  • Receive notification that your laptop is ready to be be picked up
  • See what’s for lunch in the employee cafeteria…

…all while you’re still in your morning meeting.

Once the meeting wraps up, you can take full advantage of that 15-minute window of opportunity you have to get the answer you need—even pick up a roll of sushi on the way. 

What’s In It For Employers?

Being able to stay connected and easily navigate the workplace is a clear benefit to your workforce, but you might be asking—what’s the return on investment in an employee experience app?

While there’s no definite way to track that, there are a number of advantages that make a workplace app like this worthwhile. The biggest one is access to real-time workplace data.

When an employee experience app connects with an integrated workplace management system (IWMS), you can see how employees are actually using the workplace and make adjustments as needed.

For instance, you can:

Identify underutilized spaces and determine why they aren’t used more

Using an employee experience app and an IWMS together closes the gap between the workforce and workplace leaders, providing an infinite loop of value.

As more companies adopt workplace apps, they’re already becoming more common. However, the term has become so broad it can mean almost anything now—from productivity apps to communication tools. It’s hard to find one that’s all inclusive.

Isn’t it time you tried the employee experience app that started it all (and the one that does it all?) See the Hummingbird EX in action—request a demo today.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James McDonald

James McDonald is a sports enthusiast, brother in Christ and once swam in a tank with the infamous TV sharks.

Capterra Ratings: ★★★★★ 4.5/5