Empathy is a dish best served warm, and yet time and again People Teams are at the mercy of working with antiquated technologies that leave their employee population feeling cold, confused and unsupported. Your talented humans are turned off by the, “It’s the way we’ve always done things,” approach when it comes to getting the support they need from your team when they need it most. This is why People Ops pros are turning to technology with a human touch and are reaping the benefits.
People Teams that embrace empathetic technologies demonstrate that the humans they support are more than just an organizational resource resigned to being treated like a cog in the proverbial machine. You understand that employees are people with real-people problems that require human-centric support, so the sooner your org embraces that every touch point that occurs with their people is a potential make-or-break experience, the brighter your team will shine.
What is empathetic technology?
Empathetic technology is a broad term with a specific purpose, to ensure that a user’s journey with a given product or process is as focused on a positive experience as it is a completed result. Empathy mapping is a popular technique that product designers use to ensure that not only is their solution capable of achieving their end goal, but that it’s doing so in a way that evokes understanding and awareness of the end user’s feelings, thoughts and experiences throughout their interaction.
By getting rid of archaic technology and processes, employers are giving their employees what they’ve been asking for over and over, to be treated and viewed as people, not exhaustible resources.
Why are People Teams turning to empathetic technology?
Proactive People Teams see empathetic tech as an opportunity to bring to light the amazing work that they’re doing every day. By improving the employee experience when relying on their employer for support, satisfaction and engagement increase see a noticeable uptick.
Empathy in the workplace is a critical factor for employees to feel like they can trust their employer, so with empathy comes engagement, and with engagement comes productivity. According to Gallup, highly engaged teams are 21% more productive than teams with low engagement.
People Teams can be bottom-line heroes by using empathetic technology to deliver big results for their organization. Payroll concerns, leave of absence management, and reporting of inappropriate work behavior are just some of the instances where empathy plays a major role in operational efficacy. If an employee isn’t feeling supported on the most human of levels then their workplace satisfaction can dip significantly and it may cause them to walk out the door. In some cases, they may have grounds to file legal action against your organization.
The larger the organization, the more difficult it is to convey empathy equally for all employees on an individual level, yet doing so remains vital to leading an organization effectively. Efficient technology with an empathetic bent can free up your time as a People Ops pro to focus on other key initiatives to improve your employee experience even further.
Companies that are focused solely on technology that gets employees to complete a task from A to B are realizing that these antiquated methods for doing things are turning their workforce motivation to dust. When employees feel their employer is operating with an empathetic approach they’re more likely to feel understood, respected and trust that leadership has their best interest in mind.
How to incorporate empathetic tech?
The first step to embracing the empathetic tech mindset is to do an honest audit of your existing programs and processes. It might take asking some tough questions about the way you do things today, and having honest dialogue with leadership about all of the benefits that come along with being more empathetic as described above.
For example, if an employee’s maternity leave suddenly turns into a bereavement leave, are they dialing your carrier’s 1-800 number to get guidance from an automated robotic menu of options? Or are they met with the personal touch and support of a more modern LOA management solution that conveys to them you understand the traumatic experience they are going through?
Eliminating unempathetic technology from your suite of software will position your team to trim the fat of costly, ineffective tools, while boosting employee productivity, reducing turnover, and keeping potential lawsuits at bay.
About Tilt
Tilt is leading the charge in all things leave of absence management through easy-to-use tech and human touch. Since 2017, our proprietary platform and Empathy Warriors have been helping customers make leave not suck by eliminating administrative burdens, keeping companies compliant, and providing a truly positive and supportive leave of absence experience for their people.
