Why a positive digital employee experience can help in attracting and retaining top talent

Recent VMware research reveals that companies providing a positive digital employee experience are more likely to attract and retain top talent.

Positive digital experience

The Digital Employee Experience Report, which surveyed 6,400 employees, HR professionals and IT specialists across 19 countries, also highlights how delivering a positive digital experience to employees can have a major impact on an organisation’s competitive position and revenue growth. This can be achieved by simply providing greater device choice, seamless access to apps or remote work capabilities.

In terms of talent retention, an enhanced employee experience is definitely seen in a positive light. Respondents to the survey revealed that delivering a better digital employee experience meant they were more likely to claim their organisation as:

• having a progressive culture (71%)
• being one of the top places to work (70%)
• providing good work-life balance (69%)

Attracting new talent

On the other hand, when it comes to attracting new talent, significant numbers of job candidates now consider digital employee experience before they apply or accept a position and indeed, almost three quarters agreed that the flexibility of tools they might need to use for work (e.g., technology, apps and devices) would actually influence their decision.

For what organisational performance and growth are concerned, an employee’s ability to access the apps and information they need affects their ability to effectively plan, collaborate and execute. The VMware survey confirmed that providing employees with a seamless digital experience positively impacts business outcomes.

Digital employee experience

One interesting question posed by the survey was about who actually oversees the digital employee experience. It appears that the position typically straddles the responsibilities of two existing functions, namely Information Technology (IT), responsible for the technology, and Human Resources (HR), responsible for workplace culture. The collaboration between IT and HR will be vital for the success of the business.

Other challenges to a digital-first culture include a lack of support from senior leadership in the form of funding and concerns over data security when employees use their personal devices to access confidential organisational data.