With a turbulent labor market and occupational burnout on the rise, it’s no surprise that businesses across numerous sectors are struggling to keep employees at their desks.
Termed the “Great Resignation,” workers are leaving in droves and companies are struggling to reduce employee turnover. While pundits argue over the cause of this mass exodus, businesses are left with the practical task of increasing morale and keeping their workforce engaged.
Microsoft has a variety of tools that can increase productivity, reduce unnecessary stress, and help retain employees. Let’s look at a few applications and some benefits to using these powerful programs.
Embrace Hybrid and Remote Work
According to PwC, "12% of office workers have moved more than 50 miles away from their company's core office location since the pandemic began, and another 22% are considering following suit."
Hybrid work is becoming the norm, and employees are increasingly valuing flexibility. Working from home even a few days a week leads to more relaxed employees, lower fuel expenditures, and a smaller carbon footprint. Most workers no longer have patience for stressful daily commutes. With these factors in mind, businesses that cater to the hybrid lifestyle will reduce employee turnover and maintain a happier, more content staff.
Microsoft Teams for Remote Work
You can count on Microsoft Teams to leverage telework and keep your workforce connected, even when they’re fully remote. For example, you can streamline project management with regular meetings and a list of relevant channels. Create a “planner” tab to focus on future assignments and broadcast important deadlines well ahead of time.
Use chat and call features to communicate and collaborate with ease. When it comes to procurement or inventory management, employees can securely share documents and files in mere moments.
Group employees by region, department, or project and let Microsoft Teams do the heavy lifting with a host of dynamic and easy-to-use features.
Prioritize Employee Experience
If you want to reduce employee turnover, it pays to concentrate on the broad category of employee experience—an employee's attitude toward their work, their ideological alignment, work-life balance, and their comfort at the office.
Many businesses are so focused on their customers that they neglect to invest time, money, and energy into their own workforce. Improve employee experience with a more welcoming in-office environment. This could include perks like free lunch on Fridays, dog-friendly offices, or relaxed dress codes.
Even after making these in-person changes, you’ll need to get creative to tackle employee turnover. Integrative technology is the natural next step. Every dollar you invest in your current employees is a dollar you may save on recruiting, hiring, and training a new employee down the line.
Discontent employees are much likelier to move to another company or even pivot to another industry. Reduce employee turnover with an affordable investment in these flexible Microsoft tools.
Microsoft Viva for Employee Experience Management
Powered by Viva Insights, Microsoft Viva takes a holistic and data-driven approach to employee experience. Real-time information on employee behavior like frequent after-hours work, limited use of PTO, or imbalanced group work gives managers actionable opportunities to improve employee experience.
Viva Insights for individuals collates information on work habits and creates opportunities to increase health and general wellbeing throughout the team. In order to set healthy boundaries, employees can easily block off time on their calendars so they will not be bothered with alerts and notifications. Your employees will also have access to meditation apps, mood surveys, and analytics to boost time management.
Managers can rely on Viva Insights for management to maximize organization, cut down on unnecessary meetings, address company-wide wellbeing metrics, and augment team cohesion, among many other functions.
For example, managers can track how often employees are communicating about certain projects and gain a better understanding of the interpersonal dynamics of their team. View overtime hours and unused PTO to determine which employees might be in danger of burnout and offer them individualized attention.
Improve Your Onboarding Process
Positive employee experience starts before new hires even step foot in the office. Onboarding can be a “make-or-break” moment that sets the tone for a working relationship. If a new employee is subjected to redundant, outdated, or impersonal training, it immediately creates an unwelcome environment that lends itself to low retention rates.
Even if your company relies on remote online training, streamline your onboarding process and make a good first impression. Retain qualified talent by making employees feel at home and helping them focus on their job without needless distraction.
Related Content: How to Create an Employee Onboarding App with Power Apps
Microsoft Sharepoint for Employee Onboarding
Sharepoint can be a great tool for your HR team to improve your onboarding process. Efficiently manage thousands of files and provide relevant information to new hires in seconds. Use a simple document search developed by Aerie Consulting to organize and identify files in an otherwise cumbersome directory.
For example, your HR staff can seamlessly send pertinent files to new hires. This includes paperwork, tax documents, and training materials. Rather than wasting valuable time searching for the correct documentation, your HR team can set up new talent for success from day one.
The bottom line is: Sharepoint provides a streamlined onboarding process that improves employee experience and helps new hires feel more connected to your company. With a team of fulfilled employees, you will retain valuable talent and increase productivity.
Final Thoughts
Management teams across the world are getting creative to keep their workforce happy and reduce employee turnover. As more industries pivot to hybrid or remote models, it's vital to lean on cutting-edge technology to modernize your business and avoid a costly rotating door of hiring and rehiring.
Focus on key areas of employee experience like work-life balance, simplified communication, and the onboarding process. Microsoft provides easy-to-use tools that address employee concerns in real-time and diminish the need for expensive internal audits.
If you want to leverage technological tools to preserve your valuable workforce, check out this free and informative employee experience guide.
