How Tech Is Helping Businesses Attract the Right People

The past decade has seen a dramatic shift to remote working, especially due to the pandemic forcing many companies to allow their employees to work remotely. This, in turn, has opened the talent pool to a global stage. Finding the right people in such a huge pool can be challenging. 

Let us take a closer look at the ways technology is attracting and retaining great employees, how the culture of a business is built by the technology used and the pros and cons of using tech in the workplace. 

How Technology Is Attracting and Retaining Employees

Technology can attract and retain employees in a vast number of ways. From enhancing employee flexibility to greater speed and communication within your team, technology is essential to finding and keeping the right talent for your company. 

It is firstly important to recognize that the landscape of work has shifted significantly in the previous decade — what used to attract the older generation of employees may no longer be the case for the upcoming generations. 

Millennial and Gen Z workers are digitally fluent generations and have been using technology in academic, professional, and social environments for many years. Many born in the Gen Z generation are even considered digital natives, having been born in a time when digital technology was all around them, from home to school and now to work. Demonstrating from the offset that your business understands the importance of technology and utilizes it efficiently is a great starting point for attracting younger workers. 

One of the most well-known trends that sprung from the Great Resignation during the COVID-19 pandemic was that workers were fundamentally looking for a more satisfactory work-to-life balance and were happy to leave or deny jobs that did not fulfill this need. 

Not only did the pandemic force people to work from home, but now with COVID-19 restrictions lifted, people still want to work from home. They are valuing the flexibility that comes with working from home, which is impossible without technology. Companies that do not adapt to this shift in thinking and update their ways accordingly may fall behind and lose out on attracting and retaining the talent they need. 

Technology streamlines processes from the get-go and provides a greater level of efficiency throughout all levels of a company. This fundamentally offers flexibility and speed to employees when it comes to hiring, training, onboarding, and communication within teams. 

There is no denying that technology radically increases the speed with which work is carried out, so demonstrating that your business runs with flexibility and speed is a key component of attracting talented workers.

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How Technology Is Building Culture in the Workplace

Branding your business with a known and healthy culture is more important than ever. Employees no longer feel satisfied working for a faceless brand that does not engage with their values. People value a company that cares about its employee’s well-being and want to feel like a valued member of the team. Building company culture is an essential part of this. 

Technology that focuses on developing and highlighting how an organization gives back to a community helps businesses to grow their own personal legacy which will also attract employees in the longer term. 

Community-focused technology can create customized programs that efficiently represent each business’ personal values. These programs can develop the business’ personal branding and PR plans with insight into new business ventures and networks, as well as create custom culture programs that work to embed a healthy work culture into the business from the get-go. 

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The Pros and Cons of Using Tech in the Workplace

There are both advantages and disadvantages to using tech in the workplace. Despite the disadvantages, it should be acknowledged that all business sectors are heading towards digitalization and that denying the reality of that could end up harming your business in the long term. 

There are multiple advantages of using technology in the workplace. One of the main and most obvious is the ease of use and speed that using technology provides. Computers with sophisticated and updated software have been found to make work drastically easier and quicker than in previous years, which leaves more room for businesses to center scaling and flexibility. 

Technology also, as highlighted previously, allows for remote working. The talent pool is undoubtedly global, with remote workers only needing a laptop or computer and Wi-Fi connection to complete work that previously had to be done in the office.

Technology such as Zoom and Teams allow workers to connect despite location and again speed up the process of getting work completed. As a result, the need for in-person meetings dramatically decreases. 

Communication is massively important to any business. Technology is a major element in the effectiveness and efficiency of communication from department to department and from high levels to lower-level employees. Zoom and Teams undoubtedly help in video conferencing. But in Team, you can also set up virtual teams and send messages quickly no matter where you are. This way, everyone can stay connected.

It should be noted that, like all things, maintaining top-quality technology can be costly. Investments into technology platforms should be made according to budget and with a complete understanding of how the technology operates and will provide value to your business. 

It is also possible that the ‘human’ aspect of a business or job role can be lost. If technology software takes the place of human employees, that can sometimes backfire, particularly when it comes to customer satisfaction. 

The personal element of business should never be lost or swept under the rug, particularly as technology becomes increasingly advanced. With meetings and interviews being held by video, it can be easy to see how human interaction is being limited. However, companies that fall behind the ongoing improvements in technology and don’t implement them in the workplace will be left behind. Instead, technology should be wielded effectively alongside the right talent within your team to create the best outcome. 

How are you leveraging technology to attract and retain talent? Let us know on FacebookOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , and LinkedInOpens a new window . 

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