A tech stack that fosters employee satisfaction with IT and the company as a whole is crucial in attracting and retaining top talent. A bad tech stack can make it difficult for companies to succeed against competitors, and an outdated tech stack can be confusing or annoying. This can drive your employees to opt for outside tools rather than your organization’s tech stack.
Markets are evolving, and tech stacks that fail to satisfy employee needs while working can hinder employee productivity. As business dependence on technology keeps growing, keeping your tech stack nimble and up-to-date is more important than ever when it comes to employee adoption. Technology keeps evolving, and it is advisable to review your tech stack regularly so that you can tweak it to meet the ever-changing employee needs and encourage them to use your tools.
An efficient tech stack is important when your company’s employees will appreciate it and increase employee loyalty. While most organizations think they have a comprehensive tech stack, there is an increasing trend of employees turning to other programs and resources to do their work. Below we detail five reasons why your employees might be opting for outside resources and how you can reverse this trend.
Poor User Experience
Creating a great user interface (UI) helps your employees achieve their goals as easily as possible and improve their user experience (UX). A user-centered design is an important aspect when considering buying or developing tech stack tools. But most companies commit the error of short-term thinking and decide to minimize costs and efforts on the user experience, driving employees to other tech stacks.
You will only recognize the value of implementing a tech stack your employees love by seeing beyond the now. This requires a clear analysis of the current tech stack and a little forward-thinking. It needs you to consider the costs over the lifetime of the tech stack. It’s this longer-term view which reveals the true value of an optimal UX when it comes to employee satisfaction and subsequent adoption of your tools.
Improving the user experience (UX) of the tech stack deployed across the organization offers benefits beyond those you may be aware of. It is important that you get the UX right, and you can do this by involving employees in the process to ensure that you get a full stack that is easy to use, efficient, and helpful in performing tasks. Making good UX a priority will not only eliminate the need for outside resources, but it will also increase employee productivity.
Old Habits Die Hard
Old habits die hard, which is true when it comes to employees opting to use tools they are used to. Employees might be reluctant to embrace the new or recently updated software and keep working with a version they are comfortable with. This might have scant information about the benefits of adopting your tech stack. But how can you reverse this?
Keep it simple. Ensure your tech stack is easy to use, since the easier it is to use, the quicker it is to adopt. Employees hate wasting time on tools requiring complex commands as it feels unproductive and takes them from real work. So select a simple tech stack that is easily accessible, and more employees will adapt to it.
Involve your employees from the start. People fear changing their habits just because it means losing a piece of their identity. Including your employees from the start and doing trials before adopting your tech stack is crucial for successful adoption. Employees need to feel they have control and autonomy over their work and your tech stack aligns with their sense of purpose.
Create a space for feedback. To help change your employee habits can be as simple as being open and positive to employee feedback about your tech stack. Make your employees understand that you will listen to them when they share their suggestions about how you can improve your tech stack. Create spaces for honest feedback about your tool and respond to the concerns they raise. This makes it easier for your employees to embrace your tech stack and help in employee retention.
Inadequate Training on New Software
Adequate training, not just training per se, can help employees understand your tech stack and the benefits it can offer them. Employee adoption of your tech stack depends on their relative experience, interest, and familiarity with your tools. Ask your employees if they have specific training needs and customize your training sessions to cater to their learning needs.
Tailor-made training will ensure your employees understand your software and become more willing to use it over outside resources. Make sure to give your employees enough room to test out your tech stack so that they can get comfortable using it. Communicate to them how your company’s tech stack will make their work lives better and support their training to ensure they get as much out of it as you’ve promised.
The Inconvenience of the Tech Stack
Employees value convenience when using the software as this makes their work easier and more enjoyable. Employees might prefer using outside resources if they feel it is more convenient than your tech stack. Designing a tech stack that is convenient for them will increase the likelihood that they will switch to using your company’s tech stack.
Inflexible Tech Stack
Is your current tech stack flexible? A flexible tech stack means that your employees will be more willing to use it since it can deliver rapid, enhanced results. Employees value the ability to achieve their goals while using software that is adaptable to their unique needs. By adopting a flexible task that works at every level, you can ensure your employees remain loyal to your software and eliminate the need to use other tools.
As a company, ensuring your employees embrace your tech stack and use it in their everyday tasks can increase their loyalty to you and help you retain top talent. Entrance can help you achieve this outcome by guiding you through the whole journey from requirements, selection, implementation, and integration.
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