Digital tools top factor in employee satisfaction

Job satisfaction increases when workers can use mobile apps to further develop their careers, but just half of employers are doing a good job at providing such digital tools, according to Randstad US’ study, Workplace 2025: The Post-Digital Frontier.

Only 42 percent of the more than 800 C-suite leaders and department heads who were polled for the study either completely or strongly agree that they are restructuring their HR departments or revising their strategies to leverage digital and mobile tools, and of those, just over half (51 percent) say they are highly or very effective at doing so.

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“Our survey findings serve as a wake-up call to business leaders that their overall digital readiness could make or break them, as the digitally-driven expectations and needs of the modern workforce have changed,” says Jim Link, chief human resources officer, Randstad North America.

The survey also polled nearly 3,000 workers on how they felt about HR digital tools within their workplace, as well as how well their employers were meeting some their personal needs – and how digital tools fit within that, as described in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

At the bottom of that hierarchy are certain basic physical needs, but workers rate the availability of technology above other needs – including having access to clean bathrooms. When asked to rank the importance of the physical aspects of their workplace, workers named:

• Work computer/laptop/device (75 percent)
• Fast internet and Wi-Fi (68 percent)
• Office space/cubicle space (55 percent)
• Air conditioning and heating (47 percent)
• Office chair (31 percent)
• Clean bathrooms (24 percent)

When meeting psychological needs in the workplace, “feeling equipped with the latest digital and technology skills” was among the top factors cited for job satisfaction, followed by “savings or financial assistance programs” such as 401(k) plans, tuition reimbursement programs and “vacation.”

Moreover, the majority of workers say they believe every job requires technology expertise today (60 percent); they want to acquire new digital skills in order to further their career (55 percent); and they are excited about the potential for technology to create new career opportunities for themselves (51 percent).

However, less than half of workers (45 percent) say their employers encourage skill development, and only one third agree their employers offer them ample opportunities to acquire digital skills with training or on-the-job learning.

Self-fulfillment needs – the highest level on Maslow’s list, are best achieved in the workplace when people can connect with others. When asked to name what impacted their sense of belonging at work, 72 percent of the respondents say face-to-face interactions with their bosses.

“By ensuring the digital needs of employees are met on the basic and psychological levels at work, employers set the stage for better mentoring and leadership in the workplace, as the time and energy technology saves in day-to-day job functions frees employees’ time to make more meaningful connections with one another,” Link says.