Employee experience (EX) is top of mind for today’s companies. As we detailed in our report “Why EX? Why Now?” investments in EX yield both tangible and intangible business results such as reduced recruiting costs, lower attrition, higher employee work performance, and increased discretionary effort. The question still remains, though:

What elements should businesses focus on to create a better employee experience?

Today, we’re excited to publish two pieces of research aimed at helping organizations make substantive improvements in the employee experience. The first report, “Introducing Forrester’s Employee Experience Index,” identifies three main factors that contribute to employee engagement: empowerment, inspiration, and enablement. And the second report, “The Employee Experience Technology Ecosystem,” analyzes the variety of technologies that impact employees’ daily journeys and identifies the ones that have the greatest impact on EX.

The Scope Of EX Technology Is Broader Than Most People Think

Yes, it includes core HR-focused technologies such as learning and development platforms and performance management software, but it also includes the day-to-day technologies that employees use to accomplish their work, such as devices, cloud services, and identity and access management solutions. Our report categorizes these two sets of technologies into two groups:

  • Systems of work technologies help employees get work done. These technologies enable employees to communicate, collaborate, and complete their day-to-day tasks. Because they sit at the forefront of daily productivity, they often represent the biggest opportunity for firms that want to improve employee experience. Examples include digital workspaces, enterprise content management, and authentication systems.
  • Systems of support technologies help organizations nurture, monitor, and grow employees. These technologies help optimize the employee experience and encompass a wide array of tools, including performance management, voice-of-the-employee platforms, and employee wellness solutions. Systems of support often improve elements of EX that lie outside the realm of productivity, such as culture, recognition, or working expectations

We include 19 categories of EX-focused technology in our report, and that doesn’t include subcategories.

With so many different technologies influencing employee experience, how should organizations prioritize and choose technologies to address their EX challenges?

Our report features a heat map for both groups of technology, helping you to identify which technologies will best serve your business. Each organization will vary, but in general, we found that the biggest EX gains come from technology that:

  • Supports day-to-day productivity. This revolves around technologies that help employees get their work done more efficiently and better rank atop the list.
  • Reduces day-to-day strain. These are technologies that uncover barriers to daily productivity, whether they’re cultural, organizational, or technological.

Want to know what the top EX technologies are in both of these areas? Are there other technologies that you find are more beneficial to EX than the ones we’ve included?

Let us know, read our report, and submit an inquiry to Dave Johnson and I if you’d like to discuss more!