Employers are searching for the "magic formula" to boost employee engagement. Among the many candidate tools, software platforms and applications are highly anticipated, designed to enhance communication, collaboration, and ultimately engagement.

However, can technology truly improve engagement? Or is it just another shiny new thing? If technology does work, how can companies sift through the vast array of tech tools to find the one that best fits their needs?

Madhura Chakrabarti, leader of employee engagement and people analytics research at Bersin, a Deloitte company, points out that what drives engagement is not the technology tools themselves, but the productivity they enable. She adds that the extent to which employees make progress in their daily work is the biggest predictor of sustained engagement, a conclusion drawn from the Harvard Business Review article "The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work." When employees can work efficiently on a regular basis, they develop positive feelings about their jobs.

When considering how to use technology to reduce engagement deficits, Chakrabarti emphasizes that the key is not just how much progress technology can bring, but whether it can eliminate the factors that hinder engagement.

Improving engagement through better communication

For Weight Watchers International, the obstacle was this: its 18,000 employees worldwide lacked a simple, reliable way to communicate with colleagues at their work locations and across the organization.

"We knew from employee surveys that there were silos," said Stacie Sherer, senior vice president of corporate communications at Weight Watchers. "The word 'silo' isn't even accurate enough; there were divides between certain groups within the organization." With corporate employees separated from field employees, compounded by geographic gaps, the company could neither bring employees together in person nor had the technology to bridge the divide.

This disconnect ran counter to the company's culture—rooted in weight management services, its foundation lay in fostering a sense of community. "We needed and wanted to operate with a global mindset," Sherer said. Although Weight Watchers already had some technology platforms, the experience was not seamless.

The company also wanted to encourage employees to increase interaction in internal communications—such as emojis, comments, and shares—which were difficult to achieve in existing email systems.

Sherer said the company followed multiple criteria when selecting technology tools: the software needed a simple process for employee interaction and had to be intuitive and easy to use. The company also sought a mobile-friendly app so that most employees could connect via mobile devices from locations outside corporate offices, such as brand retail stores, meeting places, and community centers.

Ultimately, Weight Watchers deployed Workplace by Facebook—a collaboration platform similar to the familiar Facebook but designed specifically for businesses. Sherer explained that Facebook is based on friendships, while Workplace is based on groups, so employees at the same location receive content, information, and updates related to that group. "It's an opportunity to make the employee experience more personalized," she said. Although 74% of Workplace groups at Weight Watchers are related to teams or projects, other groups form around shared interests, including running enthusiasts, parents, and health and wellness groups.

After Workplace by Facebook launched in January 2018, a three-month survey showed significant results: 72% of employees agreed or strongly agreed that Workplace helped them connect with their goals, and 66% agreed or strongly agreed that Workplace helped them build stronger connections with colleagues.

Key to choosing the right technology for your company

Jim Johnson, senior vice president of technology at Robert Half, said that from communication and collaboration platforms like Workplace to gamification, performance management, and employee recognition tools, companies are purchasing products that help employees feel more engaged. "When we survey CIOs, 20% of respondents say that after hiring, they are investing in new technology to drive customer and employee engagement. Does it work? Absolutely. Where to start? It depends on your business," he said. He advises against "flavor-of-the-month" purchases and instead suggests finding what works for your organization.

Johnson noted that gamification software can make activities that teams find tedious more fun, but if employees are dispersed and need face-to-face interaction, communication platforms may have a greater impact. He also suggested that companies should open up bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies. Although companies need to consider the inherent security risks of BYOD, they can find apps that all employees can use. For example, a dispersed team could connect through a fitness app, building cohesion through activities like water-drinking challenges.

Before diving into the many available tools, Chakrabarti advises leaders to consider the following questions:

  • Will this help my employees do their jobs?
  • Am I removing obstacles?
  • Am I using technology to make tedious tasks easier to accomplish?

She asked, "If I know my employees spend a lot of time filling out expense reports, timesheets, and booking travel, how can I use technology to reduce that time by 50%, or speed up the tasks they need to complete?"

Chakrabarti emphasized that leaders should clarify the goal of implementing tools: "Are you solving for a better employee experience? What do you need to go from good to great?" Next, assess the organization's readiness for change: form a change management committee and conduct assessments to identify the organization's adoption mindset.

"Behavior must change along with technology," Johnson said. Even after technology is implemented, leaders still need to guide employees on how to interact with one another.

Measuring success

When Weight Watchers implemented Workplace, Sherer said she could see the difference in engagement through surveys and anecdotes. Johnson suggested that other organizations can do the same, taking measurements before and after the project. "We increased revenue, increased the number of customers, and improved customer conversion rates," he said. He also recommended looking for anecdotal evidence of non-performance improvements.

"As the process progressed, we found that engaged employees were more likely to share ideas and openly discuss challenges," Johnson said. Technology cannot solve a company's engagement problems, but if applied effectively, it can serve as a tool—alongside committed leadership and ongoing cultural guidance—to play a positive role.