Reward culture and the effect on the employee

Employees learn early on that it pays to be positive in the digital workplace. But, as individuals, no matter how much we say we like our roles, if we weren’t paid to do them, it would be harder to retain us. We live in a reward culture, where every transaction has to pay back to make it worthwhile.

We’re not just talking salaries, we’re talking about every aspect of work life. A coffee machine that dishes out ditch-water will be shunned. One that gives a decent brew in return for a few coins – we’ll, that’s fair. And it’s the same with the content of the work we do. If there’s no reward – enjoyment – for the effort, there’s little motivation to continue.  This simple transaction, effort, and reward, underpins everything. An organization that ignores this at a time when it is trying to change a business process is heading for trouble.

SaaS from the employee’s viewpoint

Implementation of new software is tricky, and many projects fail or deliver only a fraction of their potential. In the vast majority of cases, the software itself is not at fault. The problems stem from inadequate planning, under-resourcing and from failing to consider the perspective of the employee. The vital question – ‘What’s in it for me?’ – hasn’t been answered, and this is madness when SaaS applications have the capacity to make tasks easier, improve communications and smooth workflow.

By failing to ‘sell’ the benefits, business leaders make it even more unlikely that their employees and their operation will see the desired outcome of the new technology. If you’re not going to get anything out of something, why would you persist in using it? Why would you bother to get past the inevitable learning hurdles?

An employee-centered approach

Ultimately, the success of digital transformation projects is dependent upon people. The decision makers, the board, the project leaders, the IT help desk, the line managers and the end users – everybody needs to be engaged with the process.

Firstly, a clear adoption strategy and adequate budget are required. This should involve all the affected employees, be carefully planned – for both pre- and post-implementation stages – and be not just supported by, but desired by the whole team.

Secondly, communication and training must be fit for purpose. Exploiting the self-learning style, peer-to-peer interactions and problem-solving abilities of a digital-savvy workforce is essential. Nothing is more demotivating than forcing people to learn via outdated methods.

Finally, the timing must be right and the resources in place. Simple steps like reviewing staff capacity, available hours and annual leave, and planning to accommodate peaks and troughs of demand will facilitate the whole adoption process.

A rewarding process

Implementing new digital transformation projects such as SaaS applications without the right strategy can be a costly and an unproductive nightmare. Doing it right, putting the plan in place early, using enabling technologies from the get-go to prepare, train, communicate and motivate employees can be very rewarding indeed.

It is, as they say, your call.