Remote working initially had some challenges, including how best to communicate effectively to workers, monitor workers, ensure teamwork, and meet productivity targets. Over time, these challenges have been weathered thanks to modern technology in the form of tools like employee apps designed to make work easier.
An employee app is a digital tool or platform that enables workers to access work-related tasks and communicate with other team members. The app can be accessed through a desktop computer or mobile device.
Using employee apps also provides workers with a digital space where they can openly communicate, foster workplace relationships, and collaborate effectively. Usually, workers are required to download an app upon joining the company.
Reasons An Employee App Is Crucial For Remote Teams
Employee apps are crucial for the following reasons that include mobility, personalized communication, and cost efficiency. Let’s look at why employee apps are needed by businesses today in more detail, starting with mobility.
1. Mobility
Most workers don’t sit in one place, and their duties may require them to be on the move. It would be difficult for them to connect with coworkers and send work-related updates while on the go. With an employee app, however, they can conveniently fulfill their duties from anywhere as long as an Internet connection is available.
2. Streamlined Communication
Employee apps improve internal communication within organizations and companies. Team member apps have information consolidated in one place that all workers can access. The management can communicate with employees all at once using the employee app.
With a dedicated app, managers are assured that every employee can receive memos, messages, and other reminders. Meetings can also be easily convened since employees are already gathered in one app.
3. Personalized Communications
Although employee apps are known to effectively disseminate company or group messages, most are perfectly capable of individual and personal communications. The apps make it easy to communicate with workers in line with their age, location, duties, and interests.
Using employee apps enables companies to engage with workers who may be overlooked but are still crucial in accelerating the growth of the business. Apps can also be equipped with translation technology that enables company management to communicate with workers in their native languages.
4. Collaboration
Using team member apps encourages cross-learning because workers can learn from one another wherever they are. The management can build its company’s culture using employee apps that allow for open and regular communication with workers. This leads to a transparent work environment and increased productivity.
5. Repository Of Resources
Using team member apps that have features to allow workers access to resources and training material helps them become better professionals. This makes workers become confident about their input in the company and increases performance and productivity.
6. Cost-Efficient
Using team member apps reduces operational costs because there’s no need to constantly print copies and deliver them to other offices and departments. The extra funds may then be channeled to different aspects of the business.
Employee App Capabilities and Features
A team member app should possess capabilities and features that make it efficient for managers and employees. These are:
- The ability to receive critical company information on time
- User-friendly design with social media features such as comments, likes, follows, and emojis
- Enable the worker to access, create, manage, store, and publish digital materials and documents
- Allow workers to do analytics reporting and testing to track usage patterns, reach of messages, adoption rate, and engagement levels
- Capacity to share various formats of news and other information like text, audio, video, and images
- The means to perform various functions, including employee recognition to celebrate workers who have reached targets
- Allowing back and forth conversations in real-time to incorporate other crucial tools within the work environment
- Can support more workers to access the platform, including those not conversant with the digital space
- Have project management features to simplify workflow, approve requests, and assign tasks
Types Of Employee Apps
Various types of workplace apps are available, which are categorized differently depending on their features, their areas of focus, the organization size they can accommodate, and so on. Listed below are the most common types.
Communications Apps
The main goal of communication tools like Skype, Zoom, or Google Teams is to enable employees to share internal communications and instructions on utilizing that information. Additionally, it enables employees to communicate through screen sharing, video conferencing, and chat. In spite of being away from the office, this makes remote employees feel like a member of the team.
Info-based Apps
The business may use these applications to communicate vital corporate information to its employees and send emergency notifications. They are excellent for general announcements, messages, and reminders.
HR Apps
HR applications are useful for several activities, such as managing different talents, enhancing engagement, and onboarding new employees. For example, both onsite and remote staff may go through onboarding at the same time. HR applications may also include websites that let employers assess and recruit candidates.
Message Apps
The design and analysis of employee surveys are made easier by feedback applications. The organization’s management may track employee behavior changes, making it simple to spot issues as they arise. These surveys also assist in sharing fresh ideas with the workforce and gathering any data that may be required at a particular period.
Operating Systems
This software gives employees the tools they need to do their responsibilities. It contains resources for providing services, switching shifts, and integrating more equipment.
Apps for recognition
On the one hand, the organization’s management uses this app to commend and recognize employees for doing their jobs successfully. However, employees may also use it to encourage, applaud, and congratulate one another. This software is useful, particularly for remote employees who can’t be summoned to the manager or supervisor’s office to get praise for a job well done.
Some applications are created to be a hybrid of the two. For instance, informative apps contain a function that converts communication applications become informational apps.
Advice For Picking The Best Employee App
A firm’s management may choose from various employee applications to fit their industry. It’s important to remember the following:
Consider the app’s cost about your company’s budget.
Choose whether using the app should be optional or required. The aims and objectives of your business should serve as a guide in making this selection.
Analyze the company’s communication situation, consider all the problems, and decide which area has to be improved.
Check carefully to see whether your software can manage more than 100 employees without breaking down. Additionally, make sure it is user-friendly.
Ensure that the product reviews and the customer and developer support teams have received ratings of four stars or above.
Frequently Asked Questions About Employee Apps
Apps for employees also have several drawbacks, such as:
1. Limited Search Functionality
Most employee applications can preserve discussion history, but getting to them may be difficult. Users could find it difficult to access chats from a year ago, although a search bar is often provided, and the most recent ones can often be retrieved easily.
2. Expensive System Needs
Some applications need powerful systems to function properly. Some remote workers who don’t have the newest technology or equipment that can run the app may find this difficult. There may also be problems with the app’s compatibility with the employee’s smartphone. In such circumstances, the business may invest extra costs to provide staff members with the necessary tools to use the app.
3. Onboarding and training
Since every employee has a unique learning style, managers and supervisors must exercise patience while guiding employees through virtual onboarding and training. The software in usage could be challenging for beginners. It may not include any tools for saving past actions so that workers can return to them if they get stuck while going through the onboarding and training process.
4. Extra Charges
Because it’s difficult to install and operate, an employee app could cost more than the budgeted amount. Because the business must spend extra money to get the app up and operating for all employees, it may mean that some employees have access to the app while others do not.
As previously explained, some workers could not have the necessary tools to use the app. As a result, the business may incur more costs to offer the necessary tools or equipment.
Conclusion
Team member applications are one of the newest technical tools or platforms to alter firms. For most firms, communicating with and sharing information with all workers, regardless of location, is a game changer.
Through effective employee applications, business managers may guarantee that their staff members are content, like their job, and perform well.
However, the app enables users to simply access and complete their chores from any location, whether from home, a coffee shop, or a coworking space. They can develop positive relationships with their team leaders and colleagues.
