How to Enhance your Google Workspace Employee Experience?
Ready to see why Google + LumApps = the best intranet?
Download our Google Lookbook to learn why Google + LumApps is the perfect match and see what you can do with this modern intranet combo.
Investing in employee experience: much more than a competitive advantage
How do you attract and retain talent in a fast-changing world of work?
Today, technology has a real role to play in improving the employee experience. Tools such as Google Workspace offer advanced features that help people communicate and collaborate better, share knowledge, build a genuine company culture, and drive engagement by optimizing the employee experience.
What makes a good employee experience
Three factors can improve the employee experience:
- Cultural environment: this is about a company culture that employees can identify with, which increases their involvement. Identification is one of the keys to success;
- Technological environment: giving your employees the right tools improves their working conditions, making them more productive and less stressed;
- Physical environment: the employee experience isn't only digital. The workplace itself also shapes well-being at work, which is now essential. A bright, well-heated, well-decorated office, dedicated spaces for breaks and meetings, and so on: everything should be designed so employees feel good at your company. According to a study by the Mind charity, 60% of employees are more motivated when their employer takes their physical and mental well-being at work into account.
The link between technology and employee experience
Today, there is a strong correlation between employee engagement and satisfaction with the technology employees are given. Yet companies face a new challenge. Providing tools is essential, but those tools also have to truly fit employees' needs and be easy to use. On average, an employee uses 35 apps a day and switches between apps 1,100 times. There is an urgent need to rethink existing models and use digital to improve the employee experience.
So instead of piling on more tools, why not give employees a complete software suite like Google Workspace, paired with an intranet such as LumApps?
Investing in employee experience: much more than a competitive advantage
How do you attract and retain talent in a fast-changing world of work?
Here are 10 solutions that, with Google Workspace and an integrated intranet, will improve your employees' day-to-day work and give you insight into the employee experience.
— Part 1: Building the experience on Google Workspace
1. Centralizing information in Google Workspace
By centralizing the apps your employees use every day in a single platform such as Google Workspace, you simplify the employee experience. Formerly known as G Suite, it offers a simple interface that lets people customize their tools to fit their needs.
No more switching from one app to another: the time saved is considerable and boosts productivity. By integrating a cloud intranet that brings together all the Workspace apps used every day, your employees get a clear dashboard and can, for example, run advanced searches across all their Google Drive files.
2. Creating and personalizing the employee experience
Your employees are at the heart of your digital workplace. They have a workspace that truly fits their habits and their roles. The entire intranet platform interface is customizable, including news and apps based on language, location, and the team employees work in.
They can also choose to follow specific topics or communities to keep up with their news and updates. Not only does this make them more efficient, it's also an empowering solution, since they're free to organize their own workspace. The impact on the employee experience is significant.
Google Drive, Google Chat, Google Meet, Google Cloud Search, etc., the Google Workspace apps are simply organized for each employee. For example, an HR manager can combine:
- HR news and HR staff announcements;
- upcoming events in Google Calendar;
- key HR policies and documents in Google Docs;
- feedback, surveys, and polls on the employee experience collected via Google Forms.
Tools can be customized and organized within the platform for each team and department to truly match their day-to-day needs.
4. Brand experience in Google Workspace
Google Workspace helps optimize the brand experience so company culture comes to life in employees' daily work. Various apps help build this internal culture, which drives stronger identification and therefore deeper involvement. Google Calendar to bring teams together around shared projects, Google Docs to share information about the company, its projects, its commitments… the options are many.
But that's not all. Beyond content, form is essential so employees can identify with and work in a familiar environment. That's why your intranet solution will carry your colors and reflect your company's visual identity, which matters even more during a rebrand.
The success of your digital transformation and your drive to improve the employee experience with Google Workspace depends on adoption of the collaboration tools you provide. To encourage the use of new solutions, these tools need to come with real support. That's the case here, with tutorials, videos, and an FAQ. But you also need to be there to answer your employees' questions and help them adopt best practices so they work more efficiently.
Company culture, engagement, alignment: Google Workspace alone can't meet every challenge your company faces. It needs to be complemented by a communication and collaboration platform built for your organization's employees.
— Part 2: Extending the experience on Google Workspace
6. Employee communication and information
The News Center specifically meets the employer's need to deliver internal communications to all employees. Everyone can easily access it to catch up on company news, read internal and external news, follow social media activity, and more. The CEO's message provides a better understanding of the company's business and chosen direction, for stronger alignment with leadership decisions.
Communication should also be based on sharing. That's what the virtual forum makes possible. Before, during, or after meetings, everyone can make their voice heard, share their experience, and suggest ideas. It's also a useful tool for answering everyone's questions and encouraging internal communication.
7. Recognizing employees for their work
The recognition center is a must-have tool for improving the employee experience on your company intranet integrated with Google Workspace. Recognition is a key driver of involvement. Here, you can thank employees for their commitment and announce promotions, internal moves, and new hires. Everyone feels involved and recognized by both leadership and their peers.
8. Supporting frontline workers
Some of your employees may not be connected to Google Workspace. Yet it's still necessary to fully include them in company processes and keep communicating with them. They need to be able to stay connected to company life on any mobile device. That's what Google Cloud Identity makes possible, by managing secure remote access and helping share data more effectively.
9. Making data-driven improvements
Without metrics, the employee experience can't be analyzed in depth to identify areas for improvement. Rely on the data you collect (engagement, surveys, etc.) to truly understand what your employees expect and which topics interest them. Identify influencers through posts, likes, and comments so you reach the right people and make your internal communications more relevant, and more viral.
Without a doubt, it's by improving your employees' experience and helping them identify with your values that they'll want to become true ambassadors for your brand. And we know how powerful Employee Social Advocacy is for your company. It improves your image, builds visibility and credibility, and helps win over your target audience.
By understanding what your employees expect, you'll build effective communication, strengthen company culture, and sustain engagement that meets your standards. Finally, paying close attention to the employee experience can help attract top talent by building your employer brand. Integrating an intranet platform for communication and collaboration into Google Workspace is one of the most effective ways to improve the employee experience in your digital workplace.
Discover our latest content on Google Intranet
Recommended Intranet for Google Workspace (G Suite) | LumApps
How to Enhance your Google Workspace Employee Experience?
LumApps selected for the Recommended for Google Workspace Program second year in a row
Find Everything Quickly with the Google Cloud Search Integration
Google Next22: Highlight of LumApps x Google Gold Partnership
LumApps Wins Google Cloud Communication and Service Provider 2021 Customer Award
Google Workspace and Employee Experience | LumApps White Paper
