The right technology can help employees achieve their full potential—including tools that facilitate virtual employee engagement. What does that look like?
In our recent Ncast episode, Rafael DeLeon spoke with Cathy Guthrie, Ncontracts’ Executive Vice President of Human Resources, about how to activate company culture while training, onboarding, and connecting employees.
Curious about that conversation? Listen to the Ncast.
Below are a few key highlights from this episode:
Spotlighting Ncontracts’ own experience, Guthrie shared about the importance of infusing company culture throughout a financial services organization, especially during periods of rapid growth, when new hires need to be indoctrinated quickly.
Virtual employee engagement platforms (VEEPs) can help in those situations because they provide an easy way to efficiently onboard new employees and help them with employment paperwork, training, and other important employment-related information.
This is particularly important for Ncontracts as the company grew quickly, Guthrie said.
We’re receiving more data from more places than ever before, and it’s costing us a lot of time — 25 percent of our workday, to be exact. It’s important to avoid information overload, which is especially important for new hires.
Beyond helping to onboard employees, a VEEP enables employees and managers to connect not only to discuss business but to build rapport. Virtual town halls can replace large in-office meetings.
It also makes it possible for an organization to share social interactions such as personal achievements, birthdays, other events, and personal interests, providing stronger personal connections throughout the organization, Guthrie explains.
“People here have a natural curiosity, and they seek out others,” Guthrie says.
Read also: How to Improve Employee Efficiency by up to 30%
Building a connected culture can have dramatic benefits for employees, managers, and the organization as a whole, according to Guthrie. Employees get a better feeling of company culture and camaraderie. Employees and managers can facilitate HR requirements, training, and similar work-related needs.
It also enables communication between managers and employees in a non-threatening, relaxed manner, useful for training and providing feedback, according to Guthrie.
“It’s about caring. Do you care about this person as a human being?”
This social interaction promotes a sense of community, providing for a much better work culture, as evidenced by Ncontracts’ 10 percent attrition rate — far lower than the software industry average of 40 to 50 percent. Ncontracts was also recently named to The Tennessean’s 2022 Top Workplaces in Middle Tennessee for a second year in a row and ranked among Inc. Magazine’s annual Best Workplaces list for 2022.
Just 50 percent of banking and credit union employees are highly engaged and job satisfaction levels in the U.S. continue to decline. Over a third of banking and credit union employees are actively looking for another job — and 7 percent will quit due to lack of recognition.
Read also: 5 Interview Questions You Should Ask Compliance Manager Candidates
Building rapport and camaraderie and activating corporate culture may curb these challenges.