Tech Tools To Simplify HR Management

Increasing company morale on a global scale

As we become a more globalized society, businesses expand across borders to grow their company’s brand, expand their customer reach, and find superior talent. While it’s one thing to embrace a global expansion strategy, it’s another to manage cohesive communication and oversee corporate processes on a global scale, whether it’s recruiting and onboarding new talent or retaining and engaging current employees.  

For many business leaders, technology is essential -- not only for delivering efficiency and driving innovation, but also for enabling the implementation of global talent management strategies. Following is a look at some of the ways technology can be used to manage a workforce that expands beyond borders and oceans.

According to a research report from mobile employee engagement solution StaffConnect, 80 percent of the global workforce (which includes 2.7 billion deskless employees) are deployed remotely and offsite. Among the biggest challenges that these employees face is the lack of face-to-face communication with management, other employees, and operational departments like human resources.
 
At Onica, we rely on technology to keep all our employees engaged and connected. The strategic approaches we use can benefit practically every employee -- whether they are working from a home office, traveling for business, or based in a remote location several time zones away -- and can be embraced by any business considering a global expansion strategy:
 
Virtual Town Hall Meetings. With the proliferation of mobile devices, these type of meetings can take place anywhere that an employee has a cellular signal. Town hall meetings are a great way to discuss the state of the business or relay important news to employees. They can also be used to update employees on strategic priorities for each department, insights on any new client wins, and updates on new initiatives being put into practice. When holding these meetings, it’s important to leave time for questions and answers, so employees’ concerns and comments are being heard. Companies could also consider using a tool such as Officevibe or Sli.do to solicit the submission of anonymous questions and comments, which can easily be moderated and addressed immediately, or at a later date.
 
Newsletters. For a global brand or rapidly growing startup, it can be difficult to get all employees to stop what they are doing to participate in a 30 - 60 minute town hall. If town hall meetings aren’t an option, all is not lost; consider sending out a weekly or bi-weekly newsletter. A newsletter is a great way to pack all company relevant information into an easy-to-read document with links to more in-depth information. Consider making your newsletter stand out by recognizing employee successes, showcasing photos/gifs of your remote employees of office culture, and using it as a resource for sharing information that may not be available elsewhere.
 
Team Chat Tools. Have a question or need to send one of your remote employees a timely reminder? For those quick communications that don’t require a more detailed email message, consider using a team chat tool such as Microsoft Teams, Slack or Yammer. Each is designed to streamline communication by creating one centralized place to ask questions or give updates without having to gather everyone or send out group email messages.
 
Project Management Tools. To effectively manage tasks across distributed teams, there are several project management tools that can be used to track deliverables, assign tasks, and ensure every team member is up-to-date on project status. Among the tools to consider are Trello, Asana, Podio, and Monday.
 
Streamline Team Collaboration. With tools like Google Drive, employees can work on the same document at the same time, without concern for version control. Sharing content among employees is also easy using tools like Dropbox and Box. Zoom is also an easy to use video conferencing tool that brings employees face-to-face without having to be in the same place.

Employees on assignment who must cross borders or work overseas for short periods of time can get caught up in governmental red tape. To combat this, businesses should consider putting a global mobility program in place.
 
This type of program, which streamlines travel for employees across borders, should address the interests of both the company and the employee. It should mitigate risks before problems arise. At Onica, we created a global mobility program for those employees on project-based assignments and used it to manage the logistics of relocation. In addition to immigration, we use this program to oversee an employee’s benefits, travel arrangements, housing, etc. Ultimately, the program should take the hassle out of global employee travel and remove barriers that employees would face if managing the process independently.

Keeping departments on the same page can be complicated when team members work remotely. In addition to the project management tools mentioned above, team managers can take advantage of tools like Officevibe or Culture Amp to gauge overall employee morale and engagement. Tools like these are helpful in giving managers a “temperature check” on all their team members. Employees can also use these tools to air grievances anonymously and communicate potential issues to management without concern for backlash.

Managing a global workforce is no easy task. For companies planning to expand globally, it’s important to put the right resources in place at the outset, and practice consistency in execution. Consistency builds trust and should be woven into the fabric of a corporate expansion strategy.