Company Culture Is Non-Negotiable. Here’s How Technology Can Make It Stronger

Choosing the best tools for organizations can be tricky

Almost two years ago, Americans were ushered out of offices to work from home, drastically changing how the workforce operates and is supported. While we’ve seen some incredible benefits of remote work, including more flexibility and increased tech innovation, there have also been some major pitfalls, primarily its impact on company culture. In fact, a recent Return to Workplaces survey from Deloitte found that the biggest concern about hybrid and remote work was preserving company culture, followed by maintaining collaboration.

Having a dynamic and supportive company culture is no longer avoidable for businesses. Not only is the attrition rate 72% lower when culture is a focus, but companies have also reported 29% higher profit and 19% higher sales.  

In order to bolster company culture, businesses must utilize and distribute tools and applications that help employees engage and collaborate with one another. Even further, these tools must be easily accessible and understandable as 49% of US workers said they would leave a company if they are frustrated by the technology they use at work (Adobe, June 2021).

To uncover the applications and platforms organizations are adopting to work in today’s environment, Okta, the leading independent provider of identity, has released its 8th annual Businesses at Work report. This year’s report looks at the tools Okta’s customers – companies ranging from small businesses to large household names like FedEx, Allbirds, Spotify, Lyft, and others – are using to better support their employees and boost company culture.

First and foremost, as remote work grows increasingly more prevalent, apps that allow employees to collaborate and engage with each other, regardless of location and time zone, are critical. This year’s Businesses at Work report found collaboration tools were the most popular, with the category seeing a 28% year-over-year growth. Apps like Miro (301% YoY growth), Figma (236% YoY growth) and Monday.com (149% YoY growth) shot to the top of the list for the first time ever and followed Amazon Business for the second, third and fourth slots, respectively. Even more impressive, these tools have been almost completely absent from the fastest-growing list since 2017.

Additionally, while HR tools have grown across the board, employee engagement tools also stood out: Culture Amp, an employee experience platform, grew 75% in the past year, and Lattice, a people management and engagement platform, grew 109% YoY and was ranked 6th overall. The last time an HR-related tool appeared in Okta’s Fastest Growing Apps list was BambooHR in 2016.

With so many new tools on the market, it can also be tricky for business leaders to choose the best ones for their company. However, the Businesses at Work report found that, ultimately, employees like the tools that are easily accessible, understandable, and widely used. Best of breed apps won remote work, and while many businesses still commit to the classics like Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, they now also deploy additional apps such as Zoom, Slack and Box in order to add on advanced functionality and better support and connect employees.

Over the past two years, we’ve seen companies and their employees deeply impacted by the pandemic. However, despite the challenges Covid-19 has presented, it’s imperative that companies continue to strengthen company culture and engage and support their employees in order to operate effectively.

At the end of the day, employees are companies' most important assets, and it’s critical they have the resources they need to communicate, collaborate and advance. We are seeing a new post-pandemic workforce take shape and, with many workforces now partly or wholly remote, HR departments must continue to find solutions for employees, both remote and in-office, in order to work efficiently, stay connected and build company culture.