The way we work is constantly evolving and over the past decade, the workplace has seen numerous changes which have helped to foster a culture within the enterprise that empowers employees.
Digital workplaces have made internal and external communications much more agile, with employees being able to participate in wikis, blogs, social intranets and a host of collaborative projects. These features can be particularly useful for organisations looking to boost employee experience during a crisis.
Grammarly found that 72% of business leaders noticed increased productivity due to effective communication.
When frontline workers can access company updates on their phones and participate in discussions alongside office staff, culture becomes truly inclusive.
The Cost of Poor Culture
Poor workplace culture creates measurable financial damage.
Employee turnover costs can have a significant impact on your bottom line. Depending on the size of your business, the total costs of replacing an employee varies from 30-150% of their salary.
Many businesses don't have a full picture of replacement costs. When all the different elements of staff replacement are considered, the end result can come as a very big shock. The cost of hiring employees is determined by a number of variables, with some companies paying as much as $40,000 to bring in a new hire.
1.1 million people changed jobs (i.e. changed their employer or business) during the year ending February 2025 - a job mobility rate of 7.7%. However, Accommodation and food services has the highest job turnover rate in Australia (15.5%), with above average rates for other services, retail trade, admin and support services and manufacturing.
When frontline workers can't access company communications or participate in team discussions, disengagement spreads quickly.
Creating Engagement
These days, it's not just the job of the HR department though, but of IT too. This is because technology is a great enabler when it comes to engagement, thus boosting productivity and morale.
The challenge for many organisations is reaching every employee equally. Retail workers, field teams, and remote staff often miss important communications sent via traditional channels. Modern platforms solve this by making engagement accessible on any device, anywhere.
Morale is boosted also by employees feeling that they are valued, with gratitude being expressed and given by superiors proving important. Trust amongst colleagues is also hugely important to morale and this is why teamwork and collaboration in the enterprise should be encouraged.
Flexibility in the workplace is also important to increasing morale, as studies have shown that it produces less absenteeism, higher engagement and productivity. Those employees that are given the opportunity for flexible working feel much more trusted and valued than those who don't.
According to Forbes, many enterprises view flexibility as a strategy, rather than an outright employee perk, as they recognise its value.
Offering Flexibility
Those employees that have flexible working plans in place work better due to a sense of control over their own lives and careers. By giving workers options, employers are telling them that they are valued and this is reflected in the bigger investment that an employee will make in work and the company.
Digital tools now enable this flexibility for every type of worker. Frontline staff can access schedules and training materials on mobile devices. Remote workers can participate in team discussions. Office workers can collaborate seamlessly with field teams. This technological foundation creates the control and connection that drives real engagement.
The 'talent shortage' has been a point of discussion in IT for some time now, but this challenge now affects most industries. Employers will have to work harder to attract top talent and those that offer flexible working and a good working culture with healthy morale will be the ones that win out.
What is an Engaged Employee
According to the research company, Gallup, engaged employees are committed, love their job and care about what happens to the company they work for. This ultimately leads to higher levels of performance, and as Gallup explains, "better customer engagement, higher productivity, better retention, fewer accidents, and 21% higher profitability".
A study found that businesses with strong cultures saw a 12% reduction in turnover.
The power has shifted from employer to employee. Companies must work harder to gain and retain top talent.
This shift goes beyond money. It's about how happy and challenged an employee feels and how healthy the workplace culture is. The key difference for modern organisations is accessibility. When every employee can access the same information, participate in discussions, and feel connected to company goals regardless of their location, engagement happens naturally.
Engagement has to occur naturally too. There can be no demanding that employees engage by managers, no looking over their shoulder to check what workers are doing. This approach is highly counterproductive.
What Leadership and Management Must Offer
This means that for some companies, it will be necessary to look differently at how they tackle leadership and what types of leaders are in the enterprise.
Modern workplaces, especially those with dispersed teams across multiple locations, require leaders who understand that meaningful connection transcends physical boundaries.
According to Ivey Business Journal, there are ten key ‘C’ words that managers should bear in mind when approaching how they deal with employees, these are:
- Connect – Good relationships between managers and employees are vital to engagement. Those workers that clash with management as they feel undervalued will never work at their top capacity for the company. Digital platforms now enable these connections across any distance, ensuring remote and frontline workers feel as valued as office-based staff.
- Career – Workers want to feel like they have the chance to advance their career and want challenging and meaningful work that can help them achieve this. It's up to the leader not only to find work that challenges employees, but to also instil the confidence in the employee that they can achieve. This process is ongoing and begins during the employee onboarding stage. Modern learning platforms make career development accessible to everyone, regardless of their location or work schedule.
- Clarity – Leaders need to have vision and this must be communicated to the employee, who wants to know that he's working for a progressive company and wants to fully understand its goals. In dispersed workforces, this clarity becomes even more critical as information must reach every team member instantly and consistently.
- Convey – Good leaders put in place processes and procedures that allow workers to achieve goals. It's not enough to provide feedback, there must be some facilitation behind driving employees to master tasks and then constructive and encouraging feedback should be given. Digital tools enable leaders to provide real-time guidance and support, making this facilitation possible across all work environments.
- Congratulate – Too many companies are quick to criticise when things go wrong and unwilling to give praise where it's due. This fosters a negative working culture as everyone needs encouragement and is the sign of a bad leader. Recognition programs work more effectively when they can reach every employee instantly, creating moments of celebration that the entire team can witness.
- Contribute – Employees that understand how their work is contributing to the overall company strategy perform better than those who don't. This means that managers have to communicate why a worker's job is important and show them proven results. Transparent communication platforms help leaders demonstrate these connections clearly.
- Control – Workers like to have control over their own lives, as mentioned earlier on, and this can be achieved by flexible working and consulting them over issues that are relevant to their job. The ability for an employee to voice his ideas and opinions is important to this feeling of control. Modern collaboration tools give every employee a voice, regardless of their physical location.
- Collaborate – This is something that is seeing a huge rise in popularity within all departments of the enterprise. Teamwork strengthens relationships with both leaders and colleagues, leading to a happier, more engaged and productive workplace. Digital collaboration spaces make this possible between office workers, field teams, and remote employees.
- Credibility – People want to be proud of what they do and they want to know that they are working for an ethical and high-performing company. Transparent communication about company performance and values builds this credibility across all team members.
- Confidence – In order to be proud of the company, an employee has to have confidence in his leaders and the company itself. Scandal, be it of a personal or corporate nature, really tend to damage employee (and consumer) confidence. Consistent, honest communication helps maintain this confidence, especially when it reaches every employee simultaneously.
Digital Culture Building
Modern intranets create connection by breaking down traditional communication barriers. When a retail worker in Perth can see the same company updates, participate in the same discussions, and access the same learning opportunities as head office staff in Sydney, true cultural inclusion begins.
Mobile-first communication reaches every employee where they are. Field workers check their phones during breaks. Retail staff access schedules between customers. Remote workers stay connected throughout their day. This constant accessibility transforms culture from something that happens 'at work' to something that travels with each employee.
Real-time feedback and recognition systems amplify positive culture moments. When achievements are celebrated instantly and visibly across the entire organisation, recognition becomes contagious. Peer-to-peer appreciation tools create networks of positivity that strengthen team bonds regardless of physical location.
Measurement That Matters
Communication reach metrics reveal culture health. Track not just who receives messages, but who engages with them. Open rates show initial interest. Comment rates indicate genuine connection. Share rates demonstrate cultural advocacy as employees spread positive messages to their networks.
Employee satisfaction tracking moves beyond annual surveys to continuous pulse checking. Monthly culture surveys, feedback forms, and sentiment analysis of internal discussions provide real-time insights into morale trends. This data enables proactive culture management rather than reactive damage control.
ROI calculations for digital workplace tools become clear when measuring productivity gains, reduced turnover costs, and improved customer satisfaction scores. One Elcom client calculated $580,000 in annual savings through reduced email volume, faster onboarding, and improved knowledge sharing. The platform investment paid for itself within eight months.
How Do Your Digital Workplace Tools Stack?
In order to increase engagement amongst employees, an effective digital workplace strategy needs to be considered. In a nutshell, the digital workplace simply refers to the tools and technologies that enable employees to get their job done efficiently and engage effectively.
There are a range of digital workplace tools an organisation can and should utilise:
Fortunately these tools and many more are offered as part of good intranet features which can be adapted to include various social and collaborative features and those that encourage the worker to be actively involved in the company, rather than just thinking of it as 9-5 drudgery. This in turn creates a thriving digital workplace, resulting in a happier, more collaborative and engaged workforce.
Bearing all of this in mind, in order for companies to create a good working culture that engages employees and boosts morale, they must pay attention to the wants and needs of the employee and use enabling technology to facilitate this.
