Transformation plan, high turnover, new company project... So many reasons to launch anemployee engagement platform! It is certainly tempting to set up a platform to engage your employees. But before you do, you should ask yourself a few questions.
1/ Before launching an employee engagement platform: what are your objectives?
Before launching an employee engagement platform, it's important to clearly define your objectives. This step creates a clear vision of what you want to achieve with the platform. Objectives should be based on the SMART method: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. By having clearly defined objectives, you can direct your efforts and resources towards specific results. In this way, you maximize the chances of success for your employee engagement platform .
There are many reasons why you might want to launch an employee engagement platform. Good ones include :
- Supporting a transformationplan
- Stimulating commitment despite high turnover
- Creating new synergies
- Create a common identity for different clusters or departments
- Revealing thecollective intelligence of your organisation to improve performance
2/ What do you expect from the features?
Now it's time for the features. Depending on your objective, think about what you need. Do you want your employees to be able to exchange skills? Monitor? Produce content? Propose ideas? In short, how will employee engagement materialise?
Functionality plays a key role in how employees interact with the platform. But also in the extent to which it can meet their needs. By identifying the key functionalities, you ensure that the platform is adapted to your objectives and employees' expectations. Careful consideration will maximize the effectiveness of the employee engagement platform and promote the success of the company as a whole.
3/ Before launching an employee engagement platform: what results do you expect?
Now it's time to get down to the nitty-gritty: what changes would you like to see as a result of implementing an employee engagement platform? Better communication between your departments? New business wins? An increase in sales to existing customers? New ideas? Projects that are finally coming to fruition?
In this way, you can identify specific areas where the platform can have a positive impact. It also enables you to define key performance indicators (KPIs) that will be used to measure the platform's success. You can then anticipate potential challenges and targets that may arise.
4/ What is the current level of employee engagement?
Before thinking about results, it's a good idea to take stock of where you are and where you want to go from here. Are my employees committed? If so, at what level? This enables you to assess the current situation, identify your strengths and weaknesses, and identify opportunities for improvement. You can then target your employees' needs and expectations. For example, you can use surveys, evaluations or analyses of existing data. In this way, you involve your employees right from the start of the process, consulting them on their needs. This initial assessment provides a solid foundation for the design and implementation of the platform, ensuring that it will meet the real challenges and needs of the business. What's more, with a precise understanding of the starting situation, you'll be able to measure and evaluate the progress made thanks to the platform.
In short, don't aim too high! Small improvements are already big victories. Commitment takes time!
5/ Before launching an employee engagement platform: are your employees trained in digital tools?
Even if digital uses are becoming more and more widespread, the use of new digital tools requires a number of prerequisites. The platform's success depends on your employees' ability to use it efficiently and productively. That's why you'll need to take the time to train those who express a need - or indeed all your employees. And this for obvious reasons of efficiency, security of your data and adoption of the tool, quite simply!
By assessing employees' level of digital competence, any gaps can be identified and appropriate training programs put in place. This can include online training sessions, hands-on workshops, educational resources and personalized coaching.
6/ Do you know what solutions exist?
The market for in-house digital platforms has been booming in recent years. Each solution has its own advantages and specific features. So think again about your objectives and the functionalities you expect from your tool.
In this way, you can familiarize yourself with the different solutions already available, identify innovative features, best practices and emerging trends. By exploring the market, you can also evaluate competing platforms and the feedback from other organizations using them. This provides insight into the successes and potential challenges faced by other companies in implementing their employee engagement platforms .
Some solutions offer greater interface flexibility and a high degree of customizability, while others, for example, offer more limited functionality. Take stock of what's out there, what you need, and take the time to talk to service providers before you really go for it!
7/ Before launching an employee engagement platform: do you have a budget?
The arrival of a new tool requires preparation, both in financial and human terms. Indeed, it represents a certain investment. Pricing models can vary from one solution to another: from an annual license to a price per user per month; it's important to quantify theoverall investment in terms of the number of potential users. It may also be necessary to make software modifications in order to truly personalize the experience - which will, of course, be billed by the publisher, and will require you to devote time to the matter.
In short, it's important to carry out an accurate assessment of the costs associated with acquiring, developing, customizing, integrating and managing the platform. With a realistic estimate of the budget required, you can make informed decisions about the feasibility and viability of the platform. It also helps to define priorities and allocate resources appropriately.
8/ Do you have any resources planned to run your engagement platform?
It would be a shame to launch an employee engagement platform and find that it does not generate the hoped-for enthusiasm. So, to ensure that this communication space is properly managed, identify referents, ambassadors or opinion leaders within your teams. Their missions can be diverse: launch discussion topics, moderate communities, create new groups or publish content to share best practices.
In addition, it may be necessary to have a team dedicated to the technical management of the platform, to ensure its performance, security and evolution. Providing resources to animate the platform helps to maintain its dynamism, foster interaction between collaborators, encourage participation and quickly resolve any problems that may arise. This helps to ensure the success and longevity of the employee engagement platform, making it a lively, dynamic space where employees are motivated to get involved and contribute actively.
