Can tech drive engagement?

Employers are searching for the magic formula that will increase employee engagement. Among the tools companies are considering are software platforms and applications designed to increase communication, collaboration and, ultimately, engagement. But can technology actually increase engagement or is it just the latest shiny new object? And, if it is effective, how does a company weed through the plethora of technological tools to find the one that will work best? It's not the tech tools themselves that drive engagement, but the productivity enabled by the tech tools, said Madhura Chakrabarti, employee engagement and people analytics research leader at Bersin, Deloitte Consulting LLP. “A study published by Harvard Business Review, The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work, says that the extent we as employees make progress in day to day work is the biggest predictor of ongoing engagement.” Employees feel good about their work when they can be productive on a regular basis, she added. When looking at technology to decrease disengagement, Chakrabarti said, it’s not just how much progress can be made with it, but how technology can remove derailers of engagement.