How to Use Technology to Keep Your Team Happy
IT isn’t just about servers, software, or “keeping the lights on”. It’s about the day-to-day experience your employees have every time they log in.
Deloitte found that organisations with positive digital employee experiences (DEX) see a 22% jump in engagement, with staff 4x more likely to stay. DEX essentially refers to the quality of each interaction your team have with their workplace technology. Whether that’s how quickly their devices turn on, how easy a tool is to use, how responsive IT support is when something goes wrong, or whether their software is making their role easier.
It also refers to how many digital tools they’re expected to use within their role. Ivanti found that 57% of workers feel stressed by the number of tools they’re expected to juggle and 62% feel overwhelmed trying to get the hang of new software.
For those of us working in an office, our day is pretty much entirely spent using technology. With this in mind, it makes sense that the quality of an organisation’s IT has a direct correlation on job enjoyment. So how can you make sure your technology isn’t affecting your team’s morale?
Prioritise Reliability and Usability
Consider how many minutes per day your employees lose to slow-loading software or crashing applications. Those minutes add up.
Devices and applications should be fast, well-configured and dependable under real workloads. That means reducing those “turn it off and on again” moments.
Usability matters just as much. A clean, intuitive interface lets employees focus on the task rather than figuring out which button to click. When design is done well, technology almost disappears into the background, becoming a silent enabler.
Personalise the Employee Experience with AI
Different people work in different ways. AI can be used to shape the technology experience around the person, not just the role. From answering routine questions instantly, to pointing people toward resources they’ll actually use, AI can make the transition to new technology a lot easier.
Strengthen Communication and Collaboration
Strong morale is built on strong connections. Tools like Microsoft Teams and Slack keep those connections alive, even if staff are based across multiple sites.
Reliable voice and video calls, messaging platforms and community channels keep your team connected and cloud-based applications allow collaboration in real time.
Support Flexibility and Work-Life Balance
If your IT can successfully facilitate flexibility, that can have a hugely positive impact on your team. Being able to work from home, from a client site, or a café or coworking space is a big bonus.
However, without guardrails, flexibility can blur into burnout. Smart IT can help by letting people set status indicators, block focus time, or mute notifications outside of work hours.
Recognise and Reward Contributions Digitally
Recognition is fuel and tech can make it immediate and visible. A quick shout-out after someone solves a customer issue might seem small, but it sticks. So does acting on employee feedback. When people see their input led to real changes, whether it’s a better tool or a smoother process, it reinforces trust. Over time, that’s what makes people want to stay.
Turn Technology into a Morale-Boosting Advantage
Many IT investments are justified in terms of efficiency, cost, or scalability. All important. However, it’s also worth considering that the way employees experience technology is a core part of how they experience the company.
If you’re looking at your own setup right now, here are a few quick angles:
- Ask before you act: Employees know what’s working and what’s driving them up the wall.
- Measure the human side: Uptime matters, but so do satisfaction scores and “how easy is this to use?” responses.
- Streamline, don’t stack: Fewer tools that talk to each other beat a jumble of disconnected apps.
- Rollouts matter: Even the best tool can flop without context, training and follow-up.
- Keep evolving: Needs shift. Review regularly.
Smart IT is less about owning every tool under the sun and more about building an ecosystem that works together, works well and works for people. Do that, and you get a team that’s engaged, capable and genuinely glad to log in each day.
