The importance of HR-IT collaboration in enhancing employee experience and retention 

Denis Dorval, Vice President International EMEA & APAC at JumpCloud, explores how companies can keep their employees from moving on:  

According to PwC’s June 2023 report, one in four (26%) employees are considering changing jobs in the next 12 months, up from 19% last year. The Great Resignation, it seems, looks set to continue. 

There are many reasons why employees might quit. The same PwC research reveals that 44% of those employees that are most likely to look for alternative employment feel overworked, with 38% struggling to pay the bills.  

Businesses are struggling too, with half of UK SMEs (47%) concerned about attracting and retaining talent in the next 12 months. The industry’s efforts to narrow the technology skills gap can appear, on the face of it, an unattainable goal. 

Central to improving job satisfaction for existing employees, and in attracting top talent, is improving their overall experience. In the age of hybrid and remote working, SMEs must create a seamless working environment, regardless of where they are based and how they work, removing friction wherever possible. They must always feel like they are ‘in the office’, regardless of geographical location. 

Work/life balance, corporate culture, team morale and career development opportunities are some of the main factors influencing the overall employee experience within a company. However, employee experience is also profoundly influenced by human resources and IT departments. 

The synergy between these departments, also known as support functions, are at the heart of user life cycle management for every employee. HR and IT departments working closely is the foremost step in creating a positive employee experience.

Misalignment between these departments, however, can cause issues with security, productivity, compliance and user management.  

With the urgent shift to remote working behind us, companies – particularly SMEs – therefore need a robust IT infrastructure to accommodate the work from anywhere approach. Indeed, most workers now indicate they want more flexibility regarding their working hours or where they work. And SMEs are taking notice; JumpCloud’s most recent SME IT Trends research indicates that 84% of respondents agree that employee experience is an important factor in making IT purchasing decisions. 

In a world of hybrid working, SMEs must modernise their infrastructure to simplify workflows and visibility. The most straightforward way to do this is through IT consolidation, which is achieved by identifying one platform that will become the core of the IT stack, integrating it with existing systems and removing irrelevant legacy tools.  

Identity transformation puts identity at the heart of IT management. Unique and specific to each individual, each person’s identity acts as an authority. Through a unified platform, each employee’s identity connects their device to the wider technology stack and guarantees transparent and secure access to physical and digital resources. 

Both HR and IT are vital to the philosophy of identity transformation becoming a success. Together, both departments must assess their processes regarding individual employees and embrace identity transformation as the key to a successful employee experience and a guaranteed quality of life at work.