Having a strong company culture is vital in today’s business world. Culture permeates all aspects of business, irrespective of the size, and getting this right can improve the atmosphere around the office, make employees more productive and improve the worker experience which will result in a superior customer experience. Get this ethos wrong however, and businesses will be faced with an underperforming workforce, consequently leading to weaker relations with customers, which will impact growth.

There are many ways the HR team can influence company culture; from communicating changes clearly and openly, through to the benefits and perks it rolls out. This can mean anything from greater flexible working conditions, to company away-days and rewards.

Traditionally, technology hasn’t been seen as playing a major role in setting the tone for company culture. It is important for HR leadership to see that this is now changing as new technology trends enable much greater collaboration between workers. For example, recent research from Forrester has found that the use of online document sharing tool Google Docs has led to improved collaboration and time savings which range from 15 minutes to 2 hours per week, depending on the employee.

This demonstrates that the correct use of technology can streamline business processes and free up time for HR so they can focus on crucial matters such as staff engagement and retention. How can they do this?

Develop with the times

Businesses need to make sure they are taking advantage of the technology which is available to them. If a system is outdated or old fashioned, it is likely that employee output will reflect this. In 2016, it is the time for businesses to throw in the towel on old working styles and habits that are no longer relevant, and try new things.

Collaborative technologies such as cloud-based video conferencing and online document sharing enable employees to work together in a more collective manner, and have better communication with their customers and clients. Technologies like these help breed a culture of teamwork which is beneficial to the business as a whole and its employees. Virgin America is a great example of this as 85% of its employees work away from a traditional office – as pilots, flight attendants and front line team members. By introducing cloud-based communication, the international airline was able to increase communication between its employees which improved the worker experience.

Take advantage of new trends

A major business trend over the past few years has been the rise in flexible and remote working. In business, flexible working is often implemented to improve employee engagement and to promote a healthier work-life balance. It also allows businesses to be able to cope when something an out of the ordinary occurs. For example, organisations with a flexible working policy would be in a much better position to deal with the upcoming tube strikes. Unsurprisingly, businesses that promote these initiatives are appealing to staff and consumers in the digital age. This is demonstrated in our recent Future of Work report, which shows that the top three criteria IT staff look at when evaluating new job opportunities are a well-resourced IT department, up-to-date technology, and flexibility.