How technology can help to reduce burnout and high turnover

Staying true to core values and company culture

Present in more than a dozen countries, this global oil and gas company prides itself in following a set of values that always put employees first by encouraging innovation and investing in their career growth.

After introducing many internal changes as a response to evolving market conditions, the organisation observed a decline in the engagement of employees working both remotely and on-site. For this reason, they started to look for ways to help its staff identify better with the company, show how much their work is appreciated, and make employees feel an integral part of the bigger picture.

As all its subsidiaries had already undergone a successful digital transformation, the company decided to find a solution with the help of cloud technology.

 

Looking for tools to improve work habits and well-being

Aware of the impact of multiple changes on team performance, the client wanted to get to the root of the problem and implement proven technology to address the issues.

To do this, they needed third-party recommendations and insight from a technology provider with HR experts on board who could develop a solution based on their current cloud infrastructure. This is why they chose to partner with SoftwareOne.

Identifying key challenges with a design thinking workshop

Using the design thinking methodology, during a workshop and an As-Is process analysis, we SoftwareOne helped the organisation identify several pain points that hindered a sense of healthy wellbeing and caused low motivation levels.

Upon collecting the answers, HR experts discovered that most employees felt burdened by long working hours and meetings, were given too many tasks, craved recognition, and lacked time for personal development.

Participants also mentioned that they could benefit from some process improvements:

• Directions on what needs to be done, with a clear deadline, so they could stop relying on emails for task distribution
• Task tracking and utilisation rates for managers to monitor team backlog
• Accountability mapping, employee recognition, and feedback sharing

Additionally, workshop participants emphasised that whatever the solution would be, it must be connected to the company’s core values and have a clear strategic direction so that the employees’ experience is seamless from day one.

Implementing Viva Insights tools

Keeping all the challenges in mind, SoftwareOne introduced Viva tools offered by the company’s current infrastructure provider – Microsoft. It was expected that familiarity with Microsoft technologies would greatly accelerate the adoption of the solution, and thus improve working habits and productivity levels.

With Viva Personal Insights, employees received a toolkit for preventing burnout and allocating time for meaningful work and self-development. In parallel, Viva Manager & Leader Insights were introduced to encourage supervisors and leaders to promote better work habits and due recognition.

SoftwareOne also designed a communication plan to update employees on the value of the solution and evangelised the new technology.

Finally, the SoftwareOne team enabled additional Power BI reports to visualise the findings from Viva Insights. As a result, it is possible to predict skills and implement recommended measures that could help improve collaboration and address high turnover across all teams.

Taking productivity and well-being to the next level

Previously, employees found it difficult to focus on challenging work because they only had small chunks of time between meetings to concentrate on their tasks. Incoming emails and chats were also constant distractions.

By blocking out a few hours each day, they can now focus on their ongoing projects without interruption and track their progress, helping them to achieve short and long-term goals and increasing their job satisfaction.

They can also maintain healthy habits and energy levels by setting preferred lunch times. Once a recurring event is added to the calendar, it is no longer possible for other employees to book the time slot.

A similar feature allows them to automatically schedule upcoming time off to take advantage of the pool of available vacation days without having to notify each employee individually, reducing the hassle and time involved in manual setup.

This is also useful for emergencies. Instead of cancelling meetings one by one, the functionality resolves all at once with a customised message about the scheduled time off and an option to choose another date. To keep track of email commitments made in the last 14 days, Outlook can be configured to remind an employee of outstanding tasks.

This is particularly useful during busy periods when people are juggling multiple projects or after holidays. As a result, employees do not have to worry about missing deadlines. Their stress levels are significantly reduced as they feel that their work is under control, and it also saves valuable planning time while respecting their colleagues’ time.

 

With a view to increase productivity and space for actual on-hand work, SoftwareOne also advised the company to set team meeting rules and standards for declining a meeting or declaring meeting-free periods and run regular checks with their people to see where they can improve.

What is more, when using Viva Insights in Outlook, employees receive a reminder to shorten the meeting while booking it and schedule it in a way that does not require their coworkers to rush from one event to another without time to prepare. Additionally, they are asked to add an agenda for other participants to see whether the call is relevant to them or not. To avoid meeting fatigue and disconnect mentally from work, it is possible to indicate quiet hours and no-meeting days rules in the calendar, allowing employees to spend quality time outside work hours or focus on their projects without any interruptions.

As one of the challenges related to lack of recognition and success celebration, colleagues are encouraged to set praise reminders, boosting motivation levels and a sense of belonging. Additionally, leaders can schedule recurring one-on-one meetings to engage better with team members and help them build the skills for their role or discuss career goals. As a result, workers perceive the company as a place that supports growth and development and are less likely to look for job opportunities elsewhere.

To help employees further develop their skills, they can take advantage of the Inspiration library in Microsoft Viva Insights with thought leadership pieces and schedule uninterrupted learning sessions in their calendars.