Investing in the right digital technologies is essential for growth: driving acquisition and customer experience at the front end and efficiency and cost-saving at the back end.
However, too few executives appreciate that having the right tech also plays a crucial role in attracting excellent talent. And with recruiting and building the right teams consistently being voted one of the biggest challenges for tech businesses in 2019, understanding what makes people tick has never been more business critical.
As tech is coming to play an increasingly significant role in our lives outside work, employees expect their company to provide a user experience on a par with what they would expect as a consumer, with productivity and retention depending on it.71% of employees surveyed by Salesforce wanted their companies to provide them with the same level of technology that they use in their day to day lives. Despite this, other data suggests that employers aren’t always getting it right. A survey by Accenture found that"45% of employees surveyed admitted that their own devices were more effective than the ones provided by their employers."
This, in turn, affects the career choices that tech professionals are making. Companies without cutting edge employer tech are missing out on nearly a third of the workforce.
Our recent survey found that "29% of candidates would make a career decision based on the technology of their prospective employer"
Since the demand for experienced tech professionals far outstrips supply in the current job market, good candidates have the pick of the crop of job roles – making factors like the technology stack used by potential employers more important than ever.
But for employers anxious not to miss out on top tech talent, fear not. Here are five places you can start today:
01 Programming Languages
What coding languages are you using to build your products? While legacy systems may dictate how far it’s possible to introduce new languages, consider being open to integrating new systems into your technology stack. Not only will it encourage your staff to be more productive (“but I’ll build this better in "Ruby” etc) but it may foster greater creativity, leading to better products.
02 Communication Tools
Today, remote workers, home workers and off-shore tech teams are all expected to collaborate. To enable them to do this in the most productive and enjoyable way, it’s vital to invest in tools such as messaging services, video conferencing, file sharing and editing, and project management software.
03 Learning and Upskilling
Tech employees are required to upskill more than the average employee, as new products and updates are brought to market. Providing them with a seamless, gamified experience to make the learning process enjoyable will not only serve to attract talent but will build capacity for the future too.
04 Devices
Do you provide employees with laptops or a mobile phone if required? What about quality screens for office setup? Employees spend all day on work devices, so the more you can invest in making this an enjoyable experience for them, the better the employee experience will be.
05 Design
.Just like developers, design, branding and UX professionals will have personal preferences for certain suites of tools and products, particularly for the most creative tasks. Being open to try the latest tools will build capability as well as keep creatives happy.
The overall message is clear. Investment in the right tech isn’t just going to enhance your customer experience and overall efficiency. It’s a crucial factor in talent attraction and retention. And it will be the businesses who understand this fact that will ultimately win the war for tech talent.
At Headcount we are experienced in placing top professionals into businesses across the payments and fintech sector. If you are looking for the best talent for your team, then contact us to see how we can help.