How a digital adoption platform can make your diversity and inclusion initiatives more impactful

Is your organisation committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in all its guises? Across the Australian corporate landscape, we’ve seen heartening progress on this score in recent times from enterprises of all stripes and sizes.

Yes, our nation’s gender pay gap remains stubbornly high at 13.3 per cent, but it is creeping in the right direction: down. More organisations are looking for opportunities to smooth out the gender imbalances in their workforces and ensure all employees are given every opportunity to reach their full potential.

They’re also implementing programs and processes to ensure their teams are more representative of the communities and customer bases they serve. As well as reducing hiring barriers for individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, they’re introducing initiatives to promote belonging and inclusion.

Maintaining the momentum

If any or all of these things are happening in your organisation, well done and keep up the good work. You’re doing right by your people, and the Australian labour force at large, by opening up opportunities for those who may have been held back in the past. You’re also expanding the country’s talent pool, adding people who may bring fresh perspectives to roles and industries.

But could your efforts to boost diversity, equity and inclusion be even more effective?

For many organisations, the answer is yes. Judicious deployment of digital technology can supercharge your DE&I initiatives on multiple fronts, including recruitment, training and employee experience.

Empowering employees to upskill

Upskilling is a particularly effective means of ensuring all employees have the technology skills they need to function effectively in today’s workforce and advance up your organisation’s ranks.

While today it’s easy to assume everyone is digitally literate, that isn’t always the case. For a variety of reasons, some individuals will struggle to utilise the tools and technologies embedded in workplaces and workflows due to a training deficit, lack of experience navigating the digital business landscape, or simply getting lost in the many complexities of enterprise technology.

Ensuring those individuals get the help they need to get up to speed isn’t always easy.

A standardised training approach may help to fill in some of the blanks. Unfortunately, however, it’s likely to see the digitally savvy super-users in your team switching off in droves, as they’re forced to relearn concepts with which they’re already familiar or go over technology skills that, to some, come as naturally as breathing.

Turning to technology

That’s where digital adoption technology can play a powerful role. Software that enables enterprises to accelerate the return on their high-tech investments, a digital adoption platform (DAP) can be used to simplify user experiences across enterprise applications. DAPs form a glass layer on top of across software and applications to provide users with customised guidance and helpful automation, resulting in a concierge-like experience for the employee and actionable data insights for leadership.

DAPs make it possible for a company to execute its digital adoption strategies, identify where users are struggling and create personalised, simplified experiences that help them get the job done as efficiently and pleasantly as possible.

Machine learning and automation can be harnessed to identify exactly where an individual employee needs help and provide contextual, step-by-step on-screen guidance and support that allows them to get up to speed with essential tools and technologies at their own pace.

The result: confident, empowered users who can concentrate on performing more effectively in their roles rather than stressing about their digital skills deficits. DAPs level the playing field for those from different backgrounds with varying levels of comfort with technology and provide an opportunity for everyone to fully harness the technology available to them to succeed.

Stronger together

In 2023, it’s no longer necessary to make the case for diversity, equity and inclusion. Organisations understand why it matters, and they want to get on board, driving genuine change for the better right across the enterprise.

If yours is among them, you’ll no doubt be looking to maximise the effectiveness of every DE&I measure you enact and every dollar you spend. Adopting human-centric technology that helps employees from all backgrounds perform at their peak is good for them and your business too. Against that backdrop, investing in digital adoption technology is likely to prove a very smart move.

By Clarence Dent, WalkMe regional vice-president, ANZ