Inspirational sayings are a cornerstone of human resources. So, here's a quote from Helen Keller that every HR practitioner can relate to: “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.â€' Because HR knows firsthand that it's impossible to deliver amazing employee experiences in a vacuum.

Without the support and cooperation of IT, HR simply can't deliver on the promise of digitally driven, next-generation HR. So we've identified five ways HR and IT must work together to make everyone's work lives better.

Here's what to do today to spark your HR/IT-led employee experience evolution.

1. Build and structure new work teams

Designing a successful workplace strategy requires a cultural shift between HR and IT—and that shift demands new skills and talent, as well structuring teams in a way that allows work and ideas to flow between groups. The result will be a more coordinated group capable of creating experiences that positively impact an employee's perception of the workplace.

This is why organizations are redesigning existing decentralized service delivery models under a global experiences function for HR, IT, payroll, and other people services. HR is similarly reinventing its structure with new “experienceâ€' teams or even retitling functions, including “people operationsâ€' and “HR service delivery.â€'

2. Make technology investments together

According to Gartner, “By 2022, 75% of organizations will include employee experience improvement as a performance objective for HR and IT groups. â€' Which means that HR and IT now have a growing priority to work together to ensure new technologies not only address complex business issues, but meet the expectations of people who use them.

To keep up, organizations are adding new global HR technology teams that interface regularly with their IT counterparts so that together they can focus on architecting the use and mobility of HR software, applications, and systems.

3. Optimize the employee experience on a single platform

Employee-centric organizations are replacing websites and email with self-service delivered via a single, digitally driven employee service center. By creating these one-stop shops that address multiple employee needs, HR and IT can work together to simplify the employee experience and remove the complexity that arises when dealing with multiple process and systems.

This digital experience platform becomes the central touchpoint across the workforce and enables departments such as HR and IT to deliver a consistent service experience and retain their unique departmental requirements and workflows.

4. Design a digital experience that inspires connection and collaboration

Transformation of the employee experience isn't just about automating tasks or addressing individual inquiries. It's about identifying and reimagining moments in the employee journey that can have an overwhelmingly positive—or equally negative—impact on the end-user.

There are several of these peak moments throughout the employee journey where HR and IT can partner to create experiences that inspire and foster a sense of belonging, including pre-boarding and onboarding, acclimation, and ongoing opportunities for learning and feedback throughout an employee's journey.

5. Listen, design, test, and iterate

To attract, retain, and engage the best talent, the pendulum is swinging away from what HR thinks employees want and towards what employees actually want.

Companies seeking to put people at the center of their organization are introducing feedback channels to build trust and capture the voice of the customer. With the use of employee pulse surveys, suggestion boxes, open forum discussions, and employee design thinking workshops, HR and IT departments are prioritizing the employee journey as the initial step in transforming their employee experience.

About the Author

ServiceNow makes the world of work, work better for people, delivering digital workflows that create great experiences and unlock productivity.