Dive Brief:

• Technology plays a significant role in IT professionals' workplace engagement, according to a Forrester report on employee experience (EX). Workers who scored in the top 20% in Forrester's EX index — a metric used to assess employee engagement — were likely to be satisfied with their technology environment. By contrast, workers in the lowest 50% of the index were most dissatisfied with their technology. 
• Satisfaction with collaboration technology, ease of access to information and technology security policies helped drive employee engagement among workers with higher EX index scores. 
• Companies grappling with employee burnout stand to benefit from evaluating technology factors, according to Forrester. The research firm identified faulty technology, difficult access to data and security policies that harm efficiency among top 10 predictors of burnout.

Dive Insight:

In the digital age, employees have come to expect a workplace experience that matches what's going on outside of work. Workers expect user-friendly technology systems that make them faster and more efficient.

Lack of access to robust digital tools in the workplace can frustrate employees who see productivity hindered by inefficient systems. An excess of workplace tools can be overwhelming too, and can alienate for millennial workers. When tools fail to elevate workers, output suffers.

"Employees who are satisfied with their work environment are far more likely to be engaged than those who are not," Forrester said in the research. "While this makes intuitive sense, understanding what drives satisfaction isn't obvious."

Shortcomings within a company's tech stack can have an impact beyond employee satisfaction. Access to the right tools can provide a competitive edge by increasing efficiency as a company works to earn its place in a market

Startups born in this context lean on an entire toolbox of platforms to get up and running. Project management software, collaboration tools and accounting software can power the early days of a business.

Company culture can foster team engagement, especially in a tech industry known for cautionary tales of employee burnout and lack of inclusivity.