The CEO's Desk: Technology & The Human Equation - Disability Management Employer Coalition (DMEC)

Technology & The Human Equation

By Terri L. Rhodes, CCMP, CLMS, CPDM, MBA, CEO, DMEC

Technology is an integral part of our lives. It’s a valuable tool that can improve efficiency and help you find time for meaningful interactions with employees who need guidance. However, this issue highlights the need to avoid relying solely on technology to expedite some of the daily tasks involved in absence management as it won’t serve you — or your employees well — without a human touch.

A Delicate Balance

While technology solutions can help keep teams connected and productive regardless of where they are working, they should align with an organization’s culture, encourage collaboration, and support your team’s work. I look at technology as an extension — not a replacement — of absence management professionals. The articles in this issue will help you assess whether your technology solutions accomplish these goals, ascertain how different technology solutions work, and determine what is fair to expect when you implement a new system.

The checklist that accompanies one of our feature stories will guide discussions for those using solutions and those investigating technology options to handle operational components of leave management. And the market is ripe for automation, according to data from the 2020 DMEC Employer Leave Management Survey¹, which shows that more than 50% of our respondents — companies with 5,000 or fewer employees — handle leave management tasks manually. As you consider technology options, it’s helpful to get unbiased perspectives on what is possible and insights from colleagues who have started down similar paths.

Remote Experiences

One lesson we learned during the pandemic is that traditions can and should be reconsidered to ensure they serve our organizations well. This is a hot topic of discussion considering the number of online articles about the physical office, some of which question whether requiring “knowledge workers” to be in offices is (or should be) a thing of the past.²

Employers seeking resources to support remote workers will read about how Temple Health, a 10,000+ size employer, deployed technology to engage team members, who shifted quickly to remote work during the pandemic. The Temple team writes about the need to adjust leadership’s views about how and when work is done as well as the skills and support services needed for success in remote environments. One helpful tip: Communication strategies needed to go beyond traditional methods to ensure success with hybrid teams. And I believe that is true regardless of where employees work.

DMEC has operated in a remote office environment since its inception 30 years ago. At the time the concept was not endorsed by many, who thought DMEC staff working remotely would not be as productive as those in brick-and-mortar offices. However, our organizational culture embraces this work environment, and staff thrive in it. We appreciate and understand there are myriad ways to connect with colleagues that are equally effective as sitting side by side in cubicles or conference rooms.

And technology is a lynchpin to that success. The question of how we integrate technology with employees and communicate in ways that resonate with our people — those who are technologically savvy as well as those who are not — is what will define our success moving forward.

An Operational Guide

As we learn how software can help us track and coordinate myriad leave laws (pending, passed, and changes to existing laws), it is important to question how we quantify success, assess what’s working, and consider ways to improve. You’ll see examples of this throughout this issue, and we hope you’ll continue the conversation in the DMECommunities Technology Solutions Group.

We know there are systems that automate pieces of our work; algorithms that increase productivity; and artificial intelligence that flags opportunities for human intervention to reduce leave duration and encourage employees to return to work. There is no one size fits all, but we see customized solutions that provide more details about time off entitlements for all leaves, how employees are paid by each leave, (sick leave, paid family leave, disability, etc.), and how a leave affects employees’ jobs.

Recognizing technology as a valuable tool helps streamline absence management tasks, creates time for employees who want to interact, and reinforces the message that while you can automate some aspects of absence management, you must never forget the all-important human aspect of it.