Digital tools at work
I have been in a hotel and tourism industry for many years and currently I am working as a Human Resources Coordinator within the same field. For communication and information sharing we use tools such as Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, LinkedIn and WhatsApp. There are also different platforms for recruitment, learning, payroll and HR management that are used actively every day.
Social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, are all used in the company and although HR is not the primary user, we are actively involved in planning content in collaboration with the marketing team. We use social media mainly to strengthen the company’s image as a great place to work, share insights into our workplace culture and current events, and highlight employee experiences to attract new talents and employees. We also use social media to post open job positions, share company news, and engage with our own employees.
New digital tools
I started reviewing a list of new digital alternatives and found many interesting options. Here are my top 5 choices that I feel would benefit me and my team in our daily work:
Asana – Our team in human resources is quite new and there are many development processes happening currently at the same time. I feel like using Asana would be a great tool to our new HR team to stay organized on our projects and daily tasks. With Asana, we could easily track progress on ongoing initiatives, set clear responsibilities and targets, and follow timelines for each project. It would also allow us to collaborate more effectively and make sure that everyone is on the same page and no important deadlines or responsibilities are missed. I think this could help us maintain a smooth and efficient operation within our team. There could also be a possibility to use Asana to improve the co-operation within company as many projects also involve employees from other departments.
Open Badges – Learning and development is an important part in HR work. Open Badges could be great way to recognize and track employees’ skills, achievements, and training progress. Awarding badges might also motivate employees to engage in continuous learning and development and they could also share these badges in platforms like LinkedIn to show others their accomplishments. It is extremely important to support employees career development and growth and for this Open Badges could be a great addition to already existing training programs.
DeepL – With globalization there are more and more employees from different national and linguistic backgrounds. This can create challenges, especially when communication cannot be conducted either in Finnish, Swedish or English. DeepL might be a helpful solution in such cases. It could help us in HR department to translate for example job descriptions, employee handbooks and company policies or training materials into multiple languages when needed. I also noticed that with DeepL it is possible to translate legal documents, which ensures compliance and clarity for employees in different languages. This tool could be very useful in our company which also operates in tourism industry as there are a lot of employees coming from different linguistic backgrounds.
Miro – As a visual collaboration tool, I feel Miro could be a good alternative for example training sessions that include group work or strategic planning events. It could be great use in HR when planning workshop day materials and participants could easily share their ideas and feedback in real-time through Miro. Regarding strategic planning, it could be used for visual plans and roadmaps that help clarify the organization’s goals and development directions.
Todoist – As a new HR professional, Todoist could be a useful tool for me individually. It could be a great tool for me for staying organized, managing my personal tasks efficiently and keeping track of the important deadlines. I am a big fan of to-do lists so this could be a perfect tool for me to track down my daily HR related tasks and setting up reminders. In Todoist it would be possible to categorize tasks in different areas such as onboarding, recruiting and activities which would be very useful in keeping up with the bigger picture. I also noticed that it is possible to have integration between Todoist and your own calendar and email, which would be a big help for managing meetings and projects.
Social media at work – Pros and cons
Social media tools in the workplace offers many benefits to employees, including networking, co-operation and sharing information and knowledge. It can also promote engagement and create a positive work culture. In best cases social media platforms and other digital tools can improve efficiency and support well-being at work.
However, there are downsides that need to be addressed. Social media can cause distractions which reduce productivity. People might also be too eager to log in to different digital tools also in free time as it is made so easy and can cause overuse or burnout. Also, social behaviors like inappropriate posts or negative comments can harm personal or company reputations and lead to conflicts. These harmful scenarios can negatively impact the well-being of individuals or the whole work environment.
Self-evaluation
Digital tools play a big role in making daily work more efficient and organized. Whether it’s project management tools like Asana, collaboration tools like Miro or communication tool like Teams, the right technology canmake teamwork more effective and saves time for yourself and your team. It was interesting to learn about these new tools and think how I could use them in my own daily work.
It’s also important for companies to understand how to use different digital tools. This is especially important regarding social media tools, where companies must be aware of their responsibilities, such as data security, ethical aspects and how to communicate in social media. Misuse of social media tools can lead to miscommunication or even cause negative effect to company’s reputation or work environment. I feel it’s important to not only have a right tools at work but also have a proper training for employees regarding using different tools.
If the company will have the right digital tools, the work can become more organized and efficient. At the same time, it can also make work less stressful and improve employee well-being. When employees have access to systems that help them manage their workload and collaborate easily, they can focus on right tasks at the right time. This is why I think companies should pay attention to digital tools that are used their workplace and keep up with the new trends in digitalized world.