The companies creating closer real-life connections through technology

Collaborative tech platforms bring employees together virtually, often across continents and time zones. They make information sharing more efficient, allowing for faster decision-making, quicker responses, and greater internal transparency. But with experts regularly warning about the risks of tech addiction, it’s never been more important for companies to use tech to enrich employee interactions, for the benefit of both staff and customers.

“With a close-knit personal culture, we’d previously been able to rely on people knowing each other and seeing each other regularly,” says Ceri Gott, people and performance director at the British steakhouse and cocktail bar chain, Hawksmoor. “The owners would often be in the restaurants and still knew everyone by name.” But as the company grew from 50 to 800 employees and spread from London to Manchester and Edinburgh in recent years, it had to revamp its communications. But the company did so while always ensuring employees didn’t feel the burden of “information overload” posed by tech in the workplace.

Gott takes pains to encourage Hawksmoor staff to take a break from it when they feel weighed down. “It’s important to make sure people turn their notifications off when they’re off work”, given that “messages outside working hours can be one of the biggest sources of stress,” she says. Staff are encouraged to keep work and personal messages separate. Switching off is vital for mental wellbeing and showing respect for employees’ personal and private time, and it’s important for HR departments to lead by example in promoting digital wellness and unplugging from work communication.

“As a restaurant company, most people who work here need to be in the restaurant when they’re working – cooking food and showing customers a great time. But when they clock out, we need to make sure they are free to clock out mentally as well as physically,” she says.

When used properly, tech can free up time for, and encourage, real-life interactions: a benefit that can equally be seized on by the public sector as well as corporations, ensuring that members of the public stay connected to their families, friends and communities. Leeds Libraries partnered with O2 to improve digital inclusion among care leavers, refugees and older people – groups that have historically lacked internet access – with its tablet lending scheme. The initiative, which allows people to borrow and take home iPads, has seen older Leeds residents receive online training from members of library staff in doing basic tasks to enhance their lives and relationships. Take Sheila, who learned how to convert an old video of herself and her late husband to a digital format and send it to friends and family through WeTransfer.

Like Leeds Libraries, Northumbrian Water is also harnessing tech for social good, by helping long-term unemployed locals gain digital skills and ultimately find a role within its business. Last year, as part of a collaboration with O2 and the skills and training company JobSkilla, Northumbrian Water ran a two-week course, attended by 25 people to support them in areas such as customer service and job applications. Of those who took part, eight were interviewed for a placement at the company and one successful candidate, Gail Steel, was offered a three-month placement in several departments, which has since been extended.

For the company – which provides water and waste water services in Northumberland and other counties in the north east of England, and supplies water as Essex and Suffolk Water – embracing the latest tech is also crucial if it’s to fulfil its aim of becoming the most digital water company in the world. “For us, it’s never just about the technology, it’s always about making people’s lives better,” says Angela MacOscar, Northumbrian Water Group’s head of innovation. “We don’t innovate for the sake of it. We do it to make a difference, and it’s especially important in order to make our services more reliable and resilient.” The benefits trickle down directly to its 4.5 million customers and 3,200 employees.

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On the job, Northumbrian Water’s internal channels enable staff to “stay connected, informed and made to feel part of a wider team”, while video services help to coordinate employees from different areas of the business and bridge the gap between its northern and southern operating areas. “Wireless technology also allows our workers in the field to have access to better quality information at the touch of a button, enabling better conversations with customers when working in residential areas.”

Meanwhile, internally, Northumbrian Water’s tech solutions are inclusive to all employees’ needs and circumstances, “whether that’s support for those who are visually impaired or specially adapted equipment that people need in their job”, says MacOscar. Ensuring staff wellbeing through tech plays a role, too, she adds – from resilience toolkits and counselling, to fitness apps and challenges via the company’s internal digital channels. “Developing and keeping our people happy is one way of making sure we can deliver a better service.”

With employees ever more likely to complain of burnout, and loneliness becoming increasingly prevalent across the country, it’s clearly never been more important for us to use tech to enhance our real-life connections rather than replace them.