10 ‘must-ask’ questions and stats about digital employee experience in 2025
The employee experience extends far beyond the office environment; it’s shaped by every interaction with digital tools, platforms and processes. A strong digital employee experience (DEX) can boost engagement, productivity and collaboration, while a poor experience can lead to frustration, inefficiency and disengagement. To help organizations navigate this evolving landscape, we’ve compiled the top 10 ‘must ask’ questions and stats about digital employee experience in 2025, offering practical insights, strategies and tips for creating a seamless, empowering and future-ready digital workplace.
1. What are the key components of a successful digital employee experience strategy?
A successful digital employee experience strategy goes beyond simply implementing digital tools; it focuses on creating a seamless, engaging and productive experience for employees across all digital touchpoints. Key components include understanding the employee journey, mapping critical interactions with digital systems and identifying pain points that affect productivity or satisfaction. This involves evaluating current technology, communication channels and workflows, while ensuring integration between platforms for a smooth user experience. Additionally, a strong DEX strategy prioritizes personalization, accessibility and collaboration, enabling employees to work efficiently and feel connected regardless of location or role.
Key stats: Companies that invest in employee experience report 25% higher productivity (Qualtrics XM Institute, 2022).
Top tip: Start by listening to your employees; conduct surveys, focus groups or interviews to understand their needs and pain points. Tailoring your DEX strategy to actual user experiences will maximize engagement and adoption.
2. How can we measure employee satisfaction and productivity through DEX initiatives?
Measuring the impact of digital employee experience initiatives involves tracking both qualitative and quantitative data to understand how digital tools and processes affect employee satisfaction, engagement and productivity.
Common approaches include employee surveys and pulse polls that capture feedback on digital tools, workflows and overall experience. Analytics from collaboration platforms, intranets and workflow software can provide insights into usage patterns, adoption rates and bottlenecks, revealing where employees may struggle or excel. Key performance indicators (KPIs) often include task completion times, frequency of tool usage, response times and participation in collaborative spaces.
Combining these data points allows organizations to identify trends, uncover pain points and make informed decisions about technology, training and process improvements. For example, low engagement on a collaboration platform may indicate the need for additional training or a redesign of workflows. By consistently monitoring both satisfaction and productivity metrics, DEX initiatives can be refined to better support employees, improve efficiency and ultimately drive business outcomes.
Key stats: Highly engaged teams show 17% higher productivity and 21% greater profitability (Gallup, 2023).
Top tip: Don’t rely on a single metric; instead combine survey feedback with platform usage data to gain a holistic view of your employees’ DEX. Regularly reviewing and acting on this data ensures your DEX strategy evolves with employee needs.
3. Which digital tools and platforms have the greatest impact on improving digital employee experience?
The tools and platforms that most significantly enhance digital employee experience are those that streamline communication, simplify collaboration and make information easily accessible. Collaboration platforms, project management software and shared workspaces allow teams to coordinate seamlessly, even across different locations or time zones. Social intranets and internal communication tools foster engagement, enable knowledge sharing and build a sense of community within the organization.
Learning management systems and digital training platforms support continuous development, helping employees access resources and grow their skills at their own pace. Integration is key: platforms that connect with existing workflows, calendars, email and productivity tools reduce friction and save time, making work more efficient. Microsoft solutions like SharePoint and Viva are widely used examples that combine many of these capabilities, offering a familiar interface and strong integration with productivity apps.
Key stats: Research by Microsoft shows that 70% of employees say digital collaboration tools are critical to their productivity and effectiveness. The study also found that seamless integration across platforms significantly reduces digital friction (Microsoft Work Trend Index).
Top tip: Focus on tools that your employees will actually use. The ease of adoption, intuitive interfaces and seamless integration with existing systems are often more important than the number of features.
4. How do we ensure accessibility and inclusivity in our digital workplace environment?
Ensuring accessibility and inclusivity in the digital workplace is essential for creating a positive digital employee experience for all employees. This starts with designing digital tools, platforms and workflows that accommodate different abilities, languages and working styles. Accessibility features such as screen reader compatibility, keyboard navigation, captioned videos and adjustable font sizes help employees with disabilities to use digital systems effectively.
Inclusivity also involves providing equitable access to resources, fostering communication channels where every voice can be heard, and considering diverse cultural and generational perspectives in platform design. Regularly testing your tools with a diverse group of employees and collecting feedback ensures accessibility and inclusivity remain top priorities as systems evolve.
Top tip: Implement accessibility standards from the outset, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and combine them with ongoing employee feedback to create a truly inclusive digital workplace.
5. How can we use employee feedback to continuously improve the digital experience?
Employee feedback is a vital tool for refining and enhancing digital employee experience. Gathering insights through surveys, pulse polls, focus groups and direct feedback channels allows organizations to identify pain points, workflow inefficiencies and areas where digital tools may be underutilized. By analysing this feedback alongside usage data from digital platforms, organizations can spot trends, prioritize improvements and make informed decisions about technology updates, training or process changes.
Importantly, acting on feedback demonstrates to employees that their input is valued, which increases engagement and encourages ongoing participation. Creating a feedback loop by collecting, analysing, taking action and communicating the outcomes can ensure that the digital workplace evolves to meet the changing needs of the workforce.
Key stats: 43% of highly engaged employees receive feedback at least once a week, compared to 18% of low-engagement employees (oak.com).
Top tip: Close the loop by regularly updating employees on changes made based on their feedback; this not only improves the digital experience but also builds trust and a culture of continuous improvement.
6. What training or resources are necessary to help employees adapt to new digital tools?
Adapting to new digital tools requires a combination of structured training, accessible resources and ongoing support to ensure employees feel confident and capable in the digital workplace. Effective training programmes often include interactive tutorials, step-by-step guides and live workshops or webinars to accommodate different learning styles. On-demand resources, such as video tutorials, FAQs, knowledge bases and user forums, allow employees to learn at their own pace and revisit content as needed.
Mentorship or peer support programmes can also help employees get hands-on guidance and share practical tips for using new tools effectively. Additionally, training should be tailored to different roles and levels of digital proficiency, ensuring that all employees (regardless of experience) can adopt new systems with minimal friction.
Key stats: Microlearning boosts knowledge retention by 25–60% over traditional formats and delivers a 130% increase in engagement and productivity. These figures highlight the value of short, focused training for adoption and impact (continu.com).
Top tip: Combine formal training with continuous, bite-sized learning opportunities (like short video tutorials or quick tip emails) to reinforce knowledge and keep employees confident as digital tools evolve.
7. What metrics should we track to evaluate the ROI of digital employee experience improvements?
To measure the ROI of digital employee experience improvements, organizations should track a combination of engagement, productivity and operational efficiency metrics. Key indicators include employee engagement scores from surveys or pulse polls, adoption and usage rates of digital tools, and the frequency of collaboration across teams and departments.
Productivity metrics, such as task completion times, project throughput and error rates, can show whether digital tools are helping employees to work more efficiently. Additionally, tracking employee retention, absenteeism and internal mobility can provide insights into the impact of DEX on workforce stability and satisfaction. Combining these data points gives a clear picture of how investments in digital tools, training and processes translate into tangible business outcomes.
Top tip: Focus on metrics that tie directly to business objectives, like efficiency gains, reduced errors or higher engagement, to clearly demonstrate the value of your DEX initiatives.
8. How do we address digital fatigue among employees?
Digital fatigue is a growing challenge as employees juggle multiple tools, notifications and virtual meetings throughout the workday. To address it, organizations should prioritize simplicity, balance and flexibility in their digital workplace. Consolidating platforms where possible and integrating tools into a seamless workflow reduce the cognitive load of switching between systems. Encouraging regular breaks, setting clear communication norms and limiting unnecessary notifications can help employees manage their digital workload.
Providing training on effective digital practices like prioritizing tasks, using collaboration tools efficiently and managing virtual meeting time can empower employees to work smarter, not harder. Finally, fostering a culture where downtime and unplugging are respected ensures employees can recharge and maintain productivity.
Key stats: The Microsoft 2025 Work Trend Index report highlights the rise of the ‘infinite workday’ culture, with 40% of employees online at 6 a.m. actively checking emails, signalling a harmful blurring of work–life boundaries (Microsoft.com).
Top tip: Conduct regular surveys to gauge employee digital well-being and adjust tools, processes and communication practices accordingly (prevention is more effective than remediation).
9. What emerging trends and technologies should we consider to enhance our digital workplace?
The digital workplace is constantly evolving – and staying ahead of emerging trends and technologies is crucial to enhancing digital employee experience. Key trends include AI-powered tools that automate routine tasks, provide personalized recommendations and improve decision making. Collaboration platforms are increasingly incorporating immersive technologies like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) for training, team collaboration and remote onboarding. Advanced analytics and dashboards help organizations to monitor engagement, productivity and workflow efficiency in real time.
Cloud-based platforms and seamless integrations continue to be essential, enabling employees to access tools and information from anywhere. Additionally, prioritizing digital well-being solutions, such as focus-time scheduling tools and notification management, can reduce burnout and increase productivity.
Top tip: Pilot emerging technologies in small teams first to assess impact and adoption before rolling them out organization-wide, ensuring alignment with business needs and employee preferences.
10. How can we assess whether our organization’s digital employee experience is good?
One of the most effective ways to assess the quality of your organization’s digital employee experience is through benchmarking. This involves comparing your digital tools, platforms and overall employee interactions with technology against those of industry peers, best-in-class organizations or established standards.
Benchmarking helps your organization to move beyond internal perceptions and assumptions by providing a clear view of where you stand in relation to others, allowing you to identify gaps, uncover areas for improvement and set realistic goals based on proven practices. For example, you can benchmark metrics such as system usability, digital onboarding processes, self-service capabilities and employee satisfaction with digital tools.
By leveraging both quantitative data (e.g. usage analytics, support ticket trends) and qualitative insights (e.g. employee feedback surveys) and comparing them to external benchmarks, you gain a comprehensive understanding of how well your digital experience supports productivity, engagement and satisfaction. This ensures that your digital environment is not just functional, but truly competitive and aligned with modern employee expectations.
Top tip: Don’t just benchmark against your industry, benchmark against the best.
While it’s useful to compare your digital employee experience to peers in your sector, the most valuable insights often come from looking at organizations that are leaders in digital experience, regardless of industry. Employees today compare their workplace tech to the best consumer-grade experiences (like those from Apple, Google or Amazon), so raising your standards beyond your immediate competitors can help you deliver a truly exceptional digital environment.
At DWG, we have been carrying out benchmarks of digital workplaces within leading global organizations for over 20 years. Our benchmarks are an effective and efficient tool for organizations looking to understand how they are performing in areas such as digital employee experience, digital workplace management, modern intranet management and more.Contact us today to find out more about benchmarking your digital workplace.
Or try DWG’s free diagnostic benchmarking tool.
Transform your digital employee experience with DWG
Creating a truly engaging and effective digital employee experience requires more than just implementing new tools; it’s about building a connected, inclusive and productive workplace where employees thrive. That’s where DWG can help.
Our consulting services are designed to guide organizations through every stage of their DEX journey, from assessing current challenges to designing a tailored strategy and supporting implementation. We combine deep expertise with a people-first approach to ensure your digital workplace not only supports business objectives but also empowers your employees to do their best work.
Whether you’re looking to improve collaboration, reduce digital friction or boost employee engagement, DWG can help you unlock the full potential of your digital workplace. Together, we’ll create a DEX strategy that delivers measurable results, driving productivity, satisfaction and long-term success.
Contact us to find out more about our Benchmarking and Consulting services.
Conclusion
Digital employee experience is a critical factor in shaping engagement, productivity and overall organizational success. By understanding the key components of a strong DEX strategy, leveraging the right tools, prioritizing accessibility and continuously acting on employee feedback, organizations can create a digital workplace that empowers employees and drives business results. Addressing challenges like digital fatigue, tracking meaningful metrics and staying ahead of emerging trends ensures that the digital experience remains relevant and effective. Ultimately, investing in DEX is not just about technology but about fostering a connected, collaborative and satisfied workforce that thrives in today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape.
For more digital workplace resources, DWG members have full access to exclusive articles, events, peer insights and a Research Library of 100+ reports covering key areas such as digital employee experience, AI readiness, strategy and governance, digital workplace transformation, change management and more. Contact us to learn how to gain access to this library via DWG membership.
Categorised in: Digital employee experience
