How Digital Experience data helps HR spot problems earlier than engagement surveys – HR News

Summary

By Annie O’Brien, Senior Manager, Product at Lakeside Software. The article argues that traditional engagement surveys capture how people felt weeks ago, but when most work passes through apps and devices you need continuous Digital Employee Experience (DEX) telemetry to spot problems in real time. DEX collects device, application and network signals so HR can see where slow systems, crashes or awkward workflows are creating friction — and link those signals to attrition, burnout risk and productivity before survey scores decline.

Content Summary

Engagement surveys remain valuable for culture, leadership and trust, but they miss everyday digital friction. Lakeside research shows over a third of employees have considered leaving because of poor digital experiences. Gartner also stresses that managing digital experience is critical and that adding more tools alone won’t deliver outcomes. DEX supplies the evidence HR needs to prioritise fixes, justify investment, govern AI adoption and measure whether copilots and generative-AI tools actually reduce effort.

Key Points

DEX provides continuous telemetry (devices, apps, networks) that reveals real-time digital friction missed by quarterly surveys.
Poor digital experiences are material for retention: Lakeside found 30%+ considered quitting because of tech issues.
Tying DEX metrics to HR outcomes (intent to stay, absence, wellbeing, productivity) turns lagging survey indicators into leading signals.
DEX helps govern AI adoption by showing which generative-AI tools are used (official or shadow), by whom, and whether they actually cut effort.
Measure AI with experience-level agreements (XLAs) focused on outcome metrics (time to first meaningful output, clicks to complete tasks) rather than vanity stats.
Practical playbook: identify high-friction teams/roles, partner IT+HR to prioritise fixes, automate common tech fixes, and track outcome-driven XLAs.

Why should I read this?

Look — if you manage people or the tech they use, this is a short, practical wake-up call. Surveys tell you the mood; DEX tells you what’s breaking the mood right now. Read it to stop firefighting tickets and start preventing churn and burnout with real data.

Context and relevance

This matters because work is increasingly digital and AI is being layered on top of that stack. Gartner and recent industry surveys show many digital initiatives fail to hit business outcomes, so HR needs robust evidence to prioritise investment and measure impact. DEX gives HR and IT shared visibility to ensure AI and other tools actually improve daily work rather than amplify frustration. For HR leaders focused on retention, productivity and wellbeing, treating digital experience with the same rigour as pay and policy is now essential.