Enhancing Employee Experience: Technology in a Changing Workplace

This report explores how technology can enhance employee experiences in the workplace, focusing on the case of Sainsbury's. It highlights three key areas: increased productivity through technologies like cloud computing and AI, cooperative collaboration facilitated by cloud technology and social media, and improved security measures to protect sensitive data. The report also discusses the role of technology in improving cost management and communication within organizations. It emphasizes the benefits of cloud, AI, and data management solutions in managing large data sets, improving decision-making, and enabling employees to focus on creative and impactful work. The study concludes that technology significantly improves the quality of work and provides employees with opportunities for learning and professional growth, particularly when guided by senior experts.

Assessment ID/CIPD_7CO01_21_01
Work and working lives in a changing business environment
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» WORK AND WORKING LIVES IN A CHANGING BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
This unit extends understanding of the interaction between the commercial business environment and
likely future developments in the world of work, employment and the management of people. It discusses
the range of people practices that are growing in importance, including those relating to ethics and
sustainability, employee wellbeing, equality, diversity and inclusion.
» QUESTION 2
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you need to answer within the assessment focus area of your course for your selected submission date.
Useful guidance
 Look carefully at the question and spend some time identifying exactly what isrequired.
 Setoutsomebriefnotesthatprovideyouwithastructureforyouranswer.Ifyouhavecompletedyour activities,
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 Refer back to these notes and to the question as you write youranswer.
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INSERT YOUR ANSWER IN THE SPACE PROVIDED BELOW. Please ensure you include the question and
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QUESTION2:Youhavebeenaskedtoadviseyourseniormanagementteam(SMT)abouthowyourorganisation can
support the use of technology in the workplace in ways which will enhance employees’ experiences of working
life. What THREE distinct points would you make? Justify youranswer.
INTRODUCTION:
Businessenvironmentisconstitutedofinternalandexternalenvironmentalfactorswithinwhichchangesoccur and
affect the overall performance of the enterprise (Möller, Nenonen and Storbacka, 2020). This changing business
environment affects employees in both, positive and negative manner. “Technology” is one of the main external
environmental factors that is almost having positive impact on businesses. The study is based on ‘Sainsbury’s’ - the
second largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom. This supermarket entity utilizes the technology to the
greatestextentwhichservedinmanagingconsumers’needsanddemandsbycontrollingthehugedataefficientlyand gained
customers or buyerssatisfaction.
MAIN BODY:
Ways in which technology in workplace can enhance employees’ experience of working life:
Regardingtechnology,itcanbesaidthatinpresentdays;employerscannotimaginetheirbusiness/professional
liveswithouttechnology.Organizationswhethertheyrunatsmalllevelorlarge,theyallimplementandmakeuseof
technologies to operate and perform their functions and get the work done from employees in an effective manner.
Additionally, it can be said that technology allows employees to be more engaged, productive, and efficient aswell.

There are several examples of technologies that companies utilize and advance to improve their business -
word processing program, artificial intelligence, and cloud computing. Word processing program allow employees
to edit with ease and they find easier in managing big and complex data.
The ways in which technology in workplace is increasing employees’ experience such as:
Increase productivity: One of the main advantages that employees and employers can take by using
technology is improving productivity. Competition is increasing day by day and companies are thriving hard for
being in the market and employees must work longer hours for completing a lot of work and tasks, allotted to them.
Buttechnologyistheonesuchascloudcomputing,Microsoftword,projectmanagementappslike:Asanaandothers are
majorly assisting them in completing their tasks expertly but also in a timely manner (Kotera and Correa Vione,
2020). As it is known as Sainsbury’s implement internet of things and artificial intelligence. these technologies make employees of
retailer able in increasing their performance. It makes their work easier and hence increase
productivity.Technologysavesworkerstimeasitoptimizestheirworkroutineandthusemployeesfinditeasierinfocusing on
important tasks at their best. By completing all tasks on time and in an easy way, they can improve their
productivity and can increase their experience thus improve their work-lifebalance.
Cooperative collaboration: Cloud technology is one of the best examples of an effective technology usage
thathasmadeworkeasierforemployeesandhasincreasedtheirworkexperience.Thiscloudtechnologyhasopened a world
of possibilities and led to several innovative solutions for collaborative projects. Cloud technologies, IM systems
and social media platforms have paved the way for businesses to collaborate with like-minded people
cooperatively. Employees find easier in working with collaboration. Remote workers can easily get connected to
employers from around the globe by making use of this technology where they can engage customers as well. This
collaboration makes them in improving their performance and helps in satisfying needs and demands of customers.
Employees can share their files with others, they can upload files in seconds and the colleague employees’ can edit
and make changes in the shared file, all make their work less distracting and enhance their professional skills by
staying on the same page thus provide a better work experience aswell.
Improved security: Nowadays, managing information has become the crucial part of the organizational
success.Managingsensitiveandlargedataisimportantforcompaniesasitistheresponsibletomakecustomersfeel safe,
secured, and valued. In earlier days, tech savvy hackers were always ahead of the game who could easily tap
intoanycompany’sdatabasewithease.Intodays“DataprotectionandGDPR”era,employeeshavebecomesmarter, and
they are taking initiative in updating their systems, to save and protect the personal data from getting hacked by
hackersandmakecustomersfeelsafeandsecure(Moore,2018).Sainsbury’s manage big data by making use of cloud
and by using this it can make customers sure that their data is safe with them. It can improve its image and
customers;’ experience as well.Computersecuritysoftwareandalgorithmaremain examples by which employees are
protecting themselves from data breaches and theft of privacy thus increases employees work experience as they
can provide better services to customers and gain ethical sustainability and corporate socialresponsibility.
Improve cost-management: Due to increasing competition and increasing hike, companies want to earn
more profit and they set high profit margin, but it is possible only when they manage their money and perform all
functionsinacost-effectivemanner.Ithasbecomeimportantforemployersandemployeestoinvestintherighttools which
help in reducing the workload physically. There are number of tools and technologies that are allowing employees
to save money with monitoring devices and accounting software. Some companies such as - Mint and
XpenditurehavetakentheleadinthefinancialITsectortoprovidegroupaswellasindividualswithviablesolutions to cost
managementissues (Igwe, Mohamed and Azwarie, 2020).
Increasecommunication:Communicationisanothermainkeyfororganizationalsuccess.Poorandunclear
communication create several problems and barriers for employees, as workers may find hindrances in completing
theirtaskswithunsureinformation.Itcanincreaseerrorsandcreatelowerself-esteeminemployees.Buttechnologies
havesolvedthisproblemandallowemployeestocommunicateandinteractwitheachotherinaneffectiveandclear
manner.Byutilizingtechnologiesandappropriatesourcesofcommunication,localemployeescaneveninteractwith remote
workers and can provide them with detailed information that they require for completing their jobs. It
decreaseserrorsandimprovestheirworkperformanceandboostconfidenceaswell.So,basedonthis,itcanbesaid that
technologies at workplace play a vital role as it increases employees’ experience andsatisfaction.

Thethree mainaspectsaswellaseffectsoftechnologiesthatare beingusedwidelybycompaniesincluding
Sainsbury’s for increasing customers’ satisfaction and experience include: Cloud, AI, and Data management
solutions. All these three main technologies are making easier for employees and retailers in managing large and
complexdata.Analysingbigdatacompetentlythroughtechnology,theycanimprovedecision-makingprocess(Vyas and
Butakhieo, 2021). They find easier in solving problems in an effective manner. By doing so, they can take
competitive advantages and can become the market leader as well. In addition, it is also found that artificial
intelligence handles repetitive work and employees can focus on creative solutions, problem solving and impactful
work. Hence, it can clearly be said that technology increases employees’ experience to the greatestextent.
CONCLUSION:
It has been determined from the above reflective study that technology in workplace provide efficient results
extraordinarily, also it improves quality of work and employee get to learn new things from it. This study has been
clarified that technology involvement in business develop new working experience mainly under the guidance and
involvement of senior authority or experts’ who have intellectual skills to provide appropriate and essential
knowledge in various aspects thus boost workers’ professional experience and working lives.

» REFERENCING AND BIBLIOGRAPHY
Use the space below to cite any external sources used in your question.
Kotera, Y. and Correa Vione, K., 2020. Psychological impacts of the New Ways of Working (NWW): A systematic
review. International journal of environmental research and public health. 17(14). p.5080.
Moore, P.V., 2018. Tracking affective labour for agility in the quantified workplace. Body & Society. 24(3). pp.39-
67.
Vyas, L. and Butakhieo, N., 2021. The impact of working from home during COVID-19 on work and life domains:
an exploratory study on Hong Kong. Policy Design and Practice. 4(1). pp.59-76.
Igwe, U.S., Mohamed, S.F. and Azwarie, M.B.M.D., 2020, July. Recent Technologies in Construction; A
Novel Search for Total Cost Management of Construction Projects. In IOP Conference Series:
Materials Science and Engineering (Vol. 884, No. 1, p. 012041). IOP Publishing.
Question 2 - wordcount: 1143

» QUESTION 6
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answer within the assessment focus area of your course for your selected submissiondate.
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 Look carefully at the question and spend some time identifying exactly what isrequired.
 Setoutsomebriefnotesthatprovideyouwithastructureforyouranswer.Ifyouhavecompletedyouractivities, you can
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 Refer back to these notes and to the question as you write youranswer.
 After writing your answer, check carefully that every part, both within and between the question isanswered.
INSERT YOUR ANSWER IN THE SPACE PROVIDED BELOW. Please ensure you include the question and
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(Please provide your word count at the end of your answer.)
QUESTION 6:In what ways and to what extent does government policy in the field of education affect HR and
L&D practice in organizations? Illustrate your answer with THREE current examples.
INTRODUCTION:
Government policy can be defined as the set of rules and regulations that guide decisions at workplace. This study
willdiscusssomework-relatedpoliciesthatareaffectinglearninganddevelopmentaswellasHRpracticesandtheir impact
on field of education and educationalorganizations.
MAIN BODY:
The extent and ways in which government policy in education affect HR and learning and development practice in
organization
Federal government plays a vital role in increasing knowledge of people and changing human resource
department within organizations. There are number of governmental policies in educational field that are affecting
organization’s HR team and other departments to the greatest extent. Some general principles to education that are
affecting learning and development and HR include - general education for citizenship and specialized vocational
education (Yong and et.al., 2020).
National government assumes a crucial part in expanding information on individuals and changing human
asset office inside associations. There are number of legislative arrangements in instructive field that are
influencing association's HR group and different divisions as far as possible. A few general standards to instruction
are influencing learning and advancement and HR incorporate - general training for citizenship and particular
professional schooling.
Governmentprovidesfundfor thosestudentswhocomefrombelowpovertylineandcannotaffordeducational and
other needs. Government ensures that children within the society are attending school compulsory by providing
funds to them and thus solves their financial problems. This policy and general principle to education increases
knowledge of children and/or people of society as it encourages them to go to school and gain knowledge. By
completing educational qualification, they make themselves capable in getting into employment. Students get an
employment opportunity after acquiring the knowledge through education provided by government policies and
principles. They utilize their knowledge within organization to help companies in accomplishing their goals and
improve overall business performance. Knowledge and creativity, used by employees through ‘learning and
developmentprogrammers’aremakingcompaniescapableofgainingcompetitiveadvantage,increasingprofitmargin and
sales (Subramony and et.al., 2018) and thus improve economic condition of the country and increaseliving

standards of people. Consequently, it can be said that governmental policies in the field of education affect HR and
L&D in organisations.
Human resources within organisation play a vital role. One of the main functions on which organisational
success depends include - recruitment, selection, motivation, and training & development to employees. HR may
findeasierinrecruitingskilledemployeeswhenthereisavailabilityofskilledemployeesonly,andthisisachievable when
children and students gain knowledge and enhance their skills by attending via education as this has become
possible by government policies for personnel people in educational field. As per government policies like ‘right to
gain knowledge’ through ‘continuous professional development courses’ for example, have encouraged people to
gain knowledge and work experience thus improve creativity, innovation and job satisfaction. Employees use their
knowledge and creativity within organisation and make HR’s functions easier. HR finds easier in recruiting skilled
employees and they do not need to invest much in training and development as employees they recruit are skilled
when HR provides learning and development opportunities to employees within workplace according to the
governmentpoliciestogainknowledgeandrighttoattendingfoundationlearningmakesemployeeslearnnewtalents that
are essential for performing their work tasks and functions competently. Therefore, it is understood that
government plays an important role in making companies accomplishing their goals and profits, foster operational
performance, increase productivity and customers’ satisfaction along with improving the economic condition of
society.
Government has launched number of programs that have increased skills in national market and businesses
have made themselves able in taking competitive advantages by increasing skills via these programs. Government
has made compulsory attendance for students and students are being encouraged to attain classes on regular basis,
It is believed that by increasing knowledge and making easier access to education, government can make positive
changes and can make them able in becoming successful, career development and getting employment
opportunities.
Some positive impacts and benefits of L&D/Training and development programs that help businesses and
employees’ work life such as:
Improves workers’ performance: When employees are being offered with proper training/learning and
development opportunities then it boosts their confidence thus rise in work expertise. They learn better ways of
performing functions in a safe and effective manner which helps them in decreasing errors in their tasks (Karabag,
2020). L&D benefit job satisfaction and high-level performance thus promote better work-life balance and further
helps in employee retention for HR managers, because those workers are more likely to help company in
accomplishing business goals and objectives.
Improve quality of products: When employees learn better ways of performing functions through L&D
practices then it improves their cognitive development. Employees find easier in completing their work and create
an output in an innovative style which leads to high quality of products. By providing qualitative products and
servicestocustomers,theycanattractmorecustomersandcanretainthemwithinthebusinessforthelongrun.Thus improves
the brand of the company where HR’s may find easier in recruiting more skilled employees and therefore training
employees is one of the main keys of education’s success and image in themarket.
Aids in company’s competitive advantage: When employees participate in learning and development
programmes and take advantage of government educational policies then it makes them organised and competitive.
Employees can make themselves up to date with information that they gather or knowledge that they gain through
training sessions, make them confident to take initiative in industry competition productively (Darling-Hammond
and et.al., 2020). They are more likely to bring initiation and ambition into business. Companies that are innovative
and provide unique features of products and services to customers are more likely to become competitive. Hence, it
can be said that learning and development practices and government educational policies play a vital role in
increasing knowledge of employees in making them productive and maintain social responsibility.
CONCLUSION:
Thereupon, it can be said that government policies and training or learning and development practices not only
playamajorroleinmakingHRprofessionalsineducationsectortobeorganised,competentandproductivebutalso
helpemployeestolearnandbeskilled,consistent,andgrowprofessionallywellintheircareerstothegreaterextent. Thus,

serves in best function of educational organisation to maintain sustainability and expand innovation and creativity
with their business activities whilst maintaining socialresponsibility.

» REFERENCING AND BIBLIOGRAPHY
Use the space below to cite any external sources used in your question.
Yong, J.Y. and et.al., 2020. Pathways towards sustainability in manufacturing organizations: Empirical evidence on
the role of green human resource management. Business Strategy and the Environment, 29(1), pp.212-228.
Subramony, M. and et.al., 2018. Leadership development practice bundles and organizational performance: The
mediating role of human capital and social capital. Journal of business research. 83. pp.120-129.
Karabag, S.F., 2020. An unprecedented global crisis! The global, regional, national, political, economic and
commercial impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Journal of Applied Economics and Business
Research. 10(1). pp.1-6.
Darling-Hammond, L. and et.al., 2020. Implications for educational practice of the science of learning and
development. Applied Developmental Science. 24(2). pp.97-140.
Question 6 - wordcount: 939

» QUESTION 11
QuestionswillbereleasedinlinewiththeCIPDmoderationwindow.MOLwillnotifyyouofthechosenquestionsyou need to
answer within the assessment focus area of your course for your selected submissiondate.
Useful guidance
 Look carefully at the question and spend some time identifying exactly what isrequired.
 Setoutsomebriefnotesthatprovideyouwithastructureforyouranswer.Ifyouhavecompletedyouractivities, you can
use your original work to buildon.
 Refer back to these notes and to the question as you write youranswer.
 After writing your answer, check carefully that every part, both within and between the question isanswered.
INSERT YOUR ANSWER IN THE SPACE PROVIDED BELOW. Please ensure you include the question and
question number and copy the question prior to your answer. (The copied question text is not included in
your word count.)
(Please provide your word count at the end of your answer.)
QUESTION 11:To what extent do you agree with the view that employers rather than employees are the main
winners from flexible working initiatives? Justify your answer.
INTRODUCTION:
The expansion of benefits for employer and employee, their approach towards sustainability in the business,
especially in long term should be managed with essential care and skilful thought. This study discusses and justifies
that employee rather than employer is the main winner from flexible working initiatives because “work benefits”
help to reduce work related stress, individuals feel motivated, safe, secure, respected, and valued at workplace
when the senior authority show understanding and cooperation towards workers which leads to perform their jobs
in an effective and in timely manner. Whereas it takes a lot of effort for employers to maintain flexibility at work.
MAIN BODY:
Analysis on the view that employers rather than employees are the main winners from flexible working
initiatives:
Yes, employee need to work with the expansion of flexible working initiatives within business practices that
influence employees work performance by which an employee feels more motivated towards his or her job
and perform efficiently for the better work-life balance and career
growthaswellasbusinessprofits.Onthecontrary,anexpansionofflexibilityworking benefits within business
activities for employer, will increase job responsibilities because they must have to manage employee work
activities, work time, job safety and organization’s culture equally and competently with proper planning
and positive decision-making (Vithana, Soobaroyen and Ntim, 2021). However, an employee duty mainly
refers to do their own job without distribution of instruction to perform task within specific hours and with
effective manner. Addition of flexible environment in business culture develops higher motivation in
employees because as they don’t have responsibility in making structure, framework, planning rather hold a
responsibility of listening to
theirseniorcolleaguesorfollowemployerguidancewithproperconsiderationanddoworkwithinthegiventime.