The Performance Tour Season 2023 Episode 03 on Digital Employee Experience was released on April 19, 2023. If you have not seen it yet, you can check it out below:
Digital Employee Experience
In this episode, I am introducing the idea of the Digital Employee Experience (DEX) to my audience. The viewers of my show have experience with performance from an application and infrastructure standpoint, but we rarely get into the workforce that utilizes all of that software and hardware. I began working with Lakeside Software this year to fill that gap and address the missing element in regards to performance in IT, especially within companies. For years I have talked about how to optimize the software code, the servers, the network, and the end-user experience. However, if the employees and end-users are still experiencing roadblocks to using all of it, then it doesn’t really matter how fast or efficient it is. They will still hate working with it. On the back end we monitor pretty much everything with APM or Observability platforms, and we get some front-end performance monitoring with End User Monitoring (EUM) or Real User Monitoring (RUM). These are still looking from the outside in. The missing piece is at the edge on the corporate machines looking from the inside out – and this is where DEX begins.
The Modern Workforce
I figured the best way to demonstrate how much things have changed for end users in terms of their work environment was to find a remote place and do a show from the middle of nowhere.
Over the last three years, employees have been working from home and moved behind their own VPN to work remotely – and many times this last mile is something the company has little control over. I’m on the road a lot, but I still need to get my work done, and I want a good experience with the hardware and software I use all the time. So to demonstrate the value of DEX, we decided to just do the show out in the field.
Interview with Geoff Hixon
Geoff is one of the first people I met at Lakeside, and he has been there a long time. The company is not new, but it seems that the industry is starting to recognize the DEX category as new. It is exciting to see this happen, and it’s great to have access to people so knowledgeable on the topic.
The most compelling thing for companies to realize is that if you aren’t thinking about making the employee experience better, you are really losing out. This is why we emphasize this quote from Gartner:
If you aren’t executing a strategy around DEX, you are leaving money on the table. It’s not just about doing the latest fad. As Geoff says, “IT is actually controlled BY THE WORKFORCE”. You aren’t controlling your workforce. That’s a pretty strong statement. Companies must figure out how to deal with this – and soon.
Nancy’s BBQ
I realize that the remote area I was in looks nothing like the Florida portrayed by most of the pictures you’ve seen on TV and magazines. When you think of Florida you probably think of this:
I was about 40 miles away from the beach when I was in the middle of nowhere. That is how different Florida can be from region to region. I decided to go to Sarasota (the Lakewood Ranch area), and eat some BBQ at Nancy’s.
It was good, and as you can see they give you large portions. I had the spare ribs, pulled pork, and mac and cheese.
I’m looking forward to exploring more in the area of Digital Employee Experience – and more BBQ too!