How Enterprise Tech Can Reduce Workplace Stress: Lessons From Building CRM, ERP & WMS Systems at Scale

This article has been contributed by Mr Veerendra Jamdade, Founder & CEO of Vritti Solutions Ltd

One of the most ongoing problems facing organisations today is Workplace Stress. Companies typically spend time and effort developing culture, policies, and leadership styles to mitigate stress in their workplace; however, workplace stress often stems from how their daily systems are designed. When employees' systems are slow, fragmented, or unintuitive, their frustration builds and creates more stress over time. On the flip side, when an organisation builds its enterprise systems to be user-friendly at scale, it can significantly reduce stress levels. Drawing from his experience as a Senior Entrepreneur and the Founder & CEO of Vritti Solutions Ltd., Mr Veerendra Jamdade notes that the same discipline and design thinking used to build CRM, ERP and WMS systems can transform how organisations create healthier, calmer and more productive workplaces.

Centrally Managed Systems Help Reduce Mental Fatigue

Mental fatigue occurs when employees are forced to use several different applications, multiple browser tabs, and various data sources within the same time frame. Disparate systems create a constant need to switch between applications, leading to increased mental fatigue. CRMs, ERPs, and WMSes at scale have proven that centralising systems is one of the best ways to reduce workplace anxiety. Centralisation of data provides employees with more efficient ways to consume, reconcile and verify their own work. A unified CRM system streamlines customer interactions, an integrated ERP system consolidates finance, inventory, and procurement, and an integrated WMS provides customers with the most accurate and up-to-date inventory management. Centralised systems create a greater sense of order within the workplace and a result of lower daily stress.

The Use of Automation To Reduce Stress Associated With Repetitive Tasks

The stress associated with repetitive tasks is often underestimated. While each instance of a repetitive task may appear to be harmless in and of itself, when added together, the totality of these tasks creates a low-level of stress that carries throughout the entire day, producing micro-stress incidents. The use of Automation in enterprise systems reduces the dependence of people on routine tasks. Automating customer relationship management (CRM) systems so that they will automatically log communication, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems so that they create purchase orders or invoices automatically, and Warehouse Management Systems (WMSs) that automate picking and dispatching capabilities all allow employees to relieve themselves of the burden of routine tasks. The impact of this psychological burden is immense, as it allows employees to focus on more meaningful activities, rather than worrying about clerical errors. Automation does not eliminate employees; rather, it protects employees' minds and protects them from spending valuable mental resources solving clerical errors.

The Elimination of the Unknown Through Real-Time Visibility

Uncertainty is one of the top contributors to stress in the workplace. Uncertainty in stock levels, uncertainty in customers' decisions, uncertainty of shipment status and uncertainty of financials are all examples of uncertainty that can create stress in the workplace. Real-time data allows for an employee to know what is happening in their workplace by providing Operational Visibility. Employees do not need to speculate or constantly check with co-workers for information, they have access to accurate dashboards and live updates that provide them with visibility of operations. Employees in sales know whether or not payments are being received, warehouse management knows how their inventory levels are moving, and finance department employees have access to real-time financial information without any manual intervention. By providing employees access to real-time data, the fear associated with uncertainty will decrease, which will increase employee confidence and decrease stress associated with making decisions without knowing what will occur or why.

The Role of Integrated Workflows in Reducing Team Friction

The lack of integrated workflows results in stress among employees that's not always recognised, but it's certainly felt. When different systems don't work together, many employees are forced to rely on multiple pieces of software to collect and combine data from different sources into a single report. Consequently, employees experience significant amounts of frustration and misalignment. The integrated nature of CRM, ERP and WMS systems has been shown to improve employee's mental and emotional state by keeping employees aligned and reducing frustration. When the CRM communicates directly with the ERP, employees in finance and sales are able to communicate seamlessly about stock movements and billing processes. 

A User-Friendly Design is a Mental Health Strategy

Previously, enterprise software had a reputation for being very complex. Today, user-friendly designs are more than just a feature; they are essential to help employees reduce stress through intuitive user interfaces, easy navigation, and ease of use. An intuitive user interface, logical layout, mobile-friendly access, minimal clicks, and straightforward business processes help decrease employee stress due to the increased amount of time required to work on systems. Every point where an employee experiences friction with the system (e.g., confusing buttons, slow screen responses, complicated workflows) adds to the employee's micro-stress level throughout the day. Therefore, investing in usability is also an investment in employee mental health.

Mobile-First Access Eases the Pressure of Desk Dependency

The rigid, desk-dependent workflows of the past have created a lot of stress for many employees in the current rapidly changing work environment. Mobile-first enterprise systems are a solution to this; employees can complete business processes from any location, whether that means approving purchase orders, entering data on new client interactions, scanning inventory, or querying on open and shipped orders. Mobile-first enterprise applications decrease employees' anxiety about delays in delivering expected task completion due to being out of the office or if they are physically separated from their desk.

Better Systems = Calmer Work Environments

Typically, enterprises view enterprise technology as only an operational tool; however, it has a huge impact on employees' mental health. When CRMs, ERPs, and WMS are designed with effective data models, process automation, real-time visibility into business processes, user-friendly dashboards, mobile access, and integrated into one enterprise-wide platform, enterprises are able to create a work environment that reduces employee stress and promotes overall employee well-being. The most significant lesson from creating enterprise systems on a large scale has been that employee stress is not only a challenge to ourselves as individuals, but it is also often rooted in poor design decisions.

Ultimately, the most significant lesson from creating enterprise systems at scale is that employee stress is not only a personal challenge — it is often rooted in design decisions. And when organisations invest in systems that help people feel more in control, more supported, and more empowered, they build workplaces that are — in every sense — Happy Inside, Happy Outside, reflecting the core philosophy of Ekatm.

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