As the remote workforce grows, it’s becoming increasingly important for organizations to focus on creating a positive experience for their desk-less workers. Part of this means making HR-related tasks easier for them by utilizing mobile apps. In recent years, an entire sub-genre of HR technology has evolved around the idea of facilitating engagement. Some of these products allow managers to take quick, moment-in-time assessments of employee engagement levels to keep up with their workforce’s (remote and traditional) state of mind. Other tech tools look to streamline communications between managers and teams, no matter where team members are geographically. These apps have been proven to boost engagement and productivity; however, it’s important to note that the engagement contributions made by mobile HR apps can be misconstrued. "Mobile HR apps are driving employee engagement levels for desk-less workers up, but I think the scope of that engagement is narrow at this point in time," said Amy Gurchensky, a New York-based senior research analyst at IT and business services analysis firm NelsonHall. "There are mobile HR apps in the market today that are pretty extensive, but what actually gets used by employees on a regular basis is so limited." While apps can help bolster engagement, they’ll never fix a broken culture.