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The digital workplace isn’t a theory or a dream anymore: it’s 100% here. Recent global events showed how many industries–even the most traditional, “analog” bricks-and-mortar type ones – are ready, willing, and able to shift from a traditional work setting to an office that’s primarily digital.
The numbers are in: 80% of business leaders rushed to use new technology in response to the pandemic, and we’ve now reached a point where we have to rethink remote work. We’ve gone past simply occasionally “working from home” to a new way of working entirely, and it’s time for employers to reimagine and redefine productivity in the digital workplace.
With the right approach, companies can create a digital workplace experience that has the possibility of becoming even more efficient than the in-person environment.
Learn about the benefits of the digital workplace, its evolution, and how your organization can take advantage of the digital workplace beyond 2022.
While the digital workplace might feel like a relatively new concept, it’s actually been around for many years. Experts saw the writing on the wall long ago and predicted that physical offices would one day become a thing of the past as some of the most innovative tech companies were tapping resources from all over the world, rather than from within a single office. Over time, businesses needed to manage substantially larger volumes of information, driving the need for more comprehensive information management and information technology solutions.
The digital workplace should be the virtual equivalent of an office environment: a place where colleagues can connect and collaborate in as many ways as possible. In some ways, it’s the great-grandchild of the corporate intranet, offering a digital gathering place for employees to communicate no matter where they work.
Every company embraces the digital workplace differently, but most digital workplaces share these characteristics:
Still… for many people out there, when you say “digital workplace,” they think remote employees, but it can and should support hybrid work arrangements and in-person environments, too. Off-site, on-site, online, out-of-the-country: the goal is to give all employees an equitable experience no matter where they are or how they prefer to get their work done.
Even before the pandemic, about 40% of businesses were saying they want a digital workplace because it will reduce their costs and give them a competitive advantage.
Absolutely true, and also just the start. Digitizing will definitely make your business more competitive, but it also offers other benefits, like:
The digital workplace is clearly a valuable innovation, but how did we get here? How did the digital workplace transform from a static intranet page into a centralized platform for work?
Today, the digital workplace gives employees all of the content, communication, and collaboration tools they need to be successful. Instead of just sharing information, it allows employees to engage and collaborate. It’s possible to:
While it’s clear the digital workplace has arrived, it’s equally clear that it continues to evolve. Perhaps the only upside of the COVID-19 epidemic was that it helped accelerate changes to the digital workplace and forced brands to cope with mountains of change in a short period of time.
Even if your business has a digital workplace, you have to ensure it’s set-up to evolve quickly. We predict that these five trends will shape the future of the digital workplace as we know it.
IT professionals saw a 71% increase in cybersecurity attacks during COVID-19. While increased connectivity is a great way to keep your remote team engaged, it can also open your organization up to the unsavory side of the internet.
Attackers are going after businesses of all sizes and industries: no one should assume they’re safe. Any business that operates in a digital workplace needs to take common-sense security measures like:
Since the average cost of a single cyber attack is $133,000 (and attacks are on the rise), security must be a priority for every digital workplace.
COVID-19 forced businesses to become more immediately responsive, and embrace an Agile model, which meant that traditional (and often slow), top-down leadership just couldn’t cut it. In fact, 33% of millennial employees say a more collaborative approach (less vertical, more horizontal) would make them more loyal to an employer.
Management practices have evolved to keep up with these new employee expectations. In the digital workplace, managers often function more as resource hubs providing support, instead of foremen providing direction.
Technology and processes change frequently in the digital workplace. If you want your team to keep up, you need to arm them with the knowledge and skills to do their jobs. That means remote teams need more coaching and learning opportunities to stay competitive.
The good news is that employees actually say they want training these days! Gone are the days when staff saw training as a drag. In fact, 76% of employees want digital skills training from their employer (but only 44% of employees say their employer offers it).
That number is even higher for remote workers, 85% of whom claim to be open to learning new skills, so take advantage of your team’s natural desire to learn. This means investing in your employees through:
Remote workers may often be faster and more productive than in-office workers, but that doesn’t mean that there’s no room for improvement, room to reduce the time and costs of manual labor. Which is why automation is an exciting trend for the digital workplace.
Approximately 5% of all tasks can be automated, taking advantage of tools such as machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI). Some employees are nervous about the idea of AI, worrying that “robots” will take over their jobs. However, 40% of employers believe AI can solve employee skills gaps, and that AI will create opportunities for humans to work in ways we have yet to envision.
In our opinion, machine learning and AI don’t mean losing jobs. Rather, they contribute to improving jobs as mundane tasks can be automated, while more complex and rewarding tasks (such as driving new business) can’t be.
With machine learning, you can significantly speed up the decisions your team makes in the digital workplace. This technology learns as it goes, improving data processing or even identifying trends in your business that might have otherwise gone unnoticed.
You can’t ask a robot to do everything, but this technology is able to lend a hand with tasks such as:
With AI and machine learning, there’s less waiting and more doing. Ask your employees to focus on tasks that matter while the robots handle the tedious, less enjoyable parts of their jobs. Your employees will be happier and there will be fewer errors in your work, too!
Even after the pandemic, 44% of companies don’t allow any form of remote work at all. While some work truly can’t be done from home, most office work can be completed from anywhere in the world.
Approximately 78% of managers think that remote collaboration will be here for the long-term, and 80% of businesses that switched to remote during the pandemic plan to continue offering it.
With nearly 50% of employees working remotely in 2020, remote work is a standard employees now often expect. If organizations dig in their heels and demand in-person only–refusing to build or support the digital workplace–they risk losing employees.
While remote work and the digital workplace go hand in hand, it’s an evolving relationship and there are some guidelines employers should consider as they offer more remote work options, such as:
Digital workplaces are already here, and it’s time to prepare for what’s next. The workplace of tomorrow will have the freedom of location, the ability to work from any device, and seamless integration of our personal and professional lives.
But while the technological foundation is important, the cultural foundation should come first. Businesses have to change their mindsets and processes to create a framework for an effective digital workplace. Planning for the five trends just detailed can help make room for the digital workplace in your own organization.
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