The workplace is no longer just physical space employees occupy during regular office hours. The lines between the physical office and the place where work actually happens have become increasingly blurred in today’s always-connected, instant-access environment.
Employees communicate and collaborate in unprecedented ways as the line between professional and personal life blurs, and the digital workplace framework becomes truly digital.
- What is a digital workplace?
Employers are struggling to meet the varying needs of a digital workforce as the workplace demographics continue to shift. As the use of the Internet and mobile devices grows, so does the rate of change.
These changes are exacerbated further by ongoing pressures to increase productivity and cut costs, making it more difficult for employees to meet market expectations. These trends are reshaping the workplace as a whole.
They want the ability to form productive business relationships outside of natural workgroups to enable knowledge sharing across the organisation. As a result, it is becoming increasingly clear that the traditional ‘create and push’ information approach is no longer meeting the evolving needs of employees.
- It’s time to implement a new working environment
Leading organizations have begun to implement an entirely new working environment – the digital workplace – to accurately reflect their employees’ changing work experiences. However, the key to success is the effective implementation of a digital workplace strategy capable of driving true cultural change.
The digital workplace breaks down communication barriers by integrating the technologies that employees use (from an e-mail, instant messaging, and enterprise social media tools to HR applications and virtual meeting tools), positioning you to transform the employee experience by fostering efficiency, innovation, and growth.
While the workplace has been evolving since the agricultural and industrial revolutions, the widespread adoption of information technology has forever altered how employees connect, collaborate, and communicate.
- Changing trends in the world of the digital workplace
This transformation has accelerated in the last 30+ years as a result of the emergence of three fundamental trends:
Aging workforce: As baby boomers retire, they take key knowledge with them, increasing the need to capture their knowledge.
Information overload: information continues to grow at an exponential rate, and employees, despite technological advances, are unable to find what they require.
The need for speed: Due to the fast-paced nature of today’s work environment, employees are increasingly required to work faster and collaborate more effectively in order to complete their tasks.
- How the digital workplace is best viewed?
The digital workplace is best viewed as the workplace’s natural evolution. The technological working environment of your employees is also considered under this.
The digital workplace includes all of the technologies that people use to get work done in today’s workplace – both those that are currently in use and those that are yet to be implemented.
It includes everything from HR and core business applications to e-mail, instant messaging, enterprise social media tools, and virtual meeting tools.
- Why should you implement a digital workplace strategy?
If the risks of inaction aren’t enough of a motivator, the advantages of implementing a digital workplace make a compelling business case.
Count the advantages in:
- Attracting talent: 64 percent of employees would take a lower-paying job if they could work outside the office.
- Employee productivity: companies with strong online social networks are 7% more productive than those without.
- Employee satisfaction: Organizations that implemented social media tools internally saw a 20% increase in employee satisfaction.
- Employee retention: As employee engagement rises, so does employee retention, which can rise by up to 87 percent.
- Communication tools: Information workers prefer newer communication tools, particularly instant messaging, to older ones like e-mail or team workspaces.
Conclusion
While there are no hard and fast rules governing the design of a digital workplace, there are some best practices. The following digital workplace framework, for example, helps organizations understand their current digital workplace and identify areas of opportunity to support a better way of doing business by assisting you in thinking holistically about the tools you use in your digital workplace.
So, it is very important to check out the right digital platform before creating your digital workplace.
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