The workplace of the future
With millennials rapidly taking over the workplace, organizations move more and more towards a digital workforce. Workplace transformation is about driving employee productivity and engagement, attracting and retaining talent and optimizing the real estate portfolio. Organizations that have adjusted to new workplace needs, find their employees to be more productive and happier and do a better job at hiring the best candidates for their vacancies. That’s because the workplace supports their needs and workstyles, by providing the right space and the right device at all times. This results in increased engagement and productivity, which will ultimately benefit the competitive advantage of your company.
Workplace transformation focuses on three areas:
- Facilities: Organizations are moving away from the traditional work setting with individual desks. A modern workplace provides employees with flexible and open workspaces in which teams are motivated to collaborate.
- IT: Technology should support new ways of working in terms of social, collaboration, communication and mobility.
- People: Besides state of the art IT, transformation requires an extensive cultural change within the organization. Modern enterprises will only succeed when they blend new technology with soft cultural values to embrace change.
With an integrated and inclusive strategy you can facilitate new ways of working in which knowledge is shared more easily, insights are gained faster and collaboration is more dynamic and efficient. Let’s zoom in on the technology needed to make this happen.
Cloud collaboration tools support new ways of working
Technology is the driver of workplace transformation. To support the beneficial outcomes of the modern workplace, you need to provide employees with the tools they require to collaborate, communicate and connect with each other. Cloud collaboration tools fit perfectly into the changing needs of the digital workforce. This is how cloud collaboration software can support new ways of working:
Flexible working
Work settings will become more and more flexible, not only within the office, but also outside office walls. Individual desks will be replaced with multi-user workstations, open seating and co-workplaces. Remote working becomes more and more prevailing, with more employees working from home or on the road. For your organization this means that it’s no longer an option to limit employees to working within the enterprise network on desktop pc’s. Employees need to have access to all their data and applications wherever they are and whatever device they use. A cloud solutions makes this possible. Wherever there is an internet connection, people can access and share data. This clears the way to work settings that match the work styles of millennials.
Improved collaboration
With employees spread over various locations, collaboration becomes a challenge. That is, when you look at collaboration in a traditional way in which people should be in one room to collaborate effectively. New technology makes it possible to collaborate in a natural and immersive way, even when you are not physically present in the same room. Cloud collaboration tools support modern ways of collaboration like instant messaging and video conferencing. Over the years, video and audio quality has improved significantly, thereby taking away a huge obstacle of remote collaboration. Add the possibility of real time interaction and sharing and cloud collaboration becomes an equivalent alternative for real life collaboration.
Increased mobility
The workforce of today is mobile. With the majority of employees using their smartphones and tablets for business purposes, Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) becomes the standard. As mobility pushes deeper into the enterprise, companies need mobile-compatible solutions for their everyday operations and communication and collaboration are no exception. Cloud collaboration tools support employees’ choice of device by bringing all communication and interaction together in one platform. This means employees are no longer chained to desktop computers. They can seemingly switch between laptop, tablet and smartphone, while conversations and interaction is synced real-time. This truly maximizes efficiency, boosts productivity and supports the ‘work when- and wherever I want’ mentality.
Start building your modern workplace!
In order to build a future-proof workplace, you have to provide employees with technology that supports new ways of working. Cloud collaboration tools answer to the need for a space to create, share and get work done together, everywhere and at all times. Are you curious how cloud collaboration can benefit your business? In our quick guide on cloud video, we explain how video conferencing is essential in today’s dynamic and digital work environments. Download the guide and check the key factors that lie at the heart of successful cloud video deployment.
