You are currently viewing The Digital Workplace Is Evolving, For The Better

The Digital Workplace Is Evolving, For The Better

I’ve worked exclusively from home for over 22 years. I was part of a digital workplace before it was considered cool. For the first year, I used a dial-up internet connection. You never forget those slow speeds or that dial-up tone.

Fast forward 22 years, and in a six-month time period, the Coronavirus pandemic has changed our lives, our culture, our fortitude, and how we work. It seems like everyone is working from home these days.

Because of the Coronavirus, businesses are accelerating their digital transformation plans. A recent Gartner CFO survey revealed that 74% of CFOs plan to “shift at least 5 percent of previously on-site employees to permanently remote positions post covid-19, and nearly 25% of respondents said they would move at least 20% to a permanently remote position.”

The goal for organizations is to craft a positive journey for employees. Your remote workers need to communicate effectively, collaborate, engage with each other, be more productive, and have a sense of belonging. An enterprise mobile app can create a company culture, share knowledge, and provide ongoing training and learning,

Here are 8 critical areas for shaping your organization’s ever-evolving digital workplace:

Put People First

What is the most important part of your organization? Your people. Any digital workplace concept will include people, process, and technology. A good digital workplace puts people first, uses the right processes to create collaboration, productivity, and engagement, and continually evolves technology so that employees can work smarter.

Create employee engagement

As a society, we crave interaction with others. To sustain a virtual workplace, it’s important to keep your remote workers engaged while they are also isolated. Companies need to explore the best ways to communicate with internal and external employees, encourage collaboration, and nurture job satisfaction. Daily employee engagement is going to be much more highly valued in 2021 than ever before.

Protect employee health

It’s more important than ever for organizations to invest even greater interest in the welfare of their employees. Encourage employees to take care of their physical and mental health. Communicate regularly with employees, and not just about work. Use virtual meetings to create a connection and let remote workers know that they are valued and an important part of the organization.

Maintain productivity

Management is concerned about maintaining productivity while employees work from home. It may mean developing a new approach to incorporating digital solutions that will keep your remote workers connected and happy. And the more contact and check-ins with managers is better for employees. Set up weekly or even daily check-ins. Studies show that Gen Z workers want multiple, frequent check-ins from managers. With more feedback, remote workers will be engaged, on track, and accomplishing their goals.

READ MORE: What Does Generation Z Want In A Mobile App?

Virtual everything

Online meetings were happening before covid-19, but not nearly to the extent that they are used today. We now live in a world of virtual meetings, including everything from conferences, webinars, live-streaming events, on-demand videos, and more. Virtual meetings are crucial to connecting with others, collaborating, and staying engaged with the company.

Agile horizontal hierarchies

Vertical business hierarchies are giving way to a horizontal or sideways approach that allows for creativity and innovation, giving employees more room to collaborate and make decisions without involving managers and leaders. This new way of thinking benefits everyone in the business. All employees are on the same playing field, following the same rules, and achieving common goals.

Continued training and learning

Education and training are a key part of the digital workplace. Workplace learning helps employees become more engaged in the organization and have higher job satisfaction, making them happier and more loyal to the company. Microlearning uses small, bite-sized chunks of content that’s easier to learn and retain. Employees can use a mobile device to complete training or elearning whenever they have a few spare minutes.

READ MORE: Why Microlearning Is Surging During The Pandemic

Technology needs for the future

We all know the basic requirements for a digital workplace: intranets, collaboration tools, and knowledge sharing repositories. Organizations must provide employees — in and out of the office — with the best technology to help them do the job at hand. For remote employees, that means putting in the effort to set up the appropriate technology that will help them during their workday. And, creating a virtual office where they can concentrate and be productive at home.

Diversity and inclusion

This year has definitely put the focus on corporations to go above and beyond in developing a culture of diversity and inclusion. Just a few of the benefits that companies get from recognizing diversity and inclusion — increased innovation, resilience, problem-solving employee retention, higher productivity, and a sense of belonging.

READ MORE: Dissecting The Mobile Enterprise App Market

Consider an enterprise mobile app

At CatalystXL, we want to help you quickly and easily share information and foster collaboration across your entire organization. We can deliver a no code, custom branded enterprise mobile app that unlocks answers and provides insights via our Cardware™ platform — sharing categorized content in a powerful flashcard format. Our mobile app fosters a community of collaboration, engagement, and connectedness for your employees – both in and out of the office.

Book a demo today.