From Chaos to Order: Mastering Digital Workplace Strategies for Seamless Operations

Gone are the days when workplaces were limited to physical locations. Today’s instant, always-connected workplaces have blurred the lines on where work actually occurs. Safe to say, strategies that worked even a decade ago might not work today. To adapt to this changing work experience, companies have come to adopt a new way of working — the digital workplace. 

But what exactly has led to this change? 

The answer is technology integration and digital transformation. 

With technology integration in the workplace, the digital workplace has overcome many barriers that were once a hurdle in the physical workplace model. For instance, integrating communication tools has streamlined communication and broken down barriers like never before. 

But here’s the reality. The digital workplace isn’t some magical place. Organizations need to prioritize strategy to ensure you’re not wasting any potential. So, what kind of strategies should organizations prioritize to ensure organizational efficiency? Let’s discuss this below.

Why adopt a digital workplace strategy in the first place?

According to Deloitte, the digital workplace is the ‘natural evolution of the workplace.’ This workplace comprises all the technology in your employee’s working environment.

Naturally, with all this technology in place, there should be some strategy to ensure seamless operations. Otherwise, you’ll have disparate teams working in silos, despite the heavy investment in sophisticated technology.

But here’s the good news. With a solid plan and a well-thought-out strategy, the benefits of implementing a digital workplace strategy are innumerable when done right. Some of them are:

• Enhanced employee productivity: A McKinsey study reports a 20-25% increase in employee productivity by using social technologies. 
• Improved employee engagement: Hybrid and remote workers report higher work engagement than their counterparts. More engaged employees means decreased turnover rates by 31%! This symbolizes the changing workplace patterns that can only be sustained by technology. 
• Increased talent attraction: Interestingly, 64% of people would opt for a job that pays less if this means they can work away from the office. 

These outcomes are possible only when organizations equip their employees with the necessary tools for effective collaboration, streamlined communication, and seamless connection between teams and tools

How to implement digital workplace strategies for seamless operations?

Effective coordination and strategic planning among tech teams are vital to avoid isolated implementations and fragmented control. Here are our tips to ensure successful new technology integration:

 A. Assess the current state and define clear objectives

Most organizations today have some workplace tools in place to begin with. However, these existing tools might not be enough to ensure faultless workflow operations. A comprehensive audit helps detect gaps or hurdles holding teams back from reaching their full potential. 

A best practice is to gather input from your employees, managers, and other stakeholders to understand their needs and challenges. This ensures that no perspective is overlooked. 

For example, your organization might be facing issues with communication. The reliance of legacy communication systems poses challenges to employees, such as missed updates, delayed communication, and decreased employee engagement. 

Once this challenge is detected, the next step is finding viable solutions that are aligned with the organization's goals, objectives, and budget.  

B. Craft a comprehensive blueprint for implementation 

Once the problem is identified, the next step is strategic planning and decision-making to address the issue. Here’s how to go about it:

• Outline your goals and objectives: Begin by defining what you want to achieve. Why have you taken this initiative, to begin with? For instance, if one of your objectives is to improve internal communications and employee engagement, digital signage can be a pivotal technology to incorporate.
• Conduct a thorough analysis of current infrastructure: Examine your current infrastructure and outline how digital adoption can be integrated. For instance, if your analysis reveals that employee engagement is down at certain points during the day, you can display motivational content or employee recognition during these periods. 
• Establish timelines: Determine an expected timeline to roll out the technology you want to implement. Plan out how implementation will take place. Will it be phase-wise? Which department will go first? How long will the training take? What’s the follow-up process after new-technology integration? 
• Address short-term needs and long-term visions: Your blueprint should not only solve immediate challenges but also set the stage for future advancements. With digital signage, this might mean starting out with some basic content like news and weather channels. You can later expand to other branded content that is more time-taking and resource-intensive to make. 
  

C. Invest in collaboration solutions and communication tools

Digital workplaces can survive only when communication is streamlined. If information is disarrayed, chances are your teams will be working in silos, causing disrupted workflows. 

Investing in a digital communications tool ensures that information is disseminated on time to the right people. Whether your employees work remotely at home or in the office, these tools will ensure that information is readily available irrespective of location.

It’s worth noting that mobile applications have also streamlined communication like never before. Collaboration solutions like Slack ensure workflow optimizations by allowing teams to send messages, organize their work, manage projects, and integrate workflows with various other tools. 

On the other hand, digital communication tools like L Squared deliver real-time relevant information right where your employees are, ensuring they never miss an update. These tools also engage with dynamic content like sports and news channels, awards and recognition, and company events. 

D. Optimize and automate wherever possible

Understated, but automation can limit redundancy, ensuring workflow optimization among employees. Automating repetitive tasks allows your employees to focus on more high-cognitive tasks.

This could involve automating administrative tasks, streamlining data energy, scheduling routined updates, or responding to repetitive queries. The end goal is simple — make operations more efficient and reduce the likelihood of human error.

E. Foster a culture of digital readiness 

For digital adoption to be successful, it’s crucial to create an organizational culture that embraces change and innovation. This involves cultivating a learner mindset, staying curious, and always looking to improve.

Training is equally important to ensure employees are up-to-date on the newly integrated technology. It’s not just about the initial, one-time training; it’s about making learning and upskilling a part of your ethos. 

To make training fun, you can gamify the process with quizzes, points, and leaderboard scores. This way, your employees are encouraged to experiment and learn in a supportive atmosphere where they feel comfortable embracing new technologies and processes.

F. Become a champion of employee engagement and well-being 

Last but not least, focus on employee well-being. Employees who feel positively about their work and workplace are more likely to go the extra mile. 

Implement strategies that promote work-life balance, such as flexible working arrangements and digital wellness tools. Also, remember to regularly collect feedback on employee experiences and challenges and take action to address any issues. 

Wrapping up