By Mark Stone
As work continues to evolve, one truth stands: The ability to adapt is critical to employee success. By 2020, half of all employees will be remote, requiring executives to introduce new technology that will keep a modern workforce creative and engaged.
A recent Deloitte report states that businesses that champion a digital workforce can expect to have an easier time:
- Attracting talent
- Improving employee productivity
- Raising employee satisfaction
- Retaining more employees
One technical cornerstone of the modern workforce is the digital workspace, a convergence of mobility cloud and virtualization.
Think of the digital workspace as a one-stop shop for all the computer-related tasks your employees conduct while sitting at their desktop. But with a digital workspace, employees can be anywhere and get secure, remote access to any application or desktop.
Happiness And The Bottom Line
The digital workspace takes advantage of the countless software-as-a-service, or SaaS, solutions that are available. By using cloud infrastructure, it allows companies to rapidly provision and scale IT resources without significant capital expenditures. Plus, the cloud enables IT departments to minimize the administrative burden associated with the data center.
If your company is still on the fence about adopting a digital workspace, consider the compelling business cases for jumping on board.
A solid digital workplace builds efficiency, engagement and profitability, said Paul Miller, CEO of Digital Workplace Group, an independent consultant to more than 100 leading corporate and public institutions to advance their digital workplaces.
“The better employees experience work digitally, the better customer needs are met,” Miller said. “And happy customers make you money.”
As a prime example of a company that has fully adopted a digital workspace, Miller points to BNY Mellon, winner of the 2017 Digital Workplace of the Year award, which he presented. Miller’s company holds the contest each year using independent judges.
BNY Mellon invested strongly in its digital workplace and enjoyed high levels of engagement, strong customer satisfaction scores and a cultural change across the bank, Miller said. By experimenting with digital cafes and initiatives like “Ask C-suiters anything,” the company has undertaken a progressive and innovative mentality in a traditional industry, he said.
A Generational Driving Force
This innovative shift will only be amplified by a demographic change in the workforce led by the millennial. As millennials represent the largest generation in the U.S. workforce, it’s imperative that today’s workplace adapt to their expectations for tech.
Dena Fiddler, a 28-year-old accountant for a large accounting firm, explained that millennials expect both software and hardware in the workplace to work as fast and seamlessly as what they use in their leisure time.
“Technology is so advanced these days; we shouldn’t lose any work time due to outdated software, bugs or network errors,” she said. “In working remotely, I expect to have the same experience I do in the workplace.”
The millennial’s digital expectations are having a dramatic impact on the workplace, particularly with older millennials who are rising in seniority and driving strategy. Gen Z, the next generation after millennials, is even more digitally invested, according to Miller, the consultant.
“I hear many alarming stories of large employers hiring people who stay for only days because the digital workplace they meet is so hard to use,” he said. “The tolerance for low-grade digital workplaces is very thin, and this generational shift is turning an ambitious, compelling and engaging digital workplace almost into a hygiene factor that you cannot afford to ignore.”
Digital Workspace: 2020 And Beyond
Incorporated in the snowballing demand for high-tech is artificial intelligence (AI), which is already a part of our lives. Think about voice assistants on your phone, or intelligent technologies like the chatbot, which have been around for years. The tech will only get smarter.
Potential use cases for AI are many, but one critical element is the ability for IT to monitor the security of a workforce that is increasingly working outside the office, easing IT worries and enabling more productivity. Citrix Analytics, for instance, uses machine learning to defend against external and insider security threats.
Such services bring to fruition one of the promises of AI. With AI, the heavy lifting is done in Silicon Valley and not in your company’s IT department, Miller said. And that heavy lifting extends beyond AI for the digital workspace as a whole with the cloud.
Whether you realize it or not, you already have a digital workplace. The only question you need to answer is how mature, relevant and suitable it is for your workplace.
“The longer you postpone serious levels of investment and attention, the wider the gap between you and your competitors,” advised Miller.
While IT trends come and go, the digital workspace is not a fad. It’s on the cusp of becoming the new normal.
Mark Stone worked in information technology for many years before deciding to make a career out of writing about it. He lives in Canada.
