The new digital workplace - overcoming the limits of time and place

New research examines the impact of COVID-19 on the digital workplace and how technology will enable new ways of working. A report shows 86% of global companies believe the digital workplace will coexist with the physical workspace post COVID-19 , 78% expect to increase remote working , 41% expect to implement 5G within two years and at last 35 % see security as a potential barrier to digital work. The ongoing global pandemic has put employee welfare under the microscope, as many businesses have had to embrace remote working as business as unusual. Companies have had to quickly spin up new digital workplaces where remote employees both have the right tools to communicate and collaborate, but also feel supported in order to maintain productivity.

The global pandemic accelerated this move to a digital working environment and business leaders need to use the lessons of the present to future-ready their organizations and seeing how their network, security and employee collaboration systems have operated during the pandemic should provide the blueprint for the road ahead. By acting now, they can capture the needs of employees and customers and create alignment across the organization as they pivot towards the new normal.

Secondly , many businesses benefited from the use of collaboration technologies to maintain productivity with videoconferencing topping the list with other tools such as file sharing, instant messaging, other collaboration methods and cloud-based collaboration all also being referenced. In addition, the use of online interactive training to keep employees engaged in their own personal development was key as per the Verizon study.

Using technology enables a difference. A report highlights that businesses that have a digital workplace strategy are consistently more likely to see greater returns from their investments than those that don’t. For instance, 52% saw increased productivity versus only 40% of those without such a strategy. In order to achieve these results, businesses need to go beyond a mere work-at-home policy to define the purpose and goals of the program, the approach the organization will take, and how they will measure success. The use of technology is a key differentiator in this strategy.

The potential of 5G technology was seen as going beyond basic operational improvements to provide more transformative changes, with one fifth of respondents saying that it will enable them to do work they have never been able to do before. 28% believe it will enable new business models to be explored, adding more value to their business proposition. 41% of those surveyed expected 5G to become a reality for their own organization within two years, opening the door to applications that employ higher-quality/lower-latency video and augmented or virtual reality (AR/VR). Not surprisingly, security was flagged as a potential barrier which may slow digital work momentum (35 %). However, 86 % of respondents stated the importance of addressing data security to get the most value from their digital investments in the future.