In just a few years, the digital transformation has revolutionized the way we work, leading to a real boom in the use of collaborative tools. Many organizations are taking the plunge and transitioning toward a new working environment: the digital workplace. A work platform that is profoundly changing the employee experience.
How is the digital workplace transforming the work experience of employees and what are the best practices for implementing it?
Digital workplace: the collaborative experience 2.0
The digital workplace requires companies to make real changes: to no longer think in terms of individual physical workstations, but to embrace the notion of a digital work environment. It relies on collaborative tools to simplify employees’ daily lives and enable them to become more productive. Indeed, according to the 2019 Digital Workplace Barometer, 65% of employees surveyed indicated they’ve become more efficient thanks to these tools.
More than a workstation, the digital workplace is therefore a complete workspace: a true digital office. It brings together all the features your employees need, with solid advantages that give a new meaning to the very expression of employee experience:
- Your employees can find all their tools, applications and documents in the same place. They no longer need to juggle multiple applications, and that saves them valuable time.
- Thanks to the cloud-based document storage system integrated into the digital workplace, all folders can be securely accessed anywhere, anytime.
- More than ever, the digital workplace puts collaboration back at the heart of the enterprise. You can work with four, six or even eight people on the same document in real time.
- The communication tools integrated into the digital workplace (chat, news feed, videoconferencing, etc.) make internal exchanges more fluid and simplify knowledge sharing while lightening the load in email inboxes.
Since the digital workplace is completely digitalized, it transforms the employee experience, making it more flexible. Indeed, it’s a work environment that everyone can customize to suit their own way of working.
Employees find tangible work comfort, making the digital workplace an asset for your employer brand and for attracting top talent to your team.
What’s more, according to a 2015 Deloitte study, companies that use a digital workplace see an average 3% increase in employee retention.
Also read: A Talent Management Strategy, The Great HR Challenge
Creating a successful digital workplace
The digital workplace is changing the way people work. To accompany this transformation, a progressive deployment plan is crucial.
For a successful transition, you must first get to know your platform‘s future users. Indeed, the digital workplace must meet the challenges, needs and objectives of each of the stakeholders. It has to solve the problems employees encounter and adapt to all their varied ways of working (teleworking, hybrid work, nomadism, etc.).
Also read: The Digital Workplace: The Tool That Makes Teleworking as Easy as 1-2-3
It’s essential to involve your employees in your digital workplace project—especially in the choice of the tool you will use.
For example, you can invite a panel of future users to test the chosen solution(s). After this short trial period, employees will be able to evaluate the platform based on various criteria such as ergonomics or ease of use. This consideration of user needs will facilitate the deployment of the platform in your company. Your beta-test users will then become its first ambassadors!
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Want to offer your employees an enjoyable and innovative employee experience? Contact our teams! They’ll be delighted to support you in your digital workplace project.
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Author: Paul Maubareyt
