How digital workplaces are moulding the future of work

In a world that is fast becoming technologically receptive, it has become increasingly understood that work may not end up being a physical place that we go. As digital developments continue to take precedence, work is now being presumed to be location-agnostic, being able to happen anywhere, and any time, as long as your working device has a stable connection to the internet.

In Kenya, a handful of organizations have taken to operating digitally, like Safaricom. At least on some level, implementation of digital work places, are responsible for the comfortable level of flexibility the employees experience, improving efficiency.

With a digital office being a literally replacement for the physical office space, it contains a complete set of digital tools that employees may need to operate with during the working hours, helping them to manage their responsibilities. With online systems now being a current phenomenon, digital work places provide a seamless, unified platform for employees to access all their required business data and applications. This in turn, would lead to improved collaboration and efficiency in the organization.

The ability for team members to collaborate and communicate with each other, from different physical locations, would potentially improve overall employee engagement, allowing for the integration of different business tools, therefore leading to agile work strategies.

A fairly understood notion, the businesses need to attain revenue. Engaged employees, through digital workplaces and online interfaces, may be able to pull in more revenue. It is of vital importance, that if companies really wanted to achieve a higher bottom-line and retain remarkable talent in the future, then they need to prioritise employee experience. After all, employees are the biggest asset of any organization. Without the right talent, no organization can get anywhere, even if they have the latest and most expensive technology. The right employees are needed so that they can leverage technology in the appropriate way. Digital workplaces are not only management oriented, they are able to give employees a place to voice their opinions. It is a bottom up approach where business leaders can analyse how employees deal with work on an everyday basis and how the right tools can create a distraction free work environment for them.

With the implementation of a digital workplace focusing on intensity among workers, connectivity is encouraged by integrated technology, and fosters a collaborative workplace culture. End goals of digital work places would allow remote working, following through with a digital work place strategy, would ensure remote employees are able to work and collaborate together without losing productivity levels. Plus, more autonomy. A digital workplace creates a transparent work environment where employees, managers, and business leaders are able to track the status of every project and share their opinions. This creates an autonomous work environment where everyone knows their responsibilities and they are on the same page about what needs to be done.

All in all, in a fast paced world like todays, the fusion of technology and online interfaces in the work place is a step in the right direction, for the organisation and the entire business ecosystem as a whole.