The importance of communication and collaboration cannot be overemphasized as it has brought significant development in the workplace. This is evident in the communication patterns and the knowledge shared by employees. No matter where they are working, tools exist for people to communicate effectively with one another.
In 2020, many companies experienced various challenges in business structures due to the pandemic. It drew the attention of many organizations to the need to devise an approach that will support the reality of virtual business operations.
Several companies turned towards the use of digital transformation as it improves workplace efficiency. Digital tools were very significant during this time as remote workers became a connected part of the company culture, just like the on-site workers.
The advancement of technology made it very easy for employees to work from anywhere they felt comfortable, from their living room to a corner coffee shop.
Unfortunately, the adopted communication and collaboration patterns brought several productivity issues. Many employees found it difficult to communicate effectively when switching between different communication platforms. Also, valuable time that could be invested in being productive was spent learning to use new platforms (which businesses often churn through).
Many companies are not applying the right tactics to use a digital workplace effectively. This is why a lot of them find it challenging.
Here, we’ll discuss the five things that companies are doing wrong in the digital workplace and the best ways to go about it.
1. Resistance to change
Employees who are comfortable with the organizational processes find it difficult to accept change. The sad reality is that adopting a digital workplace is not necessarily all about using technology. It has to do with restructuring the organizational culture. For this purpose, to introduce a digital workplace, organizations must establish a digital culture and replace any structure that will affect the digital transformation.
An excellent way to do this is to explain the importance of evolving the workplace to employees and its benefits. You can book a time to make it happen as employees find it easier to accept change when they understand the importance of what’s coming.
2. Data security
Transferring your data to the cloud is an integral part of having a digital workplace. This will allow employees to access data regardless of the device in use. For this reason, data security always becomes a challenge when companies want to adopt a cloud structure.
Companies are usually torn between creating a system where the employees can easily access data and protecting the interest of their customers according to the dictates of the industry.
The only way companies can beat this challenge is to use a digital approach that is in tandem with data security guidelines and eliminate all forms of unnecessary manual input on the part of the employees.
Companies can create security awareness training for employees and educate them on the importance of data security practices and how these may differ from the new tools they are using.
3. Migrating from old processes
Many companies want a digital workplace but find it very hard to abandon their legacy applications. In some cases, they even try to integrate the new workflows into their legacy systems without making efforts to make the right changes in the workplace.
This can make it very difficult for the company to migrate to a digital workplace and can also cause the presence of redundant data. Consequently, this will confuse your employees while deciding on the suitable applications to use for work purposes.
Companies that want to integrate legacy systems into the digital workplace must ensure that only the essential parts of the legacy systems are used to prevent overlapping functionalities that will affect your employees and their efficiency.
4. No Centralized notification system
The essence of a digital workplace is to enable employees to manage work-from-anywhere effectively. They can’t do this when inundated with alerts from various apps. Nothing is more tiring for employees than dealing with notifications everywhere they look. Apart from the fact that this can frustrate them, it will also cause them to miss important messages.
To defeat this challenge, companies must adopt a digital workplace that provides centralized notifications for work applications. Thus, when there is a need to disseminate important information, employees must have a single place to get their messages across.
5. Problems with productivity
Don’t expect an immediate change when you use a virtual workplace. This implies that companies may witness a reduced rate in productivity level when they adopt the new system. It is so because employees may take some time to understand how their new tools work and to become proficient in using them.
An excellent way to handle this challenge is to liaise with the IT team to train your employees. Alternatively, companies can use a user-friendly digital platform that will be easy for everyone, including non-technical inclined employees.
Connect2Geek: The Digital Workplace Expert
Many companies constantly struggle with transitioning to a more digital workflow because of the numerous challenges that make it seem impossible.
Connect2Geek is a digital workplace expert that can provide the right tools to help companies manage all business activities.
Need help? Request professional support or contact us at 208-468-4323.