The way we work has changed dramatically. Though most of the world suddenly and unexpectedly transitioned to remote work due to the pandemic, this shift to new models of work has also been driven by the rapid advancement of technology, which enables us to support and embrace the future of work faster.
The way we work has changed dramatically. Though most of the world suddenly and unexpectedly transitioned to remote work due to the pandemic, this shift to new models of work has also been driven by the rapid advancement of technology, which enables us to support and embrace the future of work faster.
One of the most popular models for new ways of working is hybrid working, where teams are empowered to work onsite or remotely, and are able to move between work locations with ease. Successful hybrid working requires its own tools to succeed.
Whether your team is rushing back to the office, or are happy splitting their time between the office and remote work, ensuring your business uses the right technology is essential to your team's successful pivot when adjusting how your workplace operates. Putting intuitive, easy to learn tech that improves employee experience, team collaboration, and productivity will help support your team to transform the way they work.
Setting your business up for success with the right workplace technology now will benefit you in the long run; with the emerging younger workforce highly valuing flexibility, work-life balance, and a positive workplace culture in jobs.
According to the Deloitte 2021 Millenial Survey, millenials view flexibility as well as technological savviness to be the most critical employer characteristics, and with this group set to make up 75% of the Australian workforce by 2025 according to PWC, it is critical to put solid flexibility solutions in place now. With 59% of Millennials indicating that flexible working will improve their productivity, and 49% saying it will improve their happiness, building a streamlined hybrid workplace will be key to providing a positive work environment for them. Working parents will benefit the most from these initiatives, with 93% of a small group surveyed in 2022 saying they want to work from home at least sometimes to manage personal demands.
Flexible work is here to stay. With employees wanting the best of both worlds, with over 70% wanting flexible remote options, but 65% also indicating they want more in-person time with their teams, hybrid working is the future way of working that you can adapt to today.
How do the physical workplace and digital workplace compare? More importantly, how can they successfully work together? Whilst digital is fast becoming the new normal, physical offices aren’t giving up without a fight, and digital leaders and their teams are transitioning to a ‘best of both worlds’ hybrid work model, with flexibility around in-office and remote work options.
In the physical workplace, productivity is traditionally judged by how busy someone seems. The stressed out, working-late staff member appears to be always working, whether that is genuine or pseudo-productivity. By contrast, in a digital workplace, productivity has to be judged on output alone. In a hybrid workplace, there are equal opportunities to both see how someone is managing in person, and have a greater oversight of their end output, helping manage employee engagement and wellbeing, whilst still ensuring productivity and efficiency in the workplace.
The digital workplace needs considered communication to ensure everyone is up to speed, both professionally, and when forming personal connections to others at work. Naturally occurring relationship building that happens in the physical workplace, such as watercooler chat, desk banter, and after work drinks, are lost in a digital workplace. Making sure your digital team are given opportunities to connect with other workers ensures the workplace can still meet the social and emotional needs of your staff. From Zoom trivia, to encouraging casual chats at the beginning of meetings, to Slack or Teams channels dedicated to pet pictures or funny quotes, there are many ways that you can foster friendships within the team, without having to be face-to-face. Encouraging a hybrid workforce to split their time between the office and remote working can help build digital and in-person relationships, improving the office culture.
A good way to view the difference between the physical and digital employee experience is to consider what touch points influence your employees' day-to-day.
The physical office experience is about the environment they work in. It includes things like:
In comparison, the digital office experience is all about the resources that help translate their experience in the physical office to a digital environment. It includes things like:
Whilst these experiences can feel worlds apart from each other, they each need to be managed and measured in the same way. Both in-person and remotely, your staff will share objectives and goals. For hybrid workers, both sides of the coin need to be considered, along with the ability to transition between digital and physical office environments seamlessly.
Providing a unified working platform such as Nura Space gives your team easy ways to connect in person, whilst still ensuring they don’t miss out on the benefits of being part of the office culture when they work remotely. Desk booking and meeting room booking functionalities will help foster an easy transition between work and home, and push notifications for wellness, and access to safety information, help maintain teams wellbeing whilst working, wherever they are. Leaders will benefit from the smart analytics provided through the platform based on their teams patterns and movements, to help ensure their workspaces are working for their team and provide solutions to problems before they escalate, such as identifying a heavy demand for standing desks, or the need for more private meeting spaces.
Technology is the most important part of fostering a successful hybrid workplace, as it will be the connection point between staff working remotely and staff working in the office. Ensuring everyone is offered the same resources and opportunities to participate in the workplace culture either digitally or in person is fundamentally important.
Digital tools form the entire ecosystem in which your team operates. They have to be easy to learn and use, reliable, and add value to the day-to-day operations of the business. Tools that provide visibility and help facilitate problem solving and collaboration will provide huge benefits to your team as they navigate hybrid working. The right tech has the advantage of adding flexibility and adaptability for your team, and ensures they can transition easily from remote work to in-office work.
Employees value businesses that provide supporting technology. In fact, businesses seen as ‘pioneers’ in supporting new technologies were identified to have 16% better productivity, 18% more creativity, 21% more company loyalty, and 23% more job satisfaction. 85% of employees who felt their company provided technology considered ‘ahead of the curve’ said they loved their jobs, and 36% said they would leave their current role if they found a more digitally progressive employer. It’s clear that technology is becoming a leading consideration for workers in the modern workplace, and is key to improving the employee experience.
With the right technology, the employee experience can be elevated easily. Employee experience is so important in the workplace because it affects staff happiness, productivity, and loyalty, along with improving your bottom line.
Employees who enjoy their job and are happy at the company they work for stay for longer, and are less likely to look for another job. A lower employee turnover rate saves on hiring costs, and enables businesses to invest into the development of their employees instead.
A good employee experience helps staff be happier and healthier. Happy employees are more productive, produce better quality work, and contribute positively to the work culture. When employees are unhappy, it can manifest as physical symptoms, such as headaches, stomach problems, and insomnia, along with affecting their mental health and ability to work.
When employees feel heard, valued, and that they are important to their employers, productivity and innovation increase. They tend to be more engaged at work, leading to better collaboration, being more prepared to tackle tastes, and be more innovative.
A positive employee experience encourages productivity, fresh ideas, and the ability to collaborate well with others. Less stressed employees have time to creatively problem solve, and work with their team to achieve the best outcome. On average, a happy employee is more productive than an unhappy one, largely because a happier worker has less stress, which helps them be more focused and efficient.
Job hunters are savvy. They’ll look up employee reviews, reach out to people on LinkedIn, and generally do their research in a company before signing on for a new role. Ensuring your company has a good employee experience ensures that happy staff become happy advocates. They become more likely to recommend the business as a good place to work, and when prompted or questioned, will speak favourably about working at your company, encouraging top talent to join your team.
Technology is key in supporting a workforce transformation, and luckily there’s new technology to help make the hybrid workforce transition as easy as possible for employees, and to continue supporting your team into the future. Investing in tools such as Nura Space will have a direct and positive impact on employee health and happiness.
A good workplace management system like Nura Space provides the tools and technology to ensure teams remain connected and efficient when hybrid working, providing transparency over shared spaces, wellness information, and a level of security in a rapidly changing workplace.
With live maps of where staff sit, which meeting rooms are booked, and what desks are available, staff can save time when in-office by not having to walk around the office chasing people, or trying to find available collaboration spaces.
The ability to book meeting rooms or neighbouring desks helps streamline the process of working together. If in-person, it’s super easy to book a space to work together. Remotely, staff can book meeting rooms, and filter by equipment available, such as projectors, to ensure remote staff are able to join and contribute.
You’ll never stop learning about your staff - and neither will we. Nura Space takes relevant data about your team's movements and patterns to provide insights, so you can implement changes that support your employees.
After an unpredictable few years for employees and employers alike, now is the time for businesses to invest in the new technology available to help steady the ship. The journey towards efficient mobility and greater flexibility is an ongoing process, and we’d love to talk to you about how Nura Space technology can help your team transform the way they work.
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