02 Mar
Digital Workplace Trends in 2022 And Beyond
Introduction
Our changing lives in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic have been at the center of many conversations. This change also impacted our working habits. However, after almost two years, we seem to have become accustomed to this new way of living and working. The abrupt shift from office to home initially felt daunting. However, today, it feels like a comfort zone to some employees, whereas others still find it difficult due to several reasons. Will this digital workplace linger around, or will it vanish with time? Well, everyone has their theories, and so do we.
Today, we will take you on this ride to highlight some underlying issues in remote work and the digital workplace.
Remote Work has Uncovered Virtual Challenges
When we talk about “where we work,” there are generally three options that pop up in all our heads: centralized workplace, decentralized or remote workplace, and lastly, the best of both worlds, the hybrid approach or the hybrid workplace.
Since the pandemic forced most organizations to adapt to the digital world, they faced endless challenges, leading to unfulfilling experiences and inefficiency. Today, organizations have to consider revamping when choosing an ideal workplace.
However, even now, employees face challenges while working remotely. They have highlighted several significant pain points, such as company intranet, unorganized digital processes and workflows, and so on. The other side of the coin states that employees would be more willing to work from home or collaborate with a company that offers a high degree of flexibility to work from home permanently or a few days a week.
It is recorded that more than 90% of employers wanted their employees to follow a hybrid approach in 2022. And looking at recent times, many companies have started embracing their employees’ preference of working from home to meet the organization’s goals.
1. Working Excessively
It is believed that nearly 70% of respondents are working more on weekends than they were in pre-pandemic times. Additionally, 45% revealed that they are regularly working for additional hours each week compared to traditional forms of working. Apart from this, nearly half the employees believe they are working extra hours to meet the deadlines compared to the pre-pandemic era.
Employees believe these meetings are unnecessary and unproductive. Employees believe that they are attending more meetings out of all attended in a week are of no use. Most of them strongly believe that they are likely to complete their tasks timely and efficiently with fewer virtual meetings.
Employees are now fed up with the tools and technologies they are using, whereas some are overwhelmed. While some want to continue working remotely, employees who are highly overwhelmed by various technologies to complete the tiniest tasks prefer returning to the office soon.
The solution to this is to minimize the frequency of regular meetings, which will grant enough time for employees to work strategically to meet business expectations without making compromises. To do so, organizations can employ an array of collaboration and internal communication tools explicitly designed to work in their favor. However, they must pick interoperable tools and technologies to prevent tech overload.
2. Employees' Sentiments and Engagement
Since remote working began, employees’ engagement with their organization started to deteriorate. Virtual work settings have accounted for more than half of them feeling disconnected from the organization. Further, employees find it difficult to gauge their place during virtual events and conversations.
This brings into view how employees struggle to establish bonds with their colleagues in the digital workplace, showing a decline in their happiness quotient, especially in the past year, while taking care of their professional lives.
To cope with these, organizations must find ways to tackle employee engagement. Although remote working is beneficial in its ways, not building a connection with the organization and colleagues is itself a massive trade-off that can eliminate all other perks. As hybrid work culture starts taking hold, organizations must take appropriate steps to foster healthy relationships among employees that relax while working.
Many companies have decided to expand their wellness support to their employees:
3. IT Industry - A Point of Concern
It might sound controversial, but the gaps in IT companies are constantly widening due to the emergence of the remote environment. IT managers believe it has been extremely difficult to keep everyone on the same page. Most employees agreed that solving issues remotely has been quite the challenge.
Many employees aren’t 100% satisfied with the tools and technology they are working with due to poor integration, lack of buy-in, and lastly, because they are unreliable.
It is suggested that employers take necessary steps to prevent the new employees from going down the same IT path. Respondents claim the five powerful technologies that helped them work effectively included internal communication tools, IT self-help, file sharing tools, productivity tools, and company intranet.
If you’re looking to fill IT gaps, connecting, updating, and automating workplace tools and technology is the best way forward. Select technology that incorporates seamlessly with the Microsoft 365 Suite for maximum productivity.
Five Pillars Necessary to Help Establish an Intuitive Workplace
Today, most companies in India and around the globe have already accepted the reality of today, which is the digital workplace. However, challenges still prevail. The upside is that organizations have started to address these issues actively by keeping the following pillars in mind:
- Faultless business collaborations
- Centralized knowledge
- Easy communication
- Smooth processes
- Inclusive culture
Conclusion
The world witnessed a historic shift from traditional work culture to digital work culture in 2021. While many companies took it to their advantage, others faced multiple roadblocks. However, it is estimated, by 2025, 70% of the workforce will be shifted entirely to remote working. Above, we discussed three major Digital Workplace Trends and pain points and practical solutions.
Gina Shaw- Business Development Manager for Digital Solutions at Acuvate with over 15+ years of experience in the industry. She has helped organizations across the globe in modernizing their workplace with top-notch technologies and empowered them with world-class digital experiences by optimizing their existing systems. With her expertise in business management, she has assisted many global companies to advance towards their vision of being more productive and having a digital-ready environment.
Gina Shaw