the importance and advantages of the digital workplace.

Companies have to make sure their employees are capable to work remotely in an efficient and safe manner. Enter the digital workplace. What is the digital workplace, what companies could use it and what are its advantages?

We would love to tell you!

the digital workplace.

The digital workplace is essentially a digital working environment. The place in which all employees of a specific company can find the information, processes and tools they need to work. But also the place in which they can collaborate with their colleagues. In the digital workplace, the data of all implemented software is assembled. 

The most frequently used digital workplaces are without a doubt the Google Suite and Office 365.

There are lots of advantages to a digital workplace. Think of: a better work-life balance, a smoother collaboration between colleagues and even cost reduction.

No wonder then, that it has been gaining popularity in the last years. But will this really be the future?

We think so!

the importance of the digital workplace.

We have noticed several trends that would explain the growing popularity of digital workplaces.

First of all, employees use their personal appliances to work. While this may be quicker and more efficient (just quickly sending this one email from the train, or answering this call right before walking into a restaurant) - it’s a data security nightmare. The digital workplace offers your company the necessary security for threats from outside, and thus the flexibility to work wherever and whenever you want.

Time management also plays a big part in the popularity of digital workplaces. We can see this in the time employees would normally spend every day in going to the office. By not going to the office, you would quickly gain 1 to 2 hours a day.

But employees also lose a lot of time on a daily basis by looking for documents and information. The digital workplace assembles all the important information in 1 place, so no one spends hours looking for that one document or that specific contract anymore. Furthermore, collaboration tools such as Slack can also help colleagues work together more efficiently, even when they’re not at the office. Bye bye email chains from hell!

Finally, the digital workplace can offer personalized tools for the different teams in your company. That one colleague from the finance department needs an entirely different set of tools than your HR colleagues. Thanks to a combination of a strong digital workplace and automation, you’ll make sure your colleagues work in the most efficient way possible. 

the digital workplace: 7 advantages.

Did you invest in the digital workplace that fits your company culture best? You’ll soon reap the benefits! We’ll list a few advantages that you’ll definitely notice.

1. flexibility. 

As we’ve said before, a digital workplace offers your employees a great deal of flexibility. They’ll be able to work where, when and with whatever devices they want, without having to worry about data security. And they’ll still be able to stay connected with their colleagues!

What’s more, the digital workplace creates a lot more opportunities for job seekers. If the physical location of the job doesn’t matter, you have quite a bit more choice. Companies adapt to this, and often mention in their job offers how many days of remote work are allowed per week. 

2. higher employee satisfaction.

This renewed flexibility gives your employees a better work-life balance. They win 1 to 2 hours for themselves each day. Thanks to this regained balance, your employees will even be more productive. Speaking of a win-win situation!

3. cost reduction.

The digital workplace also helps you save costs: your employees can work from anywhere, so you no longer need a giant office. You’ll also notice that your consumption will be considerably reduced. 

If you also opt for a SaaS platform (Software as a Service), you’ll no longer need a big IT team to manage on-premise servers or software.

4. all tools are kept in 1 place.

The digital workplace gathers all your tools, documents and applications in 1 central place. You’ll save so much time not having to look for that one specific document!

Furthermore, most digital workplaces also offer the possibility to work together with your colleagues in the same document. Titles such as DocumentLastVersionFinal27.doc are a thing of the past.

Thanks to the order in your digital workplace, carrying out tasks and projects becomes a lot easier, and you will work more efficiently.

5. improved collaboration between coworkers.

We can hear you thinking: if we are all working from a different location, how will we stay connected to our colleagues? What about the cozy lunches and coffee breaks at the office?

Believe it or not, working independently from a location actually has a positive impact on the connection between coworkers. The digital workplace offers your employees the possibility to communicate with their colleagues whenever it is convenient for them. If you don’t have time to answer a message on Slack, that’s fine. You can just mark it as unread. If you’d like to participate in that meeting, but you are in the car, you can just call in (hands-free) from your phone…

And if you do want to have a coffee break with that one colleague, you can just plan 15 minutes whenever it’s convenient for the both of you!

6. professional growth.

The importance of a digital workplace can also be seen in the professional growth of your employees. The advantages and possibilities of a digital workplace motivates them to obtain new (digital) skills. 

7. higher revenue.

We can prove that investing in a digital workplace leads to higher revenue in the long term with some simple mathematics: more productivity + higher satisfaction + professional growth + cost reduction = higher revenue. ;-)

the digital workplace is here to stay.

The fact that the digital workplace has been gaining in popularity in the last few years is very clear. We are convinced that companies will invest more and more in a digital workplace that supports all their employees, and gives them the chance to work wherever and whenever they want.

Are you curious as to how we help our clients set up their digital workplace? Don’t hesitate to contact Pieter Saenen!