What even is a Digital Workplace and Why Should I Still Care?
Okay, let’s start with the good news.
After years of uncertainty, it feels like we may be getting a little more normality, or at the very least, predictability in our processes again. Gone are the days of whipped coffee and scheduled family walks to combat stress. We’ve started to see our friends more and stay inside less. As the vaccinated population rises and the case numbers lower, we can’t help but wonder “what does that mean for the modern workforce”?
Despite things starting to feel more normal, it doesn’t seem like we’re fully going back to pre-pandemic existence. In our interview with Helena Merk, CEO and Co-Founder of Glimpse, she mentioned that virtual meetings are here to stay. She should know, her virtual meeting software was created and released before the pandemic forced all of us online.
It’s not a secret that many companies are eager to get back to the pre-pandemic society. Managers want to, well, be able to manage people again. Owners want to have everyone under one roof again, a return to the office and return to normal. So what’s the problem? That is where we meet the great divide.
Most of us have already heard about The Great Resignation. A lot of employees are reporting that they do not want to return to the office. They want to continue the luxuries of avoiding rush hour traffic during commutes, wearing pyjama pants all day long, and not having to smell the questionable and inedible items left in shared fridges. Can you blame them?
In Microsoft’s 2021 report, 73% of employees surveyed expressed a desire for flexible remote work options post-pandemic. A study by Mural uncovered 67% of workers surveyed would forgo a $30,000 raise for the ability to continue working from home. That’s huge, and employers should be paying attention.
“So they want to leave? Just let them leave”, you think to yourself. It’s not as simple as that. As a business optimization firm, we know the costly challenges that occur when recruiting and onboarding. The process is disruptive- not in the fun, evolving, Botree way- and takes time and resources that would be better spent elsewhere. If you’ve got good people on your team, you should do whatever it takes to keep them engaged. Today, that means fostering workplace culture with a digital first approach.
Depending on the wants and needs of your team members, there’s a pretty high chance that hybrid and remote workplaces will be here to stay. Sure, some of you are already completely dismissing this idea. The proof i