For many people, especially post-pandemic, gone are the days when it was a mandate to come to office daily. Instead, the future of work is the growing popularity of hybrid and remote working. Therefore, with this workspace evolution, companies have started integrating physical and digital spaces to foster better productivity and employee engagement.
But this does not come without the challenges of effectively aligning physical and digital workspaces. All these may look and sound very simple, but the truth is far from reality. Merging both workplaces needs a proper strategic approach while ensuring employees are motivated and connected. In this article, let’s understand more about the blend of these two workspaces.
The Merging of Physical and Digital Workspaces – What is the Need?
The physical-digital workplace blend is no longer a luxury for companies but a need. These are not separate entities but depend heavily on each other. The digital workspace enhances productivity by offering your people the tools to streamline work and promote collaboration, allowing people to access their information anytime from anywhere.
On the other hand, the physical office setup is essential for shaping your employee’s overall experience. It offers an environment for team bonding activities, face-to-face interactions, and brainstorming sessions. Therefore, companies must align these workspaces and take advantage of them.
The Rise of Remote and Hybrid Work Models
A beautiful blend of physical and digital workplaces resulted in the rise of remote and hybrid work models. These work setups offer a more dynamic and flexible environment. This has resulted in people not being confined to the physical workplace and having the option to work wherever they feel like. Thus, the future of work reinvented. So, what are these models?
A remote work model allows your people to complete their assigned tasks from anywhere with the only requirement of an internet connection. The hybrid work model, on the other hand, allows your people to divide their time between being physically present in the office and working remotely. Both these work models come attached with numerous benefits, such as:
- This allows companies to choose people from anywhere outside of their geographic location. Thus allowing them to bring different skills and perspectives to their companies.
- Enhanced employee satisfaction as people gain autonomy in their working hours and reduced transportation stress.
Yet, despite the benefits offered by this physical and digital workplace integration, companies also encounter many challenges. Communication is the biggest challenge these businesses face, as teams do not operate from a single location. Besides, the leadership style of managers also impacts how employees feel.
Physical and digital modes are necessary and must be implemented. But the question is how to do it. Here are simple ways through which you can quickly transform your workspaces.
- Seamless connectivity – You should use digital tools, such as collaborative software, to make communication smoother and more effective and to help connect employees.
- Inclusivity and flexibility – Offer your employees a flexible and hybrid work environment and value diversity, making your company the first choice for talented people.
- Design for collaboration – Your physical spaces must promote spontaneous interactions and teamwork.
- Streamlined workflows – Use the technology and automate all your routine tasks, helping your team focus on more productive and meaningful work.
- Support creativity – Focus on designing workspaces that promote creativity by assigning areas for brainstorming and separate places for quiet focusing.
- Well-being programs – You must also implement programs supporting mental and physical health, indicating to your people that their well-being is the priority.
Components of Shaping Future Workplaces
The future of hybrid work can only be successful if companies follow and focus on the key components that shape their workplaces. Listed below are the three important components.
1. Organizational Acceptance
This is the first objection – organizational acceptance. Most people today are already keen to take a contracting or freelancing opportunity. Some organizations support this gig work model and introduce platforms to attract such talent.
The bigger question is whether they can accept coming to physical workspaces when required and adapt to applications, workflows, communication channels, and processes. Therefore, before offering hybrid models to employees, it is better to take a buy-in to ensure everyone is on the same page.
2. Introducing Technologies
Your physical and digital blend is only possible if you implement the right technologies. These tools and technologies will impact the overall employee experience.
In today’s work environment, only a handful of employees have the correct technologies to succeed. However, companies must remember that technology is the prominent driving force behind adopting hybrid and remote models. Introduce HRMS, CRM, ESM, and more technologies to support your employees. This will boost their morale and productivity.
3. Educating and Onboarding Employees
Never forget your employees in this digital transformation. Why? The future workspace will involve using conversational AI chatbots to reduce the burden on your employees.
Onboard employees who are keen on adapting these work models and educate them on how to be productive while utilising these models to the fullest. Companies that do not adjust to such culture will be left behind, thus making it more than necessary.
Conclusion
The future of work is that both the physical and the digital workplaces must be in unison to link people to their work, making the environment more accessible, versatile, and unified.
Organizations can engage their employees and make them more effective by applying high technologies and shortcoming ineffective work processes and traditions. It will create efficiency, improve the work-life schedule, and encourage creativity.
The future workplace is more complex than applying tools and technology; it will be focused on providing the workplace ecology as crucial as the employees’ connections. Enduring this change means that organizations remain relevant and offer purposeful experience to their employees.