‘Working remotely could become new normal’

AS MANY employees work remotely due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a technology executive says this will likely become a permanent feature of corporate culture and in turn is driving a critical need for digitisation and collaboration tools.

However, even before the novel coronavirus struck, the days when the workplace was merely a “bricks and mortar” space in which staff sat during regular office hours were over.

“The always-connected, instant-access environment that we demand today is dissolving the distinction between the physical office and the slew of locations where work actually gets done,” said Fred Saayman, Huawei business unit executive at South African ICT distributor Pinnacle ICT.

“Moreover, as the line between our professional and personal lives blurs and the workplace becomes increasingly digital, staff are communicating with each other and with customers in previously unimagined ways. They are demanding tools that enable them to build productive relationships beyond what would once be considered normal work groups.”

Saayman said in order to keep employees happy and to enable them to work more productively, top businesses are starting to roll out completely new working environments – truly digital workplaces.

“Forward-thinking organisations are integrating the tools that staff use all the time, from e-mail, instant messaging, HR applications and video conferencing to social media platforms. A truly digital workplac sees communication barriers break down and enables organisations to transform the employee experience by promoting innovation that leads to efficiency, productivity and growth.”

According to Saayman, while workplace transformation is nothing new, the pace of technological change is forever altering the ways in which workers connect, collaborate and communicate with each other, with suppliers and other thirdparty partners as well as with clients.

“In addition, the flood of information that is drowning today’s enterprises is driving a critical need to enable employees to find what they need, when they need it. This, combined with the unprecedented pace of today’s work environments, means that staff need to work more rapidly and collaborate more effectively, to get their work done and meet their deadlines,” added Saayman.

These changes are also being driven by never-ending demands to boost productivity and at the same time lower costs, making it increasingly difficult for workers to meet the expectations of their employers, and on a deeper level, the markets in which they operate.

“One thing is certain though, and that is that all these trends are completely reshaping the workplace, and businesses need to respond to these changes.”

Saayman said this is where organisations across the board need to look at intelligent collaboration, to support today’s emerging digital workplaces.

These tools help businesses support changes and enable their staff to work more collaboratively and transparently. Furthermore, he said the tools allow offline and online communications to be amalgamated, enabling employees to stay connected via their mobile access and have anytime and anywhere access to the business applications and tools they need to do their jobs.

“Intelligent collaboration tools help to improve the employee experience by offering them the choice, flexibility and personalisation they need.

“These tools also support virtual work environments that enable staff to remain connected in remote, distributed or virtualised locations while still ensuring customer privacy and keeping operational risk under control.

“Another big plus is the obvious cost savings and increased productivity that follows when workers are given the right tools and information at the appropriate time.”

Saayman said improving communication and collaboration within industries of all types will no doubt be the “new normal” that everyone is talking about in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Therefore a new generation of intelligent office collaboration solutions are needed to help this revolution happen more rapidly,” he said.