How to Create a Healthy Digital Workplace
In a healthy digital workplace, team members use computers, smartphones and sometimes generative AI to stay productive. These tools save employers time and money by reducing manual work, making them a smart addition to your business strategy.
In Indeed’s guide to creating a healthy digital workplace, you’ll learn how you can foster a workplace that helps you reach company goals while improving employee well-being.
Understanding the digital workplace
Digital tools also make it easier for employees to collaborate and perform their duties, potentially saving time and supporting quick decision-making.
A digital workplace has these features:
- Technology: Refers to the tools and platforms used to collaborate, communicate and store data
- Processes: Workflows designed to help team members complete their work efficiently
- Culture: A positive company culture supports employees and adapts to their needs, whether that’s training, project knowledge or streamlined communication
Key components of a digital workplace
Every digital workplace has unique features, but they all share a core technology stack and a set of technological enablers. A core technology stack includes all the technology your company uses to reach its goals, such as communication or project management tools. Technological enablers, such as AI or cloud computing software, are the tools that drive digital transformation and go beyond a company’s core tech stack.
Both components play an important role in running a business because they improve communication and enable collaboration. Common collaboration tools include wikis, online meeting software, enterprise social networks and internal communities. These tools allow for both synchronous (real-time) and asynchronous (delayed) communication.
For example, social networks enable both synchronous and asynchronous communication. Employees can chat in real-time or send messages and receive responses hours or even days later.
How digital workplaces operate
A healthy digital workplace commonly has these features:
- Technical infrastructure
- Workflows
- Processes
- AI tools
- Automation
Artificial intelligence automates repetitive tasks, giving employees more time for other activities. For instance, AI can automate scheduling, data entry and certain aspects of customer service. AI also helps businesses analyze large datasets, making it easier to identify trends, predict outcomes and make data-driven decisions.
Importance of a digital workplace for modern businesses
A digital workplace makes it easier to keep your business running during an emergency. For example, many companies allowed employees to work remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. This made it possible to generate revenue even when in-person collaboration wasn’t possible. Digital workplaces also offer more flexibility than traditional workplaces.
Transforming into a digital workplace can make your company more competitive. By leveraging technology to respond to changing workforce needs, you have an opportunity to attract and retain quality employees.
Enhancing flexibility and productivity
In a digital workplace, employees aren’t restricted to a single environment. An HVAC technician can create an invoice while visiting a customer’s home, or a telecommunications technician can troubleshoot a customer’s internet connection in the field. This flexibility has the potential to make your team members more productive.
Improving employee satisfaction and engagement
A digital workplace enhances the employee experience by giving team members more flexibility. User-friendly tools provide employees with more control over their work, while digital tools enable collaboration from almost anywhere in the world. For example, scheduling tools, such as Calendly or Google Calendar, or project tracking dashboards, such as Jira or Asana, can help support autonomous work while allowing progress visibility for other team members.
Benefits of implementing a digital workplace
Software, cloud-based apps and other tools reduce manual work and allow employees to complete their work faster and can help increase accuracy.
Digital tools also give you access to real-time data, promoting better decision-making. For example, you can use AI to perform market research, helping you better understand your industry. In a digital workplace, employees share information freely, making it easier to build a culture based on innovation and collaboration.
Cost savings and efficiency
When you increase efficiency, you have the opportunity to reduce these costs:
- Utilities
- Office supplies
- Office space
- Employee onboarding
- Travel expenses
- Traditional meeting expenses (e.g., rented meeting space)
Because lower expenses often lead to more business opportunities, digital workplaces can help encourage growth.
Enhanced collaboration and communication
Collaboration tools make it possible for employees to communicate from any location. For example, Slack and Asana allow team members to send messages, assign tasks, share files and tag users with queries that need quick responses. This enables seamless communication and project management.
Better knowledge sharing
You can also use digital tools to create in-house systems for knowledge management. Sharing information freely prevents organizational silos from forming, which may help your company succeed. Silos occur when departments don’t share information, leaving team members unsure of what’s happening in the organization. This can lead to disrupted or misaligned processes or poor decision-making.
Challenges of adopting a digital workplace
If you’re ready to transition to a digital workplace, it’s helpful to be aware of these potential challenges:
- Resistance to change
- Digital skill gaps
- Migration from legacy systems
- Data security issues
- Information overload
- Organizational silos
Employee resistance to change
Employees may benefit from an explanation of the change when adopting new tools. Workers may not understand the reasoning or have concerns about technology integration. To address these issues, consider creating a change management program.
Change management, which can involve software walk-throughs or presentations explaining the purpose and goals of using the tool (e.g., quicker production turnaround), ensures employees have the support and resources they need to accept change.
Cybersecurity concerns
When adopting new technology, it’s important to be aware of cybersecurity concerns, such as the potential for phishing scams and data breaches. You may be able to reduce the risk of these incidents by implementing advanced security measures. For example, many companies use virus-scanning software to enhance digital security.
Technology integration issues
Transitioning from legacy systems to digital tools may present some challenges. For instance, data loss can occur when adopting a new ERP system. Employees may also be confused about the migration, creating organizational silos where only some employees shift to new systems.
Strategies for building a successful digital workplace
To make your digital transformation a success, it’s helpful to have a clear vision. A transformation plan should align with your company’s goals, leverage its strengths and minimize its weaknesses. Developing strong cybersecurity measures can also help your company prevent cyberattacks.
Aligning with business goals
Consider having business and IT leaders meet to discuss their goals and ensure digital initiatives align with your company’s mission and vision. Before finalizing your plan, ask for input from team members. You can use surveys to better understand how your employees use existing tools or what they expect from new technology.
Fostering a culture of continuous improvement
In a culture of continuous improvement, it’s easier for team members to accept change. This type of culture encourages employees to identify problems and come up with solutions. After transitioning from your legacy systems, consider sending regular surveys to see if team members face new challenges.
Encouraging employee feedback
Regular employee input helps you identify opportunities for growth and ways to increase the design’s accessibility. Feedback from frequent users can uncover issues decision-makers might not initially recognize. Consider setting up a priority ticket system so your IT team can learn about these issues quickly.
Future trends in digital workplaces
Employee expectations are always changing. As new technology becomes available, it’s likely that digital workplaces will continue to evolve. Future trends include increased cloud adoption, the growth of AI and a renewed focus on employee well-being.
Increased cloud adoption
Cloud solutions are flexible and scalable, making them ideal for businesses across industries. As a result, many companies are developing API-based applications to complete their digital transformations. An application programming interface allows multiple software components to communicate with each other.
Growth of AI and automation
Some companies are using AI to automate processes and deliver personalized recommendations. Automation increases efficiency, which may help your business improve its profit margin.
Focus on employee well-being
With advanced technology, it’s possible to enhance employee well-being while increasing productivity. In the future, digital workplaces will likely use AI and other tools to improve employees’ physical, social, mental, emotional, and financial well-being.
FAQs about creating a healthy digital workplace
How can employers encourage enhanced well-being in a digital workplace?
You can improve well-being by giving employees as much flexibility as possible. Taking frequent breaks may help team members avoid eyestrain from looking at a screen without interruption. Consider allowing remote work for at least a few hours per week to give team members more control over their schedules. Alternatively, you may want to offer flexible work hours.
How do wellness programs overcome challenges related to building a digital workplace?
Wellness programs can help overcome challenges in building a digital workplace by providing helpful resources to team members. For example, an employee assistance program (EAP) may offer resources that help employees cope with change. Some EAPs also offer counseling or other forms of mental health support. These resources may help employees embrace new technology and encourage digital literacy.
