The Digital Workplace: How technology is liberating work

I recently read Paul Miller’s book ‘The Digital Workplace: How technology is liberating work’ and found it very insightful in examining how technology is shaping the way we all go about our working lives.

Paul challenges us to rethink how and where we work – now and in the future. Drawing on his personal experience and from many well-known organisations, Paul proposes that the transformational Digital Workplace can lead to a more engaged and productive workforce, “helping to move towards attaining that elixir we all crave, whether consciously or not: a sense of autonomy, flexibility and power over the working day.”

If you are wondering what is meant by the Digital Workplace then it is defined by Paul as ‘the technology-enabled space where work happens’. It involves all the tools we use to do our jobs: email, phone, text, intranet, micro-blogging, Internet, Office documents, shared documents, teleconferences, video, software packages, smart phones, tablets and the Cloud. It is through these tools that we now have the freedom to move away from a physical office location to one where work can be carried out on the train, at a cafe, from home – in fact anywhere there is a phone or internet connection.

The Digital Workplace doesn’t come without its challenges though and we are still in the process of ensuring the technology can support the demands of the workforce if it is to be successful. As Paul correctly points out the Digital Workplace is still very disjointed and in many organisations finding data, processes or colleagues can be far too frustrating an experience. If organisations really want to embrace the Digital Workplace and gain the maximum benefits from it, then they need to ensure the technologies work together to create a fluid space.

To delve further into this topic, we will be hosting a live chat with Paul this Thursday at 3pm (BST) to find out exactly how organisations can benefit from the future changes to the Digital Workplace and what impact this will have on the intranet.

Top ten tools an organisation needs for a successful digital workplace:

1. Ability to access all work tools and systems from anywhere.
2. High-grade, advanced intranet, including all HR systems.
3. Fast access to all colleagues, with rich data on who they are and where they are right now.
4. Reliable technology devices that enable fast Internet connectivity – mobile, tablets and laptops.
5. Enterprise micro-blogging services with related connection tools.
6. Collaboration services with clear future road maps for easier upgrading.
7. Quick-fire teleconference, video and web-conferencing.
8. Access to all Customer Relationship Management and related database connectors.
9. Ability to work offline and the freedom to ‘switch off’ as needed.
10. Multi-language options in companies with that need.

Join us on 19th July at 3pm (BST), with Paul Miller, to discuss what role your intranet plays in the technically advancing Digital Workplace.