Transitioning to anything can be daunting to anyone in the workplace. It’s the concept of change, disrupting the norm, and venturing into something new that throws people off balance sometimes. The apprehension may intensify if the change has to do with implementing digital workspaces. The notion of a digital workspace may be foreign to some, although the practice may not be so new in your company.
How do you ease your employees into the digital workspace transition while ensuring the least disruption and seamless productivity all throughout? Can it even be done? In this article, we will explore the complexity of adopting a digital office environment and the steps you can take to make your migration not only successful but efficient and worthwhile as well.
The main challenges can include:
Opposition to change
Data security breaches
Ineffective employee management
Underperformance and unproductivity
Loss of access to resources
Inability to collaborate
Miscommunication
Lack of performance management
Businesses can ensure data security by stepping up their existing cybersecurity protocols and only using reliable and safe platforms. Reviewing access and edit rights with the authorized final approver can also help.
Managing team collaboration in a digital workspace involves utilizing collaborative tools, maintaining regular communication through various digital channels, setting clear expectations, and ensuring that the team has access to the necessary resources and support.
It’s up to you, being the team leader or manager, to negate the possible negative impacts or plain shock of a digital workspace transition. Apart from letting your team know of the planned change, you should anticipate and plan for their needs to minimize the discomfort and possibility of derailing the work that must be done for your clients. Whatever upheaval your team is going through, the campaign should never suffer.
It has been said that you can have it all, but believe it or not, you can successfully transition to a digital workspace without disturbing the workflow and output and distracting your employees. All it really takes is some careful planning and effective shopping around, as well as acquiring tools – software and hardware – to make it all work. Read on if you want some help in coming up with a roadmap to help you transition to digital workspaces.
When talking about the decision to take on a digital workspace transition, remind your employees about the risks but highlight the benefits too. By implementing digital workspace solutions, you are simplifying and centralizing all of your business needs and functions in one hub. Acknowledge that your platform needs to be safe, able to house all of your business apps, mobile or remote work-friendly, and compatible with your current tools or software. Furthermore, you can seek their input on how to proceed with the move smoothly.
The best free online digital workspace for the whole team
Get Started TodayIn this day and age of technological advancements, some people in the workforce still frown upon the idea of a digital workspace transition. Not so much because they are luddites, but it could be as simple as resisting change or being wary of the unfamiliar. It’s up to you to soften the blow, so to speak, by letting your staff know of your plans for transitioning to digital. This way, they will have enough time to get used to the idea and make adjustments to adapt to the “new normal” of implementing digital workspaces. Provide them with several weeks in advance to make preparations, such as migrating their work files and familiarizing themselves with the virtual workspace interface.
This is a good time for you as leaders and managers in the organization to organize the digital transition steps as well as configure the digital work environment itself. Keep in mind that your digital workspace should be about the employee experience as much as it is about productivity, data availability, security, tasks and projects, etc. If you’re in a time crunch and need to roll out the changes in record time, design one that’s easy on the eyes, user-friendly, and intuitive.
The one true hallmark of a powerhouse brand is its ability to remain productive despite changes and challenges. You might be struggling to breathe in the midst of a digital workspace transition, but being able to still deliver impressive results should be the number one priority. Don’t lose sight of what’s important, and encourage your team to do the same. The quality, timeliness, and accuracy of the output should not suffer at any cost.
Enhance your team’s productivity with the use of remote workspace solutions such as online time trackers, shared calendars, and to-do lists. Not only will you be able to guarantee productivity, but everyone on the team will also know what they should be doing and how long, even in a virtual workspace. Use workflow automation as well as workload management to maximize efficiency without overworking your team. Make productivity achievable by everyone in the team anytime and anywhere by availing of a mobile app where your virtual workspace is accessible.
Another effective approach to refocus your team is by grounding them in the fundamentals, which include your company's mission, vision, and values. Before undertaking a digital workspace transition, remind your staff about the HR blueprint of your business. Prior to doing anything else, think about getting HR management software that will allow you the capabilities to oversee attendance, schedule adherence, and absenteeism, among many more.
Highlight those that cover data security and safety as well since you will have agents accessing resources virtually from anywhere, possibly using unsecured terminals like mobile devices and personal computers. After all the needed checks are completed, get all of your stakeholders to sign off on revised agreements in time for the completion of your transition to a digital workspace. Remind your staff that the company property and resource safety also rely upon their behaviors to create a sense of responsibility and accountability.
Whenever a business is considering a digital workspace transition, there are risks and rewards that should be weighed. You will have your regular agents and may opt to sign up freelance contractors or remote workers, making your business’ reference documentation vulnerable. If your employees are not careful enough, they could inadvertently open your company to bigger threats that could pose even more serious risks. Make sure that every one of them understands the risks and will not put the business in danger in any way. Complete the security check by upgrading to cloud storage that you can be sure will keep every background documentation and available reference safe and secure.
Cloud storage that’s easy to use but able to keep all of your business essentials protected from harm or danger will make the workspace transition and remote work flow more smoothly. Your team can always access job-related materials whenever and wherever they need to. Powerhouse cloud storage software also makes it possible for real-time changes and updated versions to be synced simultaneously across various users. They also make creating, editing, and sharing resources from one point of contact to another and vice versa effortless. Build a knowledge base that your team can access 24/7 so they have better autonomy to information they may need to complete a task anytime and from anywhere.
While you’re at it, take the time to review every access and editing permission to further protect your company’s resources and job aids. Prepare a data policy agreement for all the employees to sign off on that covers the protection of every information material and reference document that staff have access to. Confirm that the agreement also stipulates the disciplinary actions employees may face if they overstep the boundaries and take your cloud’s security for granted.
Another great way to ensure that the work that needs to get done actually does is to include an online collaboration tool in your digital workspace transition. You can handily keep track of tasks, subtasks, and projects even without the team being onsite and ease up on the micromanaging. Easily monitor deadlines, manage workloads, and assess output quality. Unite your team using one platform for seamless collaboration with one software that allows them to not only view their assignments but create their own to-do lists and online calendars as well.
Raise the standard of performance by giving your employees the front-row seat to their deliverables with the use of Gantt charts or Kanban boards. These and other useful project management tools effectively illustrate how efficient time and task management can improve the overall campaign. Make certain that your online collaboration tool is available on various platforms and mobile hardware for the benefit of your virtual workspace.
The first thing to break down in transitioning to digital workspaces is communication. This is why it should be prioritized at all times. Without functional, helpful, and productive communication, your team will not be able to collaborate and produce the desired results, or much of anything, for that matter. The group will not be calibrated and aligned with the goals and expectations set before you.
Once you have completed the digital workspace transition, you might have someone working in a different timezone who needs to reach you for help. Make sure that they know that they can reach you and that you’re always available to help them with the work at hand. Alternatively, you can set up a self-service widget or company knowledge base for their use.
The best communication tool for any digital workspace is one that makes every mode anyone could possibly want available for trouble-free use and access. Whether your staff favors instant messaging, voice calls, or video conferencing should not be an issue. They must also be able to be in touch with one another without problems from anywhere and at any time they need to. When looking for communication software, look for one that has a mobile app, meeting planner, and online group calendars as well.
Project managers, team leaders, and business owners oftentimes struggle with coaching and improving performance management in a digital workspace setting, but it can be straightforward and painlessly possible. All anyone really needs is an analytics and reporting tool that they can rely on. With one click, you can have a wealth of work reports with meaningful data that you can sit your team members with and coach on performance.
Nothing much else can inspire better turnouts than dependable and accurate data, coupled with a few choice words, especially when you notice someone in your team lagging behind. Avoid burnout or demotivation with helpful workload management as well to round off your data points. Bridge the gap between individual performances and realign your teams with work reports that you can trust. Run the reports and make good use of the data you have at hand after your digital workspace transition
In anything business-related, we can only hope for the most helpful, detailed, and dependable tools – hardware and software alike. The good news is you don’t even have to look far and wide. You can just make Bitrix24 your all-in-one answer to all your digital workspace transition requirements, whatever they may be.
Get what you need from Bitrix24, regardless of the size of your business, budget or team. You can also use Bitrix24 whether you want it onsite or remote. It’s all you’ll ever need to make transitioning to digital workspaces a successful venture for your company. Sign up today and supercharge your remote workspace solutions.