How do you create a Great Digital Workplace? Why does it matter? Why should employers put effort into creating a workplace that allows people to work digitally? This is a presentation I recently gave that explores these questions and I hope will help you think about how you can improve your own digital workplace.

Why does having a Great Digital Workplace matter?

Employee engagement can be difficult, especially in a physically seperated world. While some people take to working from home or hybrid working well, others find it more challenging. For employers, this is a real challenge from both a productivity and retention point of view.

There are many costs to a business when the workforce is disengaged. For businesses the impact can include:

• Recruitment costs
• Disruption to other employees
• Management effort
• Customer impact

The best thing we can do is prevent these types of issues happening in the first place.

Working remotely can be productive for engaged people. If you are less engaged, then productivity can suffer, you can feel disconnected and work can become just a never ending task list without much satisfaction. This isn’t to say you must come into the office, more that the digital workplace should consider all of a persons needs, not just the tasks people do. Workplace culture is king when it comes to digital workplaces and hybrid or remote working.

When it comes to creating a great Digital Workplace, then I think we need to start by removing “Digital” and focus on what people need to feel part of something. What is it that makes us feel connected and not just a cog in a machine? How do we connect, share and engage both in both formal and informal ways? Don’t start building things and creating content until you understand what your people need. The effort will be worth it.

In the presentation above, I talk about the things that make Digital Workplaces Great! Spoiler alert, it isn’t the apps we use or having the latest devices. It is much more!

The Microsoft Workplace Trend report has many good insights. They also have interesting insights into bridging the gap between leadership and employees.

What is the digital experience like in your workplace?