When companies decide to develop and integrate a digital workplace strategy, there are a number of common challenges they must overcome first—some of which they might have encountered in many other digitalization projects. Others are unique to the digital workplace. The good news is that these aren’t necessarily specific to your organization, and we have in-depth experience in dealing with and overcoming these challenges.
Complexity – Too. Many. Tools.
You’ve got communication tools, collaboration tools, online meeting tools, employee service tools, employee engagement tools, content creation tools, analytics tools, governance, and compliance tools, document management system, CRM, and ERP … it sometimes feels like you are dealing with a never-ending stream of new tools and apps.
And they all have to ‘talk’ to each other. Which means your IT team spends hours on API connectors and interfaces to save employees from having to enter the same data into multiple tools. In addition, there is huge complexity in data management and the provision of information to employees. You want specific, authorized employees to quickly access the information they need without thinking about where the data is stored or how to retrieve it.
How to solve this issue–and where we can help
One obvious answer is to opt for a set of tools from one company, such as Microsoft, as they are designed to work well together. This helps reduce the need for interfaces and connectors.
As good as Microsoft is, it doesn’t provide all the features you need for a holistic digital workplace. To fill this gap, LiveTiles, a flexible and adaptable SaaS platform, works seamlessly with Microsoft and other systems such as Box, Dropbox, Google, Salesforce, and more.
Change management – overcoming resistance to change
This brings us to the next issue: employee acceptance. For those of us who are typical ‘early adopters’ of new technology, it is sometimes difficult to understand the emotional impact that leads to employees rejecting innovations. It can be frustrating for digital workplace leaders when they introduce incredible tech that they know can measurably improve the lives of their colleagues, and the response is complaints and push-back.
Long-term employees, however, might look back at previous software rollouts and remember the stress of changing to a new system, how it took them a while to get used to the new user interface, and that they hated getting so many notifications, especially if the information wasn’t relevant to them.
Ideally, you want to do more than persuade your people to (reluctantly) accept the digital innovations you are rolling out. Instead, you want them to embrace the changes and enjoy their new online workspace.
How to solve this issue—and where we can help
A clear organizational change management framework can help you to prepare and support your employees during the transition period.
When introducing new software, prioritize human-centred user design, which lowers the burden of learning to use new software. You can find out about our UX priorities here. And our personalized workplace enables employees to select the apps and services that they need, so they don’t get inundated and stressed with distracting notifications or irrelevant content.
Lack of IT resources to design and custom build the digital workspace
A digital workplace strategy is more than a collection of communication and collaboration tools that move the work online. It also requires a shift in mentality, and a rethinking of various processes and workflows.
Without a clear strategy, organizations may find themselves going around in circles, with no clear plan of the desired outcome and how to get there. With many companies facing limited IT resources, they must ensure that available capabilities are deployed to further the needs of the organization, and not spent, for example, on complicated building of intranet features.
How to solve this issue – and where we can help
The digital workplace strategy is generally part of a more disruptive digital and business transformation strategy that aligns the IT strategy with the broader business goals, taking into account the affected departments and roles, KPIs and OKRs, etc.
The LiveTiles Service Pros have years of experience dealing with complex projects like yours. Whatever your needs, you can benefit from our in-depth technical knowledge and problem-solving skills. And as a global leader and authoritative expert on employee experience, we have excellent options for communication, collaboration, and automation without the time, costs, and risks of custom development.
Data Security, Governance, and Compliance
The financial and reputational risk of a data breach can be immense, and the online communication of sensitive business data provides a range of entry points for bad actors. In addition, with increasing amounts of content being shared over a more extended period, it’s essential to avoid the accumulation of poorly targeted and out-of-date data.
How to solve this issue – and where we can help
According to EY research, only 36% of organizations say cybersecurity is involved right from the planning stages of a new business initiative, but security and governance issues should be part of the strategy.
LiveTiles inherits all security and compliance settings offered by Microsoft 365 and Azure. We perform annual penetration tests as a commitment to continuous improvement and are ISO27001 Certified. Our extensive governance and compliance features ensure that data is kept up to date, and that information is targeted to provide the appropriate information and access to specific users.
Contact us to find out how we can help you work through the complexity of a digital workplace strategy, or visit us at booth 113 during the upcoming Gartner Digital Workplace Summit in London from 15 – 16th May 2023.
