Effective communication in the digital workplace doesn’t just magically happen —it’s the result of having the right culture, technology and strategy all in place.
If your organization wants to improve organizational communication between different worksites and remote employees, start by looking for any impediments to success in your current system. You may need to invest more in mobile technology, for example, or in coaching executives on new enterprise collaboration tools.
When you’re part of the in-office workforce, it’s easy to forget about how your communication technology choices affect remote workers. If your company has great tools for enterprise collaboration and communication on desktop systems, but doesn’t do much to encourage the mobile equivalents, the ability for remote workers to communicate drops precipitously when their counterparts leave the main office.
If one of your digital workplace goals is to create a flexible work environment, you need zero drop-off in communication ability when employees walk out the door. (The degree to which you require employees to respond to work communications after hours is a separate issue; the goal here is to have the same technical capabilities wherever you are.)
Two trends are doing a lot to expand the mobility of the digital workplace.
- Cloud-based applications: The cloud isn’t just for file storage anymore. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platforms like Office 365 that include SharePoint Online have taken applications that were once only available on-premises, delivered via your desktop and moved them to the cloud, allowing people to access these tools from a variety of devices and locations.
- Robust mobile devices: Smartphones, tablets and laptops have become ubiquitous, self-contained communication tools. You’re able to make calls, access your social and collaboration solutions and virtually every other application you need from these devices. Tablets are now finally bring the necessary horsepower, as evidenced by Microsoft touting the new Surface 3 as the “laptop replacement.”
If you want a truly mobile digital workplace, the standard you have to meet is for employees to fit everything they need in a bag or briefcase. And that’s for office-based employees as well as remote workers.
After technology, good communication in the digital workplace is also a matter of culture. Does open communication start at the top? Do leaders effectively include remote workers in day-to-day business?
The good news for executives is that enterprise collaboration and social tools make it easier to develop this communication culture through frequent, targeted interactions. From a technology perspective, leaders have lots of ways to efficiently communicate with the entire organization. CEOs may find that an internal blog or newsfeeds are more effective than cranking out lengthy, all-employee email updates.
At first, some executives may feel uncomfortable with an entry-level employee being able to reach them over instant message (IM), but this kind of open communication makes a big impact in the digital workplace.
The first phase is getting the CEO to look beyond the company-wide email blast. A blog might be a good initial step toward greater collaboration that’s not completely outside the CEO’s comfort zone. Once they’re comfortable and see the value of the blog, you’re ready to introduce strategic new channels that support more frequent and targeted communication.
Choosing the best communication channels for your organization depends on a variety of factors, such as your business goals, current communication impediments and existing technology. Enterprise collaboration, social platforms and IM all offer different ways to communicate across the organization and get things done, but they also have aspects that may make some people uncomfortable.
Generally speaking, people like to have control over their communications, and that’s the comfort of email. We’ve all seen what happens when someone’s email gets distributed more widely than intended, and that makes some people initially uncomfortable about communicating with a wide audience via newsfeeds, for example.
Introducing social tools like Yammer within limited groups may ease the transition to these different communication expectations. For instance, you might set up a SharePoint site and a group in Yammer for your team, then use it test out the social features and learn the ropes without worrying that everyone in the company is watching.
Learn more about helping your organization communicate in today’s digital workplace by contacting Portal Solutions.
