Enhancing Operational Effectiveness Through the Virtual Workplace

Learning and Development have transformed itself over the years to embrace technologies and provide both academic institutions and learners with greater flexibility in methods of delivery. Although this is a different learning experience, results have proven that online training courses have still achieved the same results as face to face training.

EFFICIENCY THROUGH TECHNOLOGY

Similar to how learning has and is continuing to transform, working methods have also embraced online platforms and Apps. Going forward, the lessons that have been learnt through technology and human adaptability will necessarily adjust working methods and workplaces to take into consideration this new times. These changes in working methods will also usher in new cost efficiencies, as organisations will be able to minimise their workspaces and provide greater work-life balances to their employees. Such cost efficiencies include less office space required, lower bandwidth costs required from the office, less time wastage and also the possibility of achieving a better work-life balance.

Such efficiencies are also New Working Practices are already emerging, including granting employees the option to work from home on one or more days each week, greater use of emails, online calls and other virtual communications especially for routine work matters, lower use of conventional means of working such as stationery, with a greater awareness of the potential that technology provides. These practices are also leading to new, innovative services that were previously underdeveloped or not feasible have now become feasible.

FUTURE OF THE VIRTUAL WORKPLACE

As a result of these new working practices, new working requirements are also taking place. These include the necessity of employees’ capability to work on more projects simultaneously, changes to the organisation’s working capabilities, with increased flexibility being provided resulting in employees self-managing themselves. Moreover, we can expect organisations’ working procedures to adapt to the greater requirement to trust employees to meet their objectives and work remotely. Moreover, this is resulting in greater interconnectedness of employees, which is bound to bring further expectancies on people to be connected to work for more hours.

These changes are all providing new options for an organisation to not only make more efficient use of its’ resources but also provides new opportunities that can help it derive greater value from its’ human capital. In fact, employee retention can increase significantly if the organisation considers adopting a more hybrid approach between virtual and physical office presence. Employees’ commitment towards the organisation’s objectives also increases, as the organisation’s trust and expectations from employees also increases.

The virtual workplace can provide significant cost-effectiveness as well as increasing opportunities for the organisation to place itself as an employer of choice, an employer that looks after its’ employees apart from its’ own interests. Such a workplace also helps the organisation to distinguish itself as an organisation that gives significant value to employees’ flexibility and individual requirements, thus providing employees with further reasons to not only remain working within the organisation but also champion the organisation as an employer of choice.

Therefore the modern effective workplace is a combination of both the physical and the virtual workplace, allowing employees greater flexibility and the ability to achieve better work-life balances whilst still fulfilling their responsibilities within the organisation. After all, work is something employees do, and not a place to go.