What Are The 6 Pillars of A Connected Workplace?

Building a connected workplace is not just embracing the future of work – after all, a connected workforce will be utilizing digital transformation in a way that we have only dreamed of – but it’s also ensuring that your organization is operating at its peak efficiency. According to Zippia, on average, companies lose 18% of their workforce to turnover each year. In 2022, the overall cost of voluntary employee turnover amounted to over $1 trillion. Highly engaged employees are 87% less likely to leave

So, how can you turn your organization into a connected workplace? How can you ensure that you have a connected workforce to reap the benefits in your own company?  

That’s what this blog is all about! Read along to learn how the 6 pillars of a connected workplace are the foundation for your organization’s digital transformation. 

In this blog, you'll find: 

🌐 What is a Connected Workplace?

🚪 Pillar 1: Openness

🏃‍♀️ Pillar 2: Mobility - Embracing The Future

👁️ Pillar 3: Visual Communication

🔗 Pillar 4: Integration - The Key To Streamlined Workflow

🌍 Pillar 5: Ubiquity

👤 Pillar 6: Personalization - A Digitally Evolved Workplace

🎯 Conclusion

What Is A Connected Workplace?

A connected workplace is not a mere buzzword; it embodies a futuristic work ecosystem that leverages digital transformation to operate at peak efficiency.

Its foundation rests on 6 core pillars that, when combined, create a vibrant, effective, and collaborative workplace. These pillars are:

• Openness
• Mobility
• Visual Communication
• Integration
• Ubiquity
• Personalization

Pillar 1: Openness

A connected workplace is open by default – it thrives on breaking down the organizational silos and boundaries that are a major hindrance to getting work done. In a connected workplace, it’s all about openness.

How you can get the necessary information to the people who need it the most, as quickly as possible, and also help them to feel more connected, not only to the company’s overall mission and objectives but to their co-workers, too.  

Employee Experience Platforms (EXPs) foster a radically open culture of transparency and break down organizational silos that have built up over time. These platforms encourage open and seamless two-way communication, enabling employees at all levels to engage with and respond to content they encounter.

Whether through liking, reacting, or commenting on posts in their feed or sharing ideas in various groups, EXPs enhance company-wide communication and ensure that everyone, from top executives to frontline workers, can contribute their thoughts and suggestions.

Pillar 2: Mobility - Embracing The Future 

With such statistics as 80% of time spent on the Internet globally will happen on a smartphone, and 80% of the global workforce is now desk-less, it’s no wonder that a connected workforce will be focused on mobility.

Every organization, therefore, needs to understand how they can make their workforce mobile by design – allowing their employees the opportunity to perform tasks and stay connected, no matter where they are or what device they’re using.  

Employee Experience Platforms (EXPs) offer mobile-first solutions for organizations looking to embrace the future of work. These platforms often include features like chat functionality, which enables employees to communicate with their teams and colleagues through text messaging, voice and video calls, and even video conferencing, all with ease and convenience.

Pillar 3: Visual Communication

Video, emojis, GIFs, photos – all of these have found their way into how we communicate with one another. A connected workforce needs to be able to include this visual world with any text or written communication that’s being sent out.  

Of all of these visual representations, video is seeing a massive streak, and it’s becoming clear that video will be the natural language of the mobile era we’re entering. In fact, on Facebook, they’ve noticed a trend that people will spend five times longer looking at videos in the News Feed compared to the amount of time they spend looking at photos or posts with just text.  

Employee Experience Platforms (EXPs) are capitalizing on this trend by offering robust video features. With capabilities like Live Video, employees can broadcast live from their mobile devices, sharing updates and insights in an immediate and authentic way while receiving real-time reactions.

• Does your CEO have an announcement they want to make? Go Live!  
• Does the VP of Customer Experience want to talk about quarterly results? Go Live!  
• Does a line worker know a new and ergonomic way to do their job? You guessed it… Go Live! 

Visuals, particularly video, are set to play a crucial role in the future of connected workplaces — are you prepared to leverage this trend?

Pillar 4: Integration - The Key To Streamlined Workflow

There’s absolutely nothing more frustrating than having to sign into multiple tools to do a task – it’s cumbersome, the tools don’t often “talk” to each other, and the overall experience does not lend itself to effectiveness.

This leads organizations to search for ways to make things more efficient, which, unfortunately, leads to downloading Software-as-a-Service solutions that your IT department doesn’t always know are in your environment (it’s known as Shadow IT).  

Employee Experience Platforms (EXPs) offer extensive integration capabilities, eliminating the need for departments to download and manage new software that may not align with existing IT environments.

Some of these platforms can integrate with a wide range of popular enterprise tools, such as Microsoft SharePoint, Zoom, Google Drive, Box, OneDrive, and Dropbox. This integration streamlines workflows by consolidating various systems and interfaces into one convenient platform.

When implemented effectively, an integrated EXP can enhance engagement, leading to improved employee adoption, retention, and satisfaction. Additionally, it alleviates concerns for IT departments about managing and integrating new tools into their existing infrastructure.

Pillar 5: Ubiquity

We’ve already mentioned the rise of a global desk-less workforce, so it’s no surprise that organizations nowadays are demanding solutions that can be everywhere, ever-present, and connect everybody across the organization, no matter where or who they are. Simply put, a connected workforce gives a voice to everyone, even those who have, until now, been beyond the reach of traditional IT (like frontline workers, for example).  

And giving people a voice is important – employees who feel that their voice is being heard are 4.6 times more likely to feel empowered to perform their best work! 

Employee Experience Platforms (EXPs) facilitate this by connecting all employees, irrespective of their physical location or position. Additionally, many EXPs offer features like Groups and Chat, enhancing collaboration with partners, suppliers, and other external stakeholders. This capability significantly improves how organizations interact with their broader network.

Pillar 6: Personalization - A Digitally Evolved Workplace

The final pillar, Personalization, is a countermeasure to the deluge of content we face in our digital age. With an estimated 347 billion emails projected to be sent per day by 2022, it's easy to see why email communication is often deemed ineffective by 77% of companies. The solution lies in personalizing the content each employee interacts with daily.

Employee Experience Platforms (EXPs) are leading the way in this innovation by leveraging AI to enhance user experience. These platforms use machine learning algorithms to analyze past interactions and behaviour, continuously learning and evolving to refine content delivery. As a result, the platform can predict user preferences and provide content tailored to individual interests and needs.

In practical terms, an EXP personalizes the user experience by organizing content in the News Feed according to its relevance based on previous interactions. This approach ensures that each piece of content is not just more noise but a meaningful and valuable addition to the user’s workday.

Conclusion

As we navigate through the digital age, the connected workplace is no longer a futuristic concept but a tangible reality shaping the way we work. The pillars of Openness, Mobility, Visual Communication, Integration, Ubiquity, and Personalization collectively form the foundation of this paradigm shift, each contributing unique aspects to the transformation.

Employee Experience Platforms (EXPs) play a crucial role in facilitating this evolution by integrating these six pillars into a cohesive solution. They connect everyone in your organization, regardless of their location or role, while offering a mobile-first platform that enhances openness, visual communication, and personalized user experiences.

Transforming your workplace into a connected one is not an overnight process. It requires a strategic approach, a willingness to embrace new technologies, and an understanding of the six pillars and their implications. But this transformation can be a rewarding journey with the right partner by your side.