Enhancing employee experience with a digital workspace

An employee’s workspace has evolved a lot over time. The idea of a “sit down job” is broadening to accommodate the employee’s need for flexibility. According to Gartner, “The relationship between employees and technology in the workplace is changing, and employees expect flexibility and autonomy. When technology is overly complicated, or there is a lack of technology, employee engagement decreases.”¹

The digital workspace should allow the employee to work from any place and at any time. It should enable them to make well-informed decisions on the go. Initiatives like BYOD should be encouraged in such an environment. This should all be possible without compromising security. It seems like a tall order, doesn’t it? Fret not, here are five key pointers on how to improve workspace experience to get you started on the mission to build an employee-centric workspace.

Provide a smooth onboarding experience

Empowerment should start at the very beginning of an employee’s tenure in the organization. A seamless onboarding experience is essential to provide a functioning digital workspace for your employees. How does one create such an experience? Well, there are several methods out there to smoothen this process, but the key always is the employee.

So, the next question is, how do we make the onboarding process centered around the employee? Making the entire process handsfree is a start. Using zero-touch enrollment options like Apple’s DEP and Android ZTE, the devices issued to the employees arrive pre-enrolled. This way, the employees don’t need to go through with the tedious onboarding process.

The dilemma arises when BYODs or single devices issued to other users like contractors, comes into play. How do you enroll such devices without making it dreary for its users? Quick enrollment can be done using a QR code for such devices. It saves a lot of time and effort for the user as well as the admin. In a recent study by Igloo Sofware, it was found that such remote employees usually feel left out. By providing an inclusive onboarding method as mentioned before, such issues can be avoided.

At the end of the day, providing a less tiresome onboarding experience for the employees is bound to create a much more productive and employee-centric digital workspace.

Deliver the required resources

Delivering an employee, the right resources at the right time, is one of the critical pillars of an employee-centric digital workspace. Resources like content, files, and most importantly, apps should be available anytime and anyplace.

How is this possible? And is it safe?

Some essential apps and content should be readily available on the employee’s device during onboarding along with that the device should be work-ready i.e., Wi-Fi, email, and networks should be configured in a timely manner. This would ensure that the employee has everything needed to start their journey in your organization.

As the employee’s scope of work increases, they might need access to other apps. A custom app catalog can provide employees with the required apps whenever they need them. The catalog can be expanded as the scope and role of the employee changes. An app catalog also ensures that the employee doesn’t have access to apps that aren’t needed for them, thereby ensuring security.

Enable Mobility

Mobility is an essential element for the present-day workforce. Being tied down to the desk is a thing of the past. Employees like to do their work on the go. Providing such mobility to employees can increase productivity because they are given autonomy to a certain degree.

It gives them more space to work in and they would feel less cramped in their workspace. Furthermore, mobility creates a workspace where employees want to engage. In a study by Gallup, it was found that on average, only 15% of the world’s total working population is engaged at work. Providing mobility at work can be a step in the right direction regarding that figure.

Be Present always

Employees are more productive when there are no hiccups in their devices. Being proactive goes a long way as far as the employee experience is concerned. Diligently supervising new onboardings, serving recent updates and patches as well as deploying new apps are the few things that should be taken care of.

Sometimes remotely accessing a device issued to an employee and troubleshooting it can save a lot of time. This means that the employee needn’t wait for manual action, hence improving productivity.

Automation is the Key

Being proactive is essential but, to truly achieve the idea of an employee-centric digital workspace, automation is key.

Automating not only enhances productivity, but it could also help in cost reduction, improving employee satisfaction, and decreases risks. How? Let’s see.

Automation can help in getting things done faster. New devices can be connected or removed at a quicker pace, thereby increasing productivity. Automation can also ensure that employees don’t get stuck with banal IT issues regarding onboarding or something else. This could increase employee satisfaction. Risks can be decreased by automation because manual work is prone to mistakes.

Automation can also play a huge part in the management of an employee’s life cycle. Admin can automate the availability of resources in accordance with the employee’s role changes. The employee needn’t wait for manual authorization procedures or anything of that sort. All the resources required will be available to them instantly.

Creating and managing an employee-centric workspace is no cakewalk. It is an arduous process that cannot be achieved in a short period. But always keep the employees and their user experience at the center and build your plan around it based on the pointers mentioned above. It might take a while, but in the end, it is worth it.

1. Gartner, Improve Employee Experience to Drive Improvements in Customer Experience, Gene Phifer, 26 November 2019