As companies all over the world adjust to the new normal of remote work, the importance of workforce empowerment has become increasingly clear. By empowering your employees, you can foster a culture of creativity and innovation, resulting in better efficiency and productivity. It can also lead to improved customer service and product quality.  

In today’s digitally-driven economy, workforce empowerment is essential to staying competitive and building a successful business. After thorough research performed in conjunction with our partner from a naming services company, we’ve carefully put together this article to show you the benefits of workforce empowerment, how to implement it in your organization, and the challenges you may face.

This article will also explore its impact on employee morale and satisfaction and how you can use it to create a better work environment.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the corporate world was thrown into a whole new working arrangement as the stay-at-home order was put in place. Many businesses were forced to adapt to remote working and encouraged their employees to work from home. While this was possible for most businesses, some didn’t have what it takes to migrate fully to remote working. Therefore, they resorted to adopting a mix of both models in what is commonly referred to as a hybrid work model. This guide will discuss the pros and cons of hybrid working and how businesses can adapt to it.

What Is a Hybrid Workplace? 

A hybrid workplace typically combines remote and in-office work. If this work model is done right, employees are as productive as when they are working from the office. For a hybrid model to be effective, employees must be able to flip seamlessly between the two modes of work — spending a few days at home and going to the office when needed. The switch between work models should be seamless without any dip in productivity. 

Generally, a hybrid workplace model offers employees the ability to determine on their own when to work remotely and when to work at the office. Different teams come in at different times of the week and alternately with those working remotely. In this work model, determining who works remotely and in-office is fueled by what drives the highest levels of engagement and productivity.   

Hybrid Work Environment Best Practices 

A hybrid work model is only effective when implemented properly. This means it requires some practices that will bring the best out of it. One of the most crucial practices for a hybrid work model is embracing digital transformation. The remote working part of a hybrid model cannot survive without automating and digitizing operations. This model needs sufficient technology and automation to support work-from-home operations. Employees working remotely need to convey information to their office-based counterparts in a timely and safe manner — this requires advanced technology and a support system. 

Another best practice is investing in communication. Communication must be in place for a hybrid workplace model to run efficiently. The seamless flow of information and ideas is crucial for maintaining productivity and ensuring smooth operations. Hence, it is paramount for businesses to allocate resources towards robust collaboration platforms and cutting-edge technologies that can effortlessly facilitate communication among team members, regardless of their physical location or work schedule.

In order to ensure the seamless operation of the hybrid workplace model, it is imperative for employers to establish a set of well-defined ground rules. These guidelines play a critical role in shaping the success of this model by providing clear and concise instructions that employees can rely on when carrying out their roles and responsibilities. By setting these boundaries, employers create a structured framework that promotes productivity, collaboration, and accountability in the digital workplace. This not only enhances overall efficiency but also fosters an environment of trust and transparency within the organization.

Benefits of the Hybrid Work Model 

The pros and cons of hybrid working depict a model that can be quite profitable when implemented properly and quite frustrating when applied in the wrong manner and setting. Here are some of the benefits of a hybrid work model:

Flexible Work Environment 

A hybrid model creates a flexible work environment. Employees can work from home or in-office, depending on their preferences. Besides, they will have a better work-life balance that makes them comfortable and more productive. They will not spend a lot of time commuting to and from work, which means they will be more enthusiastic and refreshed. Such an attitude is highly profitable for the company as employees will focus more on their roles. 

Flexibility benefits employees going through situations that could prevent them from working in the office. For example, employees with childcare responsibilities who would normally completely stay off work can work from home while they care for their children. In this context, a hybrid work model allows employees to address their personal issues and helps maximize productivity. A good company culture based on customer satisfaction could also be a product of this work model. 

Improved Mental Health for Employees 

Mental health is vital in determining employee productivity and efficiency. Employees will have different factors that affect their mental health, and a hybrid model helps manage these factors. For example, an employee could have challenges due to tiredness and lack of sleep, but they still prefer working in-office as it enhances social interactions and creates companionship. A hybrid work model helps such employees balance their schedule into in-office work and remote working, depending on their mental health. They can navigate challenging times by simply switching to an option that works best at that particular time. Of course, all this should be done with company policy in mind and shouldn’t impact their roles whatsoever. 

Increased Productivity 

You cannot talk about the pros and cons of hybrid working without mentioning increased productivity. A hybrid work model can increase employee productivity due to various reasons. For instance, employees will have the option to choose their work location depending on their preferences. When working from home, they don’t have to spend time commuting. This will give them more time to work on their tasks, increasing productivity. Besides, employers can monitor their progress through the employee time tracking system. This ensures the employee is still productive even when working from home. Employees can still come into the office when in-person collaboration is required. A mix of both models will go a long way in increasing productivity. 

Lower Operational Costs for the Company 

A company will have reduced operational costs due, thanks to a hybrid work model. This happens on many fronts. For example, fewer people will work from the office in a hybrid model. Therefore, things like heating and electricity bills will reduce as their usage will drop. Even basic things like drinks and communal snacks at the office will reduce, saving the business some money. Besides, if the business rents office space, it might consider downsizing when parts of its staff are working from home. This will significantly reduce operational costs. 

Disadvantages of the Hybrid Work Model 

Here are some disadvantages of the hybrid work model:

Difficulties in Team Building and Collaboration 

It is challenging for employees to build a working relationship in a hybrid work model. When employees work from the office, they interact with their colleagues and work as a team. This might not be the case with a hybrid work model, as employees are isolated. They might not interact with each other in person, hence difficulties in team building may arise. This could negatively impact company productivity. 

Increased Security Risks 

Given that digitization is a fundamental part of the hybrid work model, cyber-attacks and other threats are likely to occur. Communicating from different and changing locations puts data security at risk. This is why companies secure their digital assets through enhanced data security. Hackers can easily prey on sensitive company data and cause devastating damage. Therefore, there is an active risk to data safety that companies must mitigate in the hybrid work model. 

Employee Burnout 

When the hybrid work model is left unchecked or unsupervised, it can easily result in employee burnout. Some employees find it challenging to set boundaries when working from home and could easily overwork themselves. The temptation to work late into the night could disrupt their sleep schedule and affect productivity.

Conclusion 

The pros and cons of hybrid working show that the model can be beneficial when implemented properly, albeit with some setbacks. Businesses looking to adopt a hybrid work model should assess their ability and implement policies that support it. By doing so, they stand a good chance of benefiting immensely. 

Automation in the workplace is a powerful tool that has the potential to transform a business. Now, advancements in technology have made it possible to automate processes and tasks, allowing humans to focus on higher-level activities. Automation can be used in many areas, from customer service to education and supply chain. By automating mundane tasks, companies can reduce costs while improving efficiency and accuracy. Automation also allows companies to scale easily and quickly, as well as increase their competitive advantage. As automation becomes more sophisticated, it will continue revolutionizing the workplace in ways we cannot yet imagine.

Automation is quickly becoming a must-have in the workplace. Here are some significant benefits of automation in the workplace:

Improves Productivity 

One of the main benefits of automation in the workplace is that it improves productivity and output. Many people interpret this benefit as replacing human employees, fueling the stigma around automation. However, this software often helps employees do their jobs better. It also maximizes how they use their time.  

Many employees who have long been a part of the job market are familiar with the challenges of using an outdated system or systems that don’t integrate with one another. These issues add extra steps to the workflow, many of which are tedious.  

For example, suppose your company’s inventory system is outdated. The accounting team might have to wait for a printed report with manually entered update numbers to start processing sales data. Marketing is another example of a department that benefits from automation. The content creation process is labor-intensive. Automation helps offset that workload.  For example, marketers can create engaging content fast using ChatGPT and AI tools, or create eye-catching social media videos by using automatic filter presets or dropping files into an online video reverser — they don’t have to spend hours editing software. Social media posts and emails can be crafted in batches and scheduled to go out automatically, reducing the need to set reminders to go in and click “post” or “send.”  

Productivity isn’t just about getting work done; it’s dependent on employee engagement and satisfaction. The less frustrating their tasks are, the more efficiently they’ll get them done. 

Makes Time for Big Picture Work

There’s a genuine concern that incorporating automation software into a workflow will make human employees obsolete. After all, doesn’t cutting work hours from their schedule diminish their job security?  

Not exactly. 

Automation helps shift talented employees away from non-revenue-generating tasks to focus on big-picture activities. Generally, these activities directly support revenue generation or improve the company as a whole. 

For example, consider a Human Resources manager. Today’s HR manager has the challenge of supporting employees and protecting the company while burnout is at an all-time high. Yet daily tasks like onboarding new employees, sorting through candidates and chasing down paperwork detract them from those efforts.  

Implementing automation to streamline candidate vetting and employee onboarding could reduce those tasks so the HR manager could focus more on employee retention efforts. This shift could have a reciprocal effect by reducing the need to navigate the hiring process so often. 

Automation software is a massive asset for entrepreneurs and small teams, too. Small business owners typically wear many hats. On any given day, they might act as a marketer, HR professional, salesperson, and inventory manager. Incorporating automation allows a business owner to take a step back and work on their business rather than in it. 

Reduces Costs 

Cost reduction is a significant driver for many businesses. Automation can help reduce costs in several ways. 

First, it can reduce the need for new hires. The goal isn’t to eliminate employees, but to ensure existing employees have a productive workflow. If the core workflow is an issue, hiring new employees is a bandaid fix that doesn’t solve the underlying problem. Having automation ensures all new hires are validated.

It also helps improve product output without significant upgrades and investments. This helps keep costs low and production high. Furthermore, incorporating automation helps reduce costly errors that slow production time and cut revenue. 

Attracts and Nurtures Leads

Automation is a powerful tool for attracting and nourishing leads in the sales funnel without ongoing effort.  

As mentioned previously, email marketing is dramatically improved by automation. Marketers and business owners can use automated email marketing software to schedule email flows. These flows are triggered when a customer exhibits a flagged behavior, such as abandoning a cart or not making a purchase for a predetermined period. These email flows help move a customer through the funnel automatically, without any hands-on work from the sales team. The flows are typically a “set it and forget it” tool. 

AI software has enhanced these tools even further. Retargeting through pay-per-click (PPC) ad campaigns captures data and automatically guides the customer toward a sale.

Transform Data Into Information 

Capturing data is of the utmost importance for understanding customers better and making business decisions. The general mindset is to capture as much data as possible and figure out what to do with it later. However, later never comes when small businesses have limited resources and conflicting priorities.   

Automation can help translate large blocks of data into valuable, relevant information. You can use software to summarize about purchasing behaviors, customer demographics, sales fluctuations, and more and to manage data in the workplace. Create automatic reports to minimize the data translation process, or set alerts to notify key stakeholders when something goes awry.

Using automation means anyone can access the data in a usable fashion without special training in analytics or data manipulation. This helps keep everyone on the same page and promotes collaborative teams. 

Improve the Employee Experience 

Automated software ultimately improves the employee experience. It increases job satisfaction and engagement by smoothing out friction points. It also creates an opportunity to explore new challenges and find purpose in the workplace.

New employees also benefit from automated hiring and onboarding processes. Automated applicant tracking systems (ATS) can offset unconscious bias during the hiring process. Streamlined onboarding systems contribute to a better first impression of the brand and directly impact new employee engagement.  

Improve the Customer Experience 

Automated software helps improve the customer experience in several ways. 

First, automation on the back end of the business helps improve the employee experience. This carries over to customer service interactions, as many customers report being aware of whether an employee is happy when they talk.  

Automation helps customers get in touch with a brand and get important information. Automatic AI chatbots can facilitate basic inquiries, so the customer doesn’t waste time waiting to talk to a human. For more complex inquiries, most chatbots can automatically connect users with a human agent. 

Automated emails and communications keep customers informed of their order or inquiry status. This feature reduces the need to reach out to the company and minimizes the frustration of not knowing what to expect when making a purchase.  

As mentioned, automation can also set up alerts for key business stakeholders. These alerts identify if the website is experiencing glitches or downtime that could impact customers. The quicker these alerts are received, the faster someone can correct the issue. 

Conclusion: Start Using Automation Today to Unlock Your Team’s Maximum

Automation is a great way to unlock your team’s maximum potential. It can help you save time, money and resources while ensuring that the work is done quickly and accurately. Automation can also help you stay organized and focused on the tasks that matter most. By automating mundane tasks, you can free up your team to improve workflows, employee relationships, customer experiences, and the profitability of a business, and focus on more creative projects or simply take a break and relax. With automation tools becoming more accessible than ever before, there’s no better time than now to start using them to unlock your team’s maximum potential.

Comidor CEO, Spiros Skolarikis was recently interviewed by Authority Magazine, a Medium Publication, on the “The Great Resignation & The Future Of Work: How Employers and Employees are Reworking Work Together”

There’s no universal design for the workplace of the future. Success doesn’t come from a hybrid model, or by providing remote work options. Success comes when people have freedom and the ability to choose the best work model for them. Freedom is also about choosing your own values & deciding what’s important when creating the future of work.

Our CEO explains how the future of work is shifting toward a hybrid model that combines both remote and in-person workplaces. More specifically, he talks about:

Life-changing experiences that formed his business personality 

When Comidor CEO first started his entrepreneurial endeavor it was a dream and a challenge at the same time, but his dreams got crushed as time went on. However, it taught him why and how to improve his emotional intelligence. He is very grateful for his struggles because they helped him grow stronger, and feel confident enough to try again.

Breakthrough technologies that have become a reality in our business life 

The future workplace will be a meta-work environment, that will be technology-driven, flexible, open, and unbiased. Advanced, state-of-the-art technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Augmented Reality will transform the workplace, and we’re starting to see that happening now. At the same time, people’s desire to better balance work and life, while businesses’ need to provide appealing jobs to keep high performers are altering rapidly the future workplace.

The new hybrid model that combines WFH and in-person workplaces 

Companies are starting to lean towards a hybrid work model that combines remote and in-person workplaces. The goal of this is to give employees the freedom of working remotely while still being able to have social interaction and knowledge sharing that can only be found in more traditional ways of working, like physical workplaces. This hybrid model must be designed correctly, and fully supported by the right automation tools to increase work-life balance for employees, while satisfying businesses’ need for higher productivity.

The future of work and how it will reshape the workforce 

As technology continues to evolve, the future of work will inevitably change. The new relationship between employers and employees will also redefine the work as we know it, which in turn will change society, too. Companies, employees, and society can all help to promote this new model of work by supporting it. That way, it benefits not only selected people but serves the greater good, too.

Top 5 upcoming technology trends 

Workplaces are changing, and technology is changing the way we work. The traditional work model is being replaced by a more flexible and hybrid work model. AI has been playing a major role in this transformation by automating tasks and enabling employees to work faster. IoT for workplace safety is one of the most important trends that will shape the future of workplaces. With IoT, employers can monitor their employees’ whereabouts and overall health conditions. Collaborative technologies are becoming more and more popular in the workplace. Although the world has become so interconnected with technology, it has become impossible for businesses to operate without leadership skills being in place.

Read the full interview here. 

Numerous businesses were unrehearsed to deal with the new limits and challenges the new era brought into the light. Many companies struggled to alter their operations and get prepared for the next normal.  

Due to the current situation, the majority of businesses are trying to find new ways to keep their competitive advantage, while at the same time, keep up with the market trends. It seems that the “Work From Home” model is here to stay, as organizations will continue to work remotely after the pandemic end, too. Researchers estimate that by 2025, 22% of the workforce will work remotely. This brings into businesses’ attention new approaches and needs. Online collaboration tools play a significant role, shared files and a central data management system are necessary to perform daily tasks, and meetings should be done over online platforms. It is obvious that companies needed to develop other ways to adapt and survive the existing environment. 

After the non-stop struggle of companies to search for a solution to the situation, they discovered an alternative route with the help of digital workplaces. Digital workplaces enable businesses to continue their operation virtually.  They do so while following all precautionary measures and restrictions implemented by the government.  

The trend of the digital workplace opened new possibilities, opportunities, and most importantly, jump-started the market globally. Just to mention, Australian states were the pioneers of using digital workplaces, and currently, co-working spaces are becoming the norm. 

Digital Workplace: Definition  

A digital workplace is a cloud-based work environment that allows companies to migrate their work to the cloud and develop shared workspaces for their employees. Employees may access all apps, data, tools, and collaboration features they require.  They do this through a secure web interface from anywhere, anytime, and on any device.  

The term was used years ago to describe a vast community of virtual workplace technology. The digitalization of workplaces constantly developed throughout the years by incorporating new technologies, ideas, and the ever-changing needs of businesses. 

The Need For Digital Workplace 

Businesses must take alternate measures to survive. The boundaries of a physical office are ignored in a digital workplace. Thus, it allows for virtual information sharing and collaboration in a variety of new and productive methods. It is a linked workspace in which employees have access to whatever they require through digital technologies like digital process automation without physically visiting a workplace. 

Key Aspects Of A Digital Workplace 

Digital workplace solutions introduce the inevitable progression of the workplace.  Hence, bringing together a collection of technologies, platforms, and tools that digital employees require to generate business results and run a company efficiently. The incorporation of these methods ensured the presence of the following common aspects of a digital workplace: 

• Social and Collaborative Tools: These tools enable employees or any users to interact and share information to achieve common goals and build professional connections and relationships. Slack, Slater, Pie, Messenger, and Trello are some examples of these types of tools. 
• Cloud Storage Tools: These tools store data virtually and are usually managed by the company to regulate and grant permission to access stored data. Because of this, data can be accessed anywhere through the use of the internet. Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox, and iCloud are some popular tools of this sort. 
• Video Conferencing Services: Tools that offer chat and video conferencing services allow business members to take part in online conversations, make presentations, and overall boost online collaboration. While most and most people are working remotely, platforms like Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams have been an essential part of employees’ business life.  
• Enterprise Collaboration Platform: An enterprise collaboration platform provides a virtual environment where teams work together to efficiently perform business tasks and processes towards operational goals. These usually cloud-based platforms include chat and video conferencing capabilities, document sharing, knowledge management tools, and other collaboration and productivity features.   

Benefits Of A Digital Workplace 

 In many firms, the digital workplace has become an integral aspect of the employee or team member experience. It’s only typical for a company to consider the benefits before building or implementing a digital workplace plan. 

 The following are some of the benefits of having a Digital Workplace: 

• It improves flexibility and productivity: Employees will be more flexible with their working schedules and work environment. Thus, enabling them to work during their most productive time and in their most comfortable place. It’s also beneficial for the company because this will drastically increase the productivity level of a team member. 
• It reduces or avoids operational costs: Water, electricity, internet, and telephone bills that eat up a material part of a company’s expenses can be avoided or minimized with the implementation of a digital workplace. 
• It provides safety: Especially during the pandemic, physical interactions are risky. With a digital workplace, you will be safe working at home. In this setup, customers can transact with the company virtually from the comfort of their homes.  Thus, protecting them from the threat of the pandemic. 
• It enhances employees experience and customer satisfaction: Within digital workplaces, team members can share ideas, ask and respond to questions, discuss business topics, solve issues, and more, faster than ever before.  This leads to better communication and enhanced collaboration. Finally, employees feel less stressed, highly motivated, and maintain a passion for their work.  When employees feel good, their performance is improving, too. Consequently, you will be able to deliver high-quality products and services that meet and exceed your customers’ expectations, making them happy.   

Comidor Digital Workplace 

Comidor offers an intelligent digital workplace where people work effectively and efficiently. Teams and users are able to view, create and complete their tasks while at the same time having a clear overview of the entire team progress. All processes, workflows, and applications are accessible in a single place. In addition, every source of data is available anytime from anywhere since everything runs on the cloud. Users can create their customized dashboards, add interactive tiles to trigger a workflow or application with the click of a button. Widgets and advanced report boards, live updates, and smart notifications create a powerful digital workplace that helps teams organize their work, from daily, routine tasks to long-term projects. Connect all your work in a single digital workplace, bring your teams together from anywhere, and smarten your work with an artificial intelligence-driven workforce and state-of-the-art automation features.   

In a Nutshell 

The digital workplace is a virtual workplace built by companies by integrating numerous software, tools, and apps to accommodate the current situation. This setup requires employees to work remotely. It is of paramount importance for businesses to implement digital workplaces to survive and go towards the digital transformation of their business. Empower your people to do their best by providing them with advanced collaboration and productivity tools. Contact us to learn how our Comidor Enterprise Collaboration Platform can make your company a wholesome working mechanism.