Article

November 6, 2024

Connected Workplace: 10 Benefits for Employees & Companies

Milton Herman

12 minute read

The connected workplace is a concept analyzed by executives, HR managers, internal comms leaders and more. But how does an organization take this topic from buzzword to actionable practice?

The first step is to define a connected workplace (synonymous with a connected workforce), then identify the benefits being authentically connected provides for employers and employees.

What is a Connected Workplace and a Connected Workforce?

So, “What is a connected workplace?”

The connected workplace brings together workplace design, technology, HR systems, policies and leadership practices to create a space where employees can easily communicate, collaborate and get work done. Well-designed, connected workplaces result in employees who are not just productive, but engaged, enabled, empowered, and active company ambassadors.

For example, when the workplace is connected, employees reap the benefits of automated workplace solutions.

Time-consuming tasks are automated and accomplished quickly
Workflows become more streamlined
Real-time and asynchronous communication between employees working remotely and the home office is easy and convenient
Efficient collaboration, a connected workforce completes tasks and projects quickly

Why Does a Connected Workforce Matter?

If everyone is working in the same location, it can be easier to stay connected. Employees can visit workspaces to ask questions or discuss their work. Conversations take place in the kitchen or during after-work hangouts. When the team members see each other daily, staying connected doesn’t require the same level of thought and planning.

With remote workers in the mix, people working off-site have different employee experience challenges than their co-workers who share real estate. Remote work means adjusting to a digital workplace, and it takes more effort to establish a connected workforce.

If you’ve invested in the right connected workforce technology, your team should experience these 10 benefits.

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1. Well-organized Workflow

Companies with several locations or those with field services need an effective way to mobilize their workforce. A connected workforce platform combines mobile collaboration and workflow in a single solution to allow employees to work together effectively, whether in the office or the field. For example:

The sales team uploads orders to the warehouse and office staff
The company’s dispatchers send out field technicians quickly when needed
Customer service agents have access to current customer records
The accounting department stays constantly updated on accounts receivable

When a company can streamline its processes, the entire organization is able to function more efficiently.

2. Improved Internal Communication and Collaboration

Employee experience platforms such as LumApps are designed to improve internal communication and collaboration. They must be tightly integrated with Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, and work to harmonize digital operations for global teams. For instance, localization features mean your international team members can understand instructions, blog posts, and other media in more than 30 languages. With the mobile application, relevant content is available to employees in the office, at customers’ sites, and on the go.

Team members have this powerful tool at their disposal to send messages to each other about the status of their work, ask questions, and get help when necessary. Location is no barrier to clear communication with this feature in place.

LumApps, The Employee Experience Platform:

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3. Increased Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is a standard that describes the level of emotional commitment people have to their work. Engaged employees feel their work matters to their employers; their employers appreciate their efforts to perform daily. It takes time to create an engaging work environment, and the benefits for the company and the employees are substantial.

An employee experience platform connects the digital workplace. It encourages participants to communicate relevant content between teams and the entire company using a shared online portal.

4. More Openness in the Workplace

Employee engagement and openness in the workplace go hand-in-hand. Engaged employees feel that their opinions matter and that management listens to them. You need to break down boundaries and organizational silos that get in the way of communication to create that type of work environment.

Once these barriers are broken down, you have a workplace environment that encourages two-way communication. Anyone in the organization can like and comment on posts they see on their newsfeed or post their ideas in groups. Employees can also share their ideas for improving the company with management.

Drive Employee Engagement - LumApps Play Desktop and Mobile

5. Higher Efficiency from Employees

Employees will find it frustrating when they have to sign into several tools to accomplish their work. If the tools aren’t compatible, any task becomes more time-consuming than necessary. A company needs to find ways to make procedures more efficient; integrated software solutions are an example of what can be done to make the workplace more connected.

LumApps integrates with several collaborative solutions, including Slack, Zoom, Dynamic Screen, and Dropbox. Your employees will be able to get their work completed quickly and efficiently without undue delays due to incompatibility.

6. Simplified Knowledge Management

Knowledge management in a company is essential for keeping important information organized. It includes finding efficient ways for storing and retrieving information so that employees can access the information they need quickly. Knowledge management also includes putting safeguards in place to keep confidential information from unauthorized users (inside and outside of the company).

The LumApps employee experience platform provides a single access point for all workers which benefits IT departments. The platform offers a modern, secure choice trusted by enterprise businesses. All your company resources and assets are available to your teams with a few clicks.

Internal Communications – Measurement to Mastery

Enhance your internal communication strategy and learn the impact of communication done right.

7. Streamlined HR Functions

All employees in a company must occasionally interact with Human Resources (HR). Both parties can simplify their interactions by using a digital platform in a connected workspace. The digital platform will automate the transactions, making them simpler and more efficient.

Human Resources documents, such as vacation requests, can be automated by automatically routing them to an employee's supervisor for approval before being sent to the HR department. The platform can be used to share notices of upcoming lunch-and-learn sessions, training opportunities, and internal job postings before they are made public.

The company can use a connected HR platform to streamline the onboarding process for new employees. The new employee can log in to find:

Documents they need to complete
The name and contact information for their supervisor
Training materials for the online platform
Next steps to start their work

8. Mobility for a Deskless Workforce

The deskless workforce refers to people who don’t have a designated work area. An estimated 80% of the workforce fits into this category, working in careers in the following industries:

Agriculture
Construction
Education
Healthcare
Hospitality
Manufacturing
Real Estate
Restaurants
Retail
Transportation and Logistics

These deskless workers need another method for staying in touch with their co-workers and managers. A mobile app connects everyone, whether they are working around the corner or halfway around the world.

Employees can chat with their fellow team members and send and receive texts. They can also use the mobile app for sending and receiving voice calls. The mobile app is a connected workplace solution that is effective for all employees.

9. Greater Impact and Context through Visual Content

Visual content makes a big impact in a connected workplace. Visual prompts can be used to enhance communications shared among employees. Examples of these prompts include photos, videos, and GIFs. In some cases, the visual content is the media used to convey the message to employees, and it is very effective.

People are naturally drawn to visual content, which may hold their attention more readily than written words. Videos are a great way to convey messages to all employees. Consider this medium in the following situations:

The company CEO wants to make a significant announcement about a merger or an acquisition to all employees.
The Vice President of Finance wants to discuss quarterly sales results.

In each situation, a video will be much more effective at getting the message across than sending a text or an e-mail to the entire company. The employees can see and hear the executive’s tone and see their body language as the message is conveyed. These are important communication keys that shouldn’t be overlooked when sharing crucial messages with workers.

10. Rich Personalization Improves Employee Experience

A smart employee experience platform will facilitate personalized and relevant information delivery to employees. When the company CEO makes an announcement, everyone should receive it. However, some messages only need to be shared with certain groups, such as the IT or Sales Teams.

If everyone at work receives messages constantly, they will begin to disregard incoming communications. This lack of attention will quickly lead to a situation where someone will miss important information because they didn't realize it was something they needed to deal with. Personalizing messages for different groups and teams has a more significant impact.

Your digital transformation plan should include investing in connected workplace solutions. These solutions will result in higher levels of employee engagement, more efficiency, and more profits for the company. It's a thoroughly modern business approach that your competitors are adopting. To ignore the benefits of a connected workplace is to fall behind, and no one in business wants to let that happen.

Internal Communications – Measurement to Mastery

Enhance your internal communication strategy and learn the impact of communication done right.

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