What Organizations Need to Consider when Looking for Modern Workplaces


The workplace, before the introduction of business casual back in the 90s, was a rigid place in which the staff adhered to the cultural norms, such as wearing a shirt and tie, working 9 to 5. Moreover, employees used to spend most of their office time working under the direction of a manager and get a performance review at the end of the year. The modern workplace nowadays is a casual, more fluid space, championing work-life balance, and, depending on the culture of the organization, some employees could even come to work in sweatpants every now and then.

Business owners and employers realized that the rigid, old-style reduced efficiency, and unable to meet the challenges of the new age, such as for instance employees effectively collaborating over long distances. And, long-distance collaboration also means having a centralized solution for all to keep updated and coordinate. Thus, SharePoint developmentOpens in a new tab. is one with the modern workplace.

The contemporary environment has a mixture of workforce, getting more responsive to issues, and less tied down to physical settings. Now, employees could use modern collaborative tools, such as SharePoint to effectively communicate with colleagues in real-time all over the world. To meet both employer and employee requirements, today’s workplace continues to evolve.

Modern Workplace Trends in 2020 and Beyond

1. Collaboration, and More of It

Collaboration, even in the digital age today still is not easy to master. As connectivity grows, so do the platforms that employees, employers, and customers use to communicate on. This could create an issue for teams in the same location, how much more those remotely working and communicating.

Communication via numerous channels could mean details lost and delays, which make for an ineffective collaboration. Fortunately, the SharePoint collaboration platform enables members of the team to coordinate, resolve issues in real-time in one centralized location. Now more than ever, SharePoint development is a worthwhile investment.

Rather than waiting for team members and clients to send feedback via different channels, the solution centralizes communications, reducing time-consuming, inefficient processes. The modern workplace is trending towards more collaboration. Today, a lot of offices are using remote working freelancers, and a simplified communication process streamlines what once was a complex design-feedback-approval process.

2. Pliable Workforce

A study from Intuit revealed that freelancers would comprise 40 percent of the workforce by this year. The biggest reason for the growing trend is because employers are realizing that freelancers could propel efficiency, particularly with the costs saved on healthcare and administrative expenses. The freelance marketplace is helping drive the change towards a gig economy.

There are several freelancer websites that provide opportunities for specialized workers to work in a remote setting for an array of organizations worldwide.

The escalation of the internet furthermore has given rise to a gig economy. The websites offer freelancers with the freedom and flexibility of choosing the work that they want.

In particular, the millennials are trading in the benefits and security of a full-time job for more freelancing jobs, in which they have complete control of their time and schedule. Freelance workers could have a huge range of specializations. By looking for work on the websites, graphic designers, customer service specialists, accountants, writers, and so on could freelance.

Companies could benefit by gaining access to a huge specialized professionals’ talent pool. Freelancers are also not working with small businesses with limited budgets. Some of the big companies in the world have utilized Freelancer websites to acquire projects done on-time and on budget.

To sum up, employers are boosting productivity and getting more dynamic. They go for hiring from a rich pool of talent from remote workers all over the world. With that, there’s a growing need for managers who could manage full-time employees and freelancers working alongside each other skillfully.

3. Rethinking of the traditional performance reviews

Performance reviews, in a traditional manner, occur once a year. You have to work all-year-round, finish projects, coordinate with colleagues, and meet deadlines. At the end of the year, you typically sit down with your manager and receive a score detailing your performance that matches your job description and responsibilities.

This process is not only ineffective but also damaging to morale. Employers are beginning to provide employees with more responsive feedback via reviews every week or every month rather than annually. The modern employee wants open communication, regular feedback, and coordination with peers.

Business owners and employers understand that having more frequent reviews on performance clarify the objectives and help boost employee morale. Thus, the majority of employers now are considering rethinking performance management. Companies that review the performance of their staff on a quarterly basis or even more often, perform at a higher level compared to those that do it on a yearly basis only.

4. Bigger Work-Life Balance emphasis

As organizations rely more heavily on technology these days, more employees find themselves working even after the end of the work day. The need for the staff to be near the constant business cycle and remain connected has put more pressure on them to be connected all the time. When employees are pressured to work outside an office setting, it could take a hit on the morale and productivity.

For millennials, the most important thing when they accept a job nowadays is a good work-life balanceOpens in a new tab.. Compared to their older counterparts, millennials are less loyal to employers, and put much more emphasis on their own personal interests. Organizations looking to employ and keep millennial talent should offer good flexibility and work-life balance.

Employers therefore could offer their staff the ability to choose their own hours or even to provide work from home opportunities. It’s more likely that an employee who feels stressed and overworked would not be productive. Thus, employers now are offering flexible schedules to be able to accommodate family events, doctor appointments, and other personal matters.

Rather than focusing on office hours, organizations today are turning focus towards outcomes and deliverables.

5. AI-Elements in a Blended Workforce

In profound, fundamental ways, technology is changing our lives. This comes as no surprise however since for more than a couple of decades we’ve known this already. Nonetheless, with the escalation of Artificial Intelligence and the big data proliferation as a driver for business decisionsOpens in a new tab., chances are reaching the office and the way we work looks nothing like it did a few years back.

As machines take over the monotonous tasks, employers expect more creative, varied, and complex functions from employees. More companies now opt to apply trends in the workplace with new technologies, which enable them to simplify tasks that are repetitive. Big companies and several startups are rolling out chatbots, or intelligent assistants to handle employee recruitment at the early stage, answering repetitive HR questions, or personalizing learning experiences.

Chatbots deliver unequalled personalized development and learning for employees. They’re critically more important this year and even onwards. Data literacy is another skill set in the modern workplace.

More and more, data is the driving force behind not just commercial decisions, but choices about user experience as well, and all facets of the product and the life of the company. The modern workplace should focus on the development of interpersonal and technological skills to expand the functions of marketing, operations, supply chain, finance, and human resources.

6. Work for Passion and Purpose, not just money

Employees nowadays increasingly want to create a meaningful social impact, and they would do this earlier instead of waiting for retirement. By the year 2028, it’s foreseen that people would seek opportunities to tie their value and impact actively in their work to their purpose, passions, and mission. Seeing other social media posts would inspire people to become more involved and contribute to social equitability and innovation.

Smart organizations would be more attractive not just by money alone, but through offering employees a chance to have a meaningful social impact via work. The human resource department should make a message that echoes and drives engagement through building employee initiatives to come forward with personal experiences, stories, and successes in the different social causes.

How the Modern Workplace Continues to Evolve?

Modern workplaces need challenge and character to become attractive to the best talent around. In particular, in the IT field, the expectations of employees are high. They’re not only looking for a job, they’re also in search for work that would allow them to pour their passion into a common objective and put genuine effort into overcoming issues and challenges.

They’re constantly on the lookout for something greater than the sum of its parts, something that they could create together with other same ambitious persons. As the economy increasingly demands highly-adaptable and skilled workforces, the ability of a company to find employees with these characteristics will only become more critical. By using evidence-based, ultra-careful methods rather than the old-fashioned approach of chatting with prospective employees and reviewing resumes, you would be able to create a workforce prepared for anything.

For employers, adapting to the evolving workforce could be daunting. Nonetheless, it should be considered as part of their going forward strategy. During the early stages, organizations should measure success, train workers, and establish communication tools.

Taking to the next level the flexibility programs to stay on the competitive edge and draw talent is the key to market success, which is rapidly developing and cultivating the next workspace generation.

Conclusion

Regardless of the wide-scale and fast adjustment to the remote working space, companies are beginning to realize the efficiency and productivity gains, which could be achieved in the modern workplace. For businesses and organizations to capitalize on these gains, they should take into consideration how to adopt a more digital, stable model, which future-proofs the company and minimizes exposure risk to external challenges in the market.

Steve Todd

Steve Todd, founder of Open Sourced Workplace and is a recognized thought leader in workplace strategy and the future of work. With a passion for work from anywhere, Steve has successfully implemented transformative strategies that enhance productivity and employee satisfaction. Through Open Sourced Workplace, he fosters collaboration among HR, facilities management, technology, and real estate professionals, providing valuable insights and resources. As a speaker and contributor to various publications, Steve remains dedicated to staying at the forefront of workplace innovation, helping organizations thrive in today's dynamic work environment.

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