The Future of Workplace Technology

As we move through 2024, workplace technology continues to rapidly evolve. The flow of each workday has been forever altered by remote access, wireless connections and the ability to seamlessly move from one workspace to another – whether to another desk or another country. Companies are increasingly focused on technologies that enhance employee engagement, well-being, productivity and start-to-end workday flow. Workplace technology helps employees connect and engage with their workplace environment in ever-shifting ways, and engaged employees are productive employees, which is essential for business success. 

Organizations are keen to integrate solutions that help facilitate the employee experience, and customizable apps and other technologies continue to be the catalysts that shape the future of work. From the relative simplicity of remote connection to the complexities of human capital management (HCM) software, there are tech solutions that have evolved to make it easy to hot desk, professionally intermingle and project manage, essentially with anyone or from anywhere in the world. Concepts that were bold, new and unexplored prior to the pandemic shifts of 2020, are now accepted as common if not best practices. 

In this article, we’ll discuss how technology supports workplace experience and the ways in which SPS can help your business integrate technology to make workplace environments more hospitable, collaborative and productive. We will consider (1) the ways in which workplace technology impacts the modern office, (2) how SPS harnesses the benefits of customizable technologies to support each employee’s daily experience and create an environment of hospitality, and finally, (3) the local-global connection that has been made possible by new and emerging tech.

Workplace Technology & Productivity 

A thorough discussion about workplace technology would be amiss without mention of its impact on employees’ productivity. In the days of old, bosses saw technology as a distraction from work while at the physical office. The data does not support that perspective, and workplace technology has done a great deal to improve productivity. 

Digital environments make it easy to get more done from anywhere: effective workplace technology will help automate tedious tasks directly related to work, and can set reminders about personal matters to support a sharper focus on work tasks. With certain repetitive tasks automated, employees will have more time to collaborate on projects, whether digitally or face-to-face. Workplace technology that fosters collaboration will show especially high returns related to productivity, as a study by Stanford University found that collaboration increases productivity by up to 50%. The same study concludes that employees are 64% more willing to stay with a difficult task when they are invited to collaborate.

SPS NEXUS - PUTTING TECHNOLOGY AT THE HEART OF THE EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE

When it comes to improving the workplace experience, surprise and delight initiatives and service design are just a few ways to support employees.  Additionally, the right tools to improve productivity and manage the culture of the organization from anywhere is imperative. In the office of the future, workplace technology is the only way to achieve those objectives in a fluidly virtual/physical work environment, and the future is now. 

In order to help clients create technology enabled workplaces, SPS has its own workplace technology platform: SPS Nexus. SPS Nexus is a platform that integrates workplace services with digital solutions to enhance the employee journey and to make it more efficient, productive and enjoyable. The SPS Nexus platform allows for smoother transitions from home to the office and even when traveling.

This technology allows for a more decentralized workforce, which in turn lets companies seek talent almost anywhere on the planet — and, most importantly, for those talented employees to have a successful workplace experience from anywhere in the world. SPS Nexus is a dynamic platform, an omni-channel tool, and it’s built for the future evolution of workplace technology. 
 

WORKPLACE TECHNOLOGY MAKES THE LOCAL-GLOBAL CONNECTION FOR A TRULY DIVERSE WORKPLACE

Beyond the local workplace and each individual’s experience, the future of workplace technology affords us new ways to connect local workplaces to global communities and markets. Without borders, digital solutions and workplace location neutrality can afford companies the benefit of access to a global market from the convenience of any space. Geographical limitations no longer exist when it comes to project-based collaboration, and the decentralization of the workplace itself has been made possible by the limitless potential of workplace tech, from cutting edge software to the remote connection.

The development of a decentralized workforce is also increasingly supported by “third space” work places, which are neither the central office nor an employee’s home. According to the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), flexible workplaces allow for in-person collaboration without forcing remote work out of the equation. A flexible and hospitable work environment doesn’t have to mean full removal of the physical office: but it might mean you have to bring the office to the talent. Today’s most trendy workplaces even experiment with how the occasional third place vacation spot can elevate your employees’ workplace experience to a new level. 

The tectonic shifts in the way we perceive the possibilities of office life, plus the positive attitudes that the largest global companies have toward decentralization of the workforce offer new opportunities to those who have never had access to it before. Workplace technology is democratizing economic opportunities more effectively than any previous effort to improve access to work globally since the birth of the internet. As the ability for talent from all over the world to discover new access points to opportunities becomes more and more commonplace, the workforce will naturally become more diverse. This diversity of perspectives will lead to innovations that will allow businesses to delight their customers in new ways and achieve better outcomes. If you are not sure where to start with workplace technology initiatives that will best serve your organization’s culture, be sure that HR has a seat at the table when you discuss how to best move forward.