How HR execs can use technology to connect a divided workforce
| Date | 12 February 2018 |
| Pages | 23-28 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/SHR-11-2017-0081 |
| Published date | 12 February 2018 |
| Author | Mike Hicks |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Employee behaviour |
How HR execs can use technology to
connect a divided workforce
Mike Hicks
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to offer HR leaders ideas and solutions for connecting their
increasingly divided workforces through technology and automation.
Design/methodology/approach –The paper examines major changes occurring in the workplace and
how a digital workplace can solve those challenges, divided i nto several points.
Findings –The dynamics of work are changing, but the way we connect our workers has not kept pa ce. As a
result, various factors of the changing workplace, from widening generational employee gaps to lower
retention rates, present serious challenges to employee productivity and eng agement. The digital workplace is
the antidote. It improves productivity by unifying employees’ favorite tools in a single, u ser-friendly space.
Digital workplace platforms have emerged as a mission-critical toolto band people, technologies, processes
and information together. And when everyone’s in it together, everyone.
Originality/value –HR leaders are flooded with technology solutions. This paper offers insight into the
benefits of a digital workplace so they can make an informed decision.
Keywords Human resource management, Culture, Digital transformation, Digital workplace, Intranet
Paper type Viewpoint
With the rise of automation, company leaders and employees are bracing for a dramatic
reshuffling of the workplace. According to some estimates, 45 per cent[1]ofwork-
related activities can be automated using technology that is available right now –
resulting in the loss of 7 per cent[2] of today’s jobs by 2025. It is not all doom and gloom, but it
does require a shift in thinking and a redeployment of technology and resources to capitalize on
the opportunities created by this new level of automation.
Knowledge workers will be able to handle more tasks and cover more ground once the time-
consuming aspects of their job are automated, including the 4.1 h a day[3] white collar workers
spend managing email. That’s more than 47,000 h over an entire career that can soon be
automated and applied to more worthy tasks.
In addition to automating the busy work, technology is also altering the way employees handle
the important stuff, from the applications they use (company approved or not) to the locations
they work from.
To respond to these changes, progressive employers are adapting their workplaces for a more
mobile, social and culturally diverse workforce. HR professionals can use digital workplace
transformation to bring employees together and bridge gaps between generations, remote
workers and various cultures. But first, we need to talk about why that is needed and how it is
done.
What’s happening to the traditional workplace?
Technology and a shift in workers’ attitudes are chipping away the cornerstones of the traditional
workplace. Specifically, there are four unique trends driving changes to work at a rapid pace.
Mike Hicks is VP, Marketing
and Strategy at Igloo
Software, Kitchener,
Canada.
DOI 10.1108/SHR-11-2017-0081 VOL. 17 NO. 1 2018, pp. 23-28, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1475-4398 jSTRATEGIC HR REVIEW jPAGE 23
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