The very nature of collaboration in the workplace is shifting, and whilst it’s always been necessary to communicate and collaborate with colleagues, clients, suppliers and other business stakeholders, the methods of doing so are evolving for many of the 11.1 million workers. Following the infiltration of technology into the home, it’s no surprise that two thirds (69%) of employees have increased their use of collaborative technology in the workplace. Whilst employees are increasing in their usage, business leaders are following suit, adopting and implementing such solutions on an even greater scale, with 73% of workplaces having increasingly encouraged the use of collaborative technology in the past five years.
This surge in communication via technology has had a dramatic effect on in-person contact amongst employees, with face-to-face conversations reducing by a quarter (24%), saving time and money on non- essential travel.
Similarly, in the past five years, three quarters (76%) of businesses have become more open to offering their employees flexible working conditions and 60% are open to offering remote or mobile working. However the percentage of employees taking up this offering indicates there is a disconnect between what businesses are saying and what employees are doing, with only 61% of employees having adopted flexibility in their work during that same period and, most notably, just 43% of employees working remotely.
Similarly, business leaders also hold a very different view to their workers when it comes to the perceived flexibility and technological merits of their organisations. Business leaders are more likely than their staff to view their organisation as flexible (64% business leaders compared with workers 49%) and technologically proactive (56% business leaders compared with workers 40%).
This is further evidenced by the 28% of employees who admit the business they work for is slow to adopt technological advances, and 25% who go so far as to say their workplace has inflexible work practices or discourages agile working.
In essence, whilst the workplace and workforce is being redefined, there remains the opportunity for further action to reassure employees that they can carry out their job to the same standard from any location through collaborative technology.
Whilst the benefits resulting from the right collaborative technologies in an organisation are the focus of this report, it’s important to acknowledge the barriers which arise when it’s not done well. This white paper provides guidance in finding the appropriate tools and policies in what often seems a space inundated with options, information and colloquial language or jargon.
