4 Tech Trends That Are Positively Changing Workplaces

A range of different factors influences the modern workplace. You have varying ideologies, positive, and negative external influences on the company, and innovative technologies that are continually changing to have a positive impact on workplace activities. Below in this article, we will cover the 4 Tech Trends That Are Positively Changing Workplaces.

Technology, in particular, has had a significant impact on the workplace. Changing technologies has enabled employees to work more productively. However, the level of employee engagement that should naturally come from such innovative processes is still lacking. 

According to a Gallop survey, teams engaged with workplace productivity accounted for 21%. However, amongst the total number of employees, only 51% of individuals felt engaged during work hours.  

To get that desired level of engagement from the employees, it is beneficial for employers to consider the following workplace trends. 

Workplace safety

If a workplace fails to provide employees with security, then as a natural consequence, productivity will decline. 59% of employees who saw misconduct of one form or another in the workplace started looking for better employment options.

This is a clear indication that employee retention is directly proportional to the moral values of a company against misconduct. 

A good example of workplace safety advocacy comes from #NotMe, an HR platform devoted to employees who have witnessed misconduct or harassment within the workplace. This AI-powered mobile application empowers employees to report on instances of misconduct within the workplace. 

The data obtained from the employees is then used by employers to take essential steps towards ensuring workplace safety. 

Founder of NotMe, Ariel Weindling feels that the workplace culture needs a shift. Employees must be empowered to report instances of harassment, bullying, or any discrimination.  Technology, in turn, plays a vital role in empowering employees with such rights. Digital reporting tools provide them with a safe space, enabling them to talk about complex workplace issues without the fear of being reprimanded. 

Easier collaboration 

Technology makes for better cooperation between employees. Digital communication tools used within workplaces have had a positive impact on work culture. With increased communication, we have also seen a rise in employee productivity. 

Previously, communication was left inherently on chance and proximity. Now, it is a process that is not limited to a particular space, or even a geographical location. 

Trello, Slack, Jira, and Google Docs are all fantastic cloud-based tools that have enabled teams to work together efficiently, regardless of their physical location. 

Such techniques for collaboration can boost employee productivity by 30%. While it is true that due to the remote nature of work, it often becomes difficult to communicate. All things considered, such tools definitely help in gaining organizational success and continuity. 

Work-life balance

It is a fact that employees have a hard time balancing their work, life, and personal obligations. The end result is a reluctant sacrifice of one of these obligations from the employee’s end. A mentally draining process, to say the least. 

Workplace flexibility, therefore, is a primary consideration for employers. Allowing workers to set their own work schedules, instead of enforcing the traditional nine-to-five jive on them, helps employees feel at ease. 

The benefits of introducing workplace flexibility are two-fold. On one side, you have the employees who are now free to decide their work hours to balance their work-life obligations. Such freedom allows employees to work more productively, which is beneficial to employers. 

A report published on work flexibility states that 78% of workers feel more productive knowing that they have flexible work hours. This indicates that when employees do not have to worry about life’s problems, they are more productive. 

Such a level of productivity would not have been possible before tools like Slack and Trello, which make it easy for companies to communicate effectively and designate tasks. Facebook’s workplace is another example of a communication platform, which helps employees to hold quick chats and video calls. 

Diversity through technology 

Start-ups are now encouraging employees within their firms to share their ideas and insights within the company, thus breaking the stereotypical boss-employee notion. 

Business owners now realize that in this era of technology, people now have more ideas, and they believe that these ideas should flourish within the ecosystem of their respective firms.

A collection of ideas from individuals of different backgrounds can provide the company with unique designs that they can use to improve their productivity or profitability.  

Having diversity, however, is not enough. If employees are encouraged to share their ideas, employers should make sure that the employees should not feel as though their opinions go unheard. This improves employee cohesion and overall productivity.

According to an article published in the Harvard Business Review, diversity within the workplace is an indication of a prosperous society. 

Technology has had a positive impact on employee diversity. The use of VR technology to show employees and employers where they are biased is one such example. The technology also helps to train employees to gain awareness of such biases, and improve upon them. 

Individuals and employees both feel that they might lose their jobs due to automation, AI, and workplace surveillance. However, technology, in and of itself, is changing workplaces for the benefit of employees, providing them an improved quality of work and life.

Because of this, as an employer, you might see significant differences in the workplaces due to technology. At first, they might seem contrary, but over time, your opinion will change for the better.

Conclusion: 

With the introduction of such technologies, you will definitely see a gradual change in employee processes. Because of an improved work-life balance, you will notice better satisfaction and retention levels from employees.

But is this guide exclusively for startups? Absolutely not, you can be anything from an accounting firm or a company that provides internet marketing services. You will benefit from this guide in an equal way. 

The modern marketplace is not just limited to startups, and it is about time that all types of companies start to follow these trends in order to stay with the times and retain their employees with a comfortable workplace that promotes positivity and growth.