Common business problems

Building a shared culture. Millennial workers. Information fatigue. Just three of the challenges organizations face as they navigate their way toward the future of work. We explore some of the common business problems and explore some potential solutions.

We like to talk to our customers about the challenges they face. And it’s interesting to learn that organizations of all sizes and in all industries share similar issues.

Here are 5 business problems and how you could start to overcome them.

1. Building a shared culture

   Building a shared culture

   

   Deloitte tell us that 69% of C-level executives believe workplace culture is a critical factor in realizing their company goals. But recognizing the need for a strong culture and actually building it are two very different things.

   Organizations need to identify ways to hold company-wide conversations that include everyone. They need new methods to take the pulse of the organization, and they need tools that enable two-way business communication of shared values and identities.

   Also top of the list is the need to enable better productivity and closer collaboration, and enhance culture by driving employee engagement and reducing the distance between people.

   Only by doing this can organizations build a shared culture.

2. Connecting dispersed teams

   Connecting dispersed teams

   

   Joining everyone together is a challenge that resonates with many organizations we talk to. People who work in different locations or countries.

   Employees who work for separate groups or entities within a business. Even those people who don’t have access to a professional email address. What tools can you use to make sure that everyone is part of the conversation wherever they work?

   The answer to this lies in finding new digital platforms that are mobile-first. Mobile allows you to connect everyone across your organization, and give a voice to people who have been beyond the reach of traditional IT.

3. Providing tools that meet millennials’ expectations

   Providing tools that meet millennials’ expectations

   

   According to PwC, over half of the workforce will be millennials by 2020. That’s 50% of your company with a different relationship with technology and new expectations about using digital tools in the workplace.

   A new generation tied to their phones, not their desks who see instant access and transparency as a right. So the digital tools of the future will need to be easy to use on the go and be open by default.

   The organizations that adopt alternatives to traditional communication tools like email will be more successful meeting the needs and expectations of the new workforce.

4. Empowering people with modern technology

   Empowering people with modern technology

   

   New technologies have the power to connect people with their work anywhere and anytime. And this can blur the lines between professional and personal lives.

   So how do you ensure that employees aren’t plugged in 24/7 to the detriment of a work-life balance? To overcome this problem, organizations need ways to empower people to decide their own rhythm of work. They also need to demonstrate the benefits this new flexibility brings to employees.

   Smart platforms like Workplace can help by fundamentally changing the way people work. Allowing them to make quicker decisions, manage and share workloads, and collaborate more effectively.

5. Isolated thinking, not collaborative thinking

   Isolated thinking, not collaborative thinking

   

   There are some pretty serious problems with email. It’s closed communication, not open. Unless people are on your distribution list, they won’t know you’re trying to talk to them.

   And even if you can include everyone, the group email and the distribution list discourage conversation and collaboration. This can leave workers feeling trapped in isolated silos and leads to inefficiencies

   Organizations need to look for new ways to break free from the email chain and communicate more effectively. It’s why they’re using platforms like Workplace to encourage better innovation and collaboration.