Impact of technology on the workplace

I wrote the article below a few weeks ago about how the workplace is changing with the impact of technology. CSC has today published the results of its own internal survey (over 6,500 CSC employees responded so a good sample size) as to the "Future of Collaboration within CSC". The survey looked to get feedback on how powerful the internal social media site (called C3) has become in facilitating employees with their daily work. The summary highlights are as follows:

1. 60% of those responding use C3 daily to do their job and an additional 25% access C3 at least weekly.

2. C3 is used principally across all demographics to:

obtain information and answers

locate tools and applications

collaborate in business-based groups and communities

search for CSC strategy updates, global messages, and regional news.

3. The overall user satisfaction with C3 is quite positive, with an average score of 7.7 out of 10.

4. 63% of respondents are likely to recommend C3 to others and about 30% are extremely likely to do so.

5. The C3 contribution rate is currently three times the industry norm with those taking advantage of C3 training and members of key communities having the highest contribution rates.

How is the workplace changing with the impact of technology?

The impact of technology is having significant impacts on resourcing in the workplace. The use of social media and professional networks such as Linkedin are now being used to attract previously difficult to reach talent and often Linkedin is the single biggest direct hiring channel compared to agency recruiters, say, 5 years ago. Social media is also being used to engage early with potential employees and develop the employer brand and then keeping employees in touch once they have left with alumni who may rejoin the company again or recommend friends.

As an example of mobile technology being used for recruitment, Intercontinental Hotels Group use the tweetmyjobs app and a mobile location app which allows potential employees to receive information about jobs available as they are passing a hotel. This Group are also developing gaming technology to give potential recruits a sense of their culture and brands and delivering via social media channels such as facebook.

As a new generation of employees have grown up with computer games and virtual worlds, the coporate world is beginning to explore the possibilities of gaming and simulation technology for training and assessment.

How do companies meet the challenge of finding ways to foster employee engagement when the workforce is becoming more disconnected from a physical environment?

One of the most significant workplace trends is the rise in flexible working, covering working hours, locations, hot-desks, flexible shift structures and job shares. The availability of technology facilitates remote working and organisations now generally acknowledge that employees do not need to be physically present to be effective.

There are many cases of flexible working perhaps the most interesting are Unilever's agile working programme, which has the objective of cutting office space and making 30% of roles "location free" by 2015. The following principles underpin their programme:

• All employees may work anytime and anywhere as long as business needs are met
• Leaders must lead by example, working in an agile way themselves
• Performance is driven by results and not time and attendance
• Travel has to be avoided wherever possible
• Managers are assessed and rewarded annually on how well they support agile working.

Plus BT's Work Smart strategy which has introduced 'homeshoring' where call center jobs are staffed by employees working from their own homes. This reduces the need for physical premises and avoids moving jobs to lower cost countries such as India. It has been established that BT's home workers are up to 30% more productive as they can respond to fluctuations in call volumes.

A study from McKinsey in July 2012 shows the following social media numbers:

• There are now more than 1.5 billion social networking users globally
• 80% of online users interact regularly with social networks
• 70% of companies use social technology
• 90% of companies that use social technology report some business benefit

With a workforce becoming more disconnected physically it is important that employers engage more actively via new technologies: actively soliciting views to allow people to have a voice, and ensuring leaders are communicating regularly (using videos or blogs), in order to maintain employee buy-in to the strategy and achievements of the company.
.