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EDITOR’S QUESTION
JOE MORLEY, MICROSOFT 365
SPECIALIST AT SOFTWAREONE
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W
hether it’s office politics, or a
debate about the communal
thermostat – disagreements are
part and parcel of office life. However, we
rarely consider how technological tools and
the way we like to use them may impact
office atmosphere.
Consider the generational divide. Research
has found that millennials now make up
35% of the UK workforce and will make up
50% of the global workforce by 2020. This
significant chunk of today’s employees like
to use office technology very differently
from their older colleagues. A recent study
from Microsoft also found that millennials
prefer ‘persistent chat’ channels and virtual
online meetings without video, while older
generations and Gen-Xers show a clear
preference for email.
While differing technological preferences
may seem minor, there are numerous ways
they can cause tension in the workplace.
These differences could even result in
important tasks being delayed or missed due
to miscommunication. However, instead of
allowing these differences to cause stress, IT
leaders should be working towards aligning
the entire organisation.
www.intelligentcio.com
This can be achieved through online
educational courses that guide more reticent
users through the adoption process of more
‘modern’ technologies with resources like
“
THE RISE
OF REMOTE
AND MORE
COLLABORATIVE
WORKING MEANS
THERE NEEDS
TO BE AN EQUAL
SHIFT TO EMBRACE
TOOLS THAT WILL
ENABLE TEAMS
TO COMMUNICATE
EFFECTIVELY.
learning portals and webinars. When we
consider that employees now work on twice
as many teams as they did five years ago,
it’s also clear that a shift to applications that
enable improved collaboration is critical;
harnessing technology that is built upon
‘teamwork, dreamwork’ principles will be
crucial in supporting this.
Inspiring employees is also vital here, as
workers are unlikely to change methods
and practices built up over a number of
years unless they understand how new tech
features will benefit them. Identifying those
within an organisation which will champion
the change and inspire fellow employees to
embrace the new tools is a critical factor.
Changing the workplace status quo is no
easy feat, especially when it comes to
technology. However, the rise of remote
and more collaborative working means
there needs to be an equal shift to
embrace tools that will enable teams to
communicate effectively, wherever they
are. By aligning the entire workforce with
the same office technology, businesses can
boost productivity and efficiency, improve
collaboration and lay down the foundations
for a more harmonious work environment.
INTELLIGENTCIO
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