Meeting the demands of the future workplace
Gys Kappers, CEO of Wyzetalk, believes that the biggest challenges in the coming years will need clear strategies on these three key areas: employee engagement, data and mobility.
"We talk a lot about big data and the opportunity to know your customer, but we're still far off making it really work for us. Some of the challenges arise from the heavy duty software systems at play from big vendors. They have the data but not the workflow and flexibility to make the system or data easy to work with," says Kappers.
"Many are now considering the open ecosystem and allowing third-party developers to create overlay apps and micro-systems to plug into their systems. This 'integration' creates systems that are easy to use, inherently mobile and focused in their user application."
Mobile is ideal
"The always-on workforce needs to be able to access and input data in these systems, and most would prefer using a mobile apps or some kind of mobile menu to do this. Mobile is ideal to optimise workflow and employee services, resulting in things like self-drive payslips, leave applications, order processing," says Kappers.
"We're going to see a lot more happen in this space; think of mobile intranets that connect companies with employees in a dynamic way to increase productivity not to mention create an immediate channel for direct feedback, both ways."
Increasingly there is also the need for more functional and relevant business apps that incorporate a social layer. "To enable collaboration, ideation, and knowledge sharing amongst users. More groups of people are taking to apps that provide functionality relevant to their style, content, and context of work. Company policies will need to accommodate these in their technology and security stacks.
"Despite the potential, the biggest challenge facing any organisation is to align its technology approach and content services to meet the needs of both the company and the end user. Companies should look beyond broadcast mode when defining their comms strategies. Blending this in order for all stakeholders to enjoy a mutually respectful and engaged environment is fundamentally shifting how a business needs to plan and develop its systems," adds Kappers.
Think differently
Despite the opportunities, Kappers says many companies are approaching technology and the changing workplace dynamics with an old mindset. "More than ever the need for good change management capabilities is certain. Organisational disruption needn't be a chaotic it should be carefully considered and implemented with expert support."
With this, comes the rise of the individual in the workplace. Companies should ask how they get more from their employees by understanding their individual needs and engaging with them.
"Often companies will say that their employees are important to them, but they behave in a way contrary to that. One of the problems is that the role of human resources continues to be seen as transactional and not strategic. Too often, companies see people as a way to meet the bottom line. The thinking needs to change and decision-makers should view employees as assets to the business. You treat assets very differently," says Kappers.
Importance of learning
For Henry Chandler, vice-president and COO of the African Society for Talent Development, this talent-driven business environment means the importance of learning and development has become greater than ever.
"South African firms have to focus on talent engagement, high performance, and efficiency, while building capacity for local, regional, and global growth. Despite the fact that South African firms are facing tough times at home, they are increasingly taking advantage of opportunities in sub-Saharan Africa."
Success in this market requires leaders with the skills to build a high performance culture, pointing to how investing in the holistic advancement of talent should be a business imperative.
"Such a focus must aim to build a sustainable and adaptive organisation of talented, diverse, competent, and inspired people. Many executives are becoming directly involved in global leadership development programmes related to increased employee engagement and overall business performance," says Chandler.
As a result, organisations require managers who can work in complex, multi-cultural situations. This means that leaders should be able to manage the balance between delivering for today and investing for tomorrow.
Leadership development
"High value should be placed on leadership development offering programmes aimed at developing the skills and knowledge of managers and leaders at different stages of their careers. Engaged, skilled and inspired people are at the centre of delivering on the growth aspirations of organisations," says Chandler.
"The internet has revolutionised the way people learn about companies and apply for jobs. Company career sites remain the top channel for promoting the brand. But talent acquisition and recruiting are undergoing rapid changes, challenging companies to leverage social networks and other collaboration tools. Social media provides not only information about a candidate's experience and skills, but a better glimpse into their lifestyle, values, and their cultural fit," he adds.
As the economy continues to grow, employee skills are becoming more specialised, making engagement and culture, leadership and development top priorities for talent management stakeholders. The culture of the organisation should support high performance and talent engagement.
"Employers who fail to engage with workers and provide solutions to the increasing demands being placed on workforces today will struggle to stay abreast of the competition tomorrow," concludes Chandler.
