With a significant shift in customer expectations and growing demand for convenience and digital service efficiency, organizations need to strategically manage higher employee workloads. Automation is key to delivering not only an enhanced customer experience but also greater levels of employee satisfaction in the hybrid workplace.
Smart businesses are leveraging the latest digital technology and AI solutions to automate the world of work. These advances are particularly relevant to the hybrid workplace model. Here automation is driving an improved employee experience in all aspects of the workplace.
A 2021 survey revealed that 89% of employees experienced increased job satisfaction after the implementation of automation tools. 76% also cited reduced work-related stress. And while these automation solutions assist HR in employee management, which contributes to an improved workplace experience, 91% of employees have also reported enhanced work-life balance as a result.
One of the main reasons employees report a notably better experience in their daily routine is that they are no longer burdened by ever-increasing and repetitive manual tasks. Automated workspaces allow for rapid company growth. This saves time, improves accuracy, and allows employees to focus their attention on more important projects.
With a significant shift in customer expectations and growing demand for convenience and digital service efficiency, organizations need to strategically manage higher employee workloads. Automation is thus key to delivering not only an enhanced customer experience but also greater levels of employee satisfaction in the hybrid workplace.
A Hybrid Workplace Win: Automation Builds Communication Between Employees and Managers
In the hybrid workplace, employees divide their time between working from home and working in the office. As not all employees will be in the same space at the same time, there’s a greater potential for miscommunication between management and staff. The enhanced collaboration and communication that automation brings are crucial to bridging that communication gap.
Well-defined channels of communication between managers and all team members, whether remote or in-office, provide a clear advantage. Automated workspace technology that’s collaborative and available to all employees and at all levels can be a hugely empowering and motivating factor. Timely and transparent management feedback also plays a pivotal role.
It’s important to dispel a few myths. While the concept of automated communication may appear impersonal to some people, communication and automation are in fact able to complement one another very effectively. Automating training and onboarding surveys, new hire check-ins, and open enrollment deadlines can save HR time while increasing employee engagement. Messaging systems allow you to schedule reminders in advance. This means HR can focus on assisting employees rather than using all their time tracking and sending reminders.
Automated birthday wishes and newsletters allow departments to boost internal employee communications and strengthen a sense of family among employees. When these tasks are simplified through automation they are less likely to be neglected or pushed aside for seemingly more important tasks.
Unified communication is essential when notifying staff about updates or changes to policy, mandatory training, or emergency procedures. Here, trigger-based push notifications ensure timely communication and eliminate confusion.
Automating communication saves businesses time and money while providing consistent interaction and easily accessible information—all of which are crucial to streamlining the hybrid workplace.
Automate How You Manage Your Hybrid Workplace and Employees
Smaller office buildings with more flexible space configurations and better technology and connectivity solutions are all part of the hybrid workplace of the future. This isn’t only about using physical space more efficiently, it calls for smarter scheduling and employee synchronization too.
Flexible space optimization can be achieved by access to transparent views of workspace utilization through check-in systems, desk sensors, and heat mapping. Valuable statistics also show peak utilization by room, peak times, and the ratio of people to desks or seats. This improves facilities management by providing insight into how space is assigned and cutting down on unproductive areas.
Tools such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and AI help to reduce resource wastage as well as expenses. Examples include sensors to monitor lighting, air-conditioning systems, and movement, powering down these utilities when not needed. With tailored software, it’s also possible to configure systems for various scenarios.
Not only does automation provide insights for maximizing space and minimizing cost, but it also makes for a better employee experience. Teams have more flexibility regarding when they come to work, and can easily book meeting rooms and amenities, and even sync bookings with Outlook and GSuite integrations. This essentially streamlines collaboration and maximizes productivity.
Boost Productivity and Efficiency Through Automated Workspaces
An automated hybrid workplace eliminates the need for repetitive office management tasks, allowing faster, more efficient, and accurate execution of tasks while offering real-time, data-driven insights.
This is borne out by a recent survey, in which 79% of employees felt that automation tools had contributed to increased productivity, and 47% said they had fewer menial duties to complete as a result. In addition, 88% considered automation solutions trustworthy in executing accurate, error-free processes.
Data entry, social media scheduling, proofreading, meeting setups, ticket assignments, email management, operations, and project tracking, as well as service desk functions—are just a few key areas where automation has become a gamechanger for businesses in their quest to increase productivity, reduce costs, and positively impact employee experience.
Embrace Automation, Drive Growth
Automation is not simply an advantage but an essential part of the modern hybrid workplace. At the onset of the pandemic, many business departments—such as billing, collections, accounts receivable, and payroll—were tasked with performing remote functions, despite their roles not having been designed for remote work. Companies with automation tools in place were able to maintain business continuity without too much disruption. However, for other businesses there had to be a shift in the way things were done.
Automation not only allows business continuity in uncertain times but offers employees the option of remote work under ordinary circumstances, contributing to a much sought-after work-life balance. In addition, automation increases the visibility of work processes, facilitating the sharing of information while streamlining inputs and approvals.
Companies that do not draw on the benefits of automation in the hybrid workplace to improve efficiency, productivity, and employee experience will quickly fall behind; not only in their growth and service capabilities but also in attracting and retaining top talent.
Smarten Spaces provides the ultimate hybrid workplace automation tools to optimize space and minimize real estate expenses while enhancing employee collaboration, flexibility, productivity, and quality of work output.
Smart technology solutions will future-proof your workforce, and Smarten Spaces helps companies leverage these advantages to stay one step ahead of their competitors. Book a demo with Smarten Spaces today to find out how automation can empower your employees and create a thriving and successful business workplace.