Change leaders are seldom found solely in the C-suite, however top-level involvement is essential to organizational change. Companies should not underestimate IT & HR’s role in facilitating transformations that benefit both employees and the bottom line.

The Accelerating Pace of Change

In a world where digital transformations are happening at an unprecedented level, businesses find themselves overhauling established structural processes on a regular basis. One of the biggest challenges they face is making these changes while balancing the needs of employees with organizational goals. IT working with HR can help your company design positive outcomes while delivering the secure environment your organization must have.

The digital tools people use at home have outpaced those they’re given at work. While traditional enterprise technologies are sophisticated and capable of delivering great insights, they add layers of complexity and disruptions that interfere with employees bringing their best value to the workplace. Not only does this often lead to employee burnout, frustration, and disengagement, it keeps your organization from meeting its goals.

It is estimated that employees spend less than 50% of their workday doing the tasks they want and are paid to do. Is it any surprise employees say they’re not engaged in the workplace?

A Happy Workforce

Any type of change in the workplace can frustrate workers who are comfortable with their daily routine. Few like change. For organizations to survive, changes becomes inevitable and routines must be upended. The good news is people are willing to accept change when they believe it’s in their best interests to do so. This is where IT & HR working together can be invaluable. If you can create a positive employee experience (EX) when initiating disruptive change, you’ll meet the least amount of resistance.

IT, with HR assistance in communication, can play a huge role in change management projects, especially in areas like security which, when too restrictive, can get in the way of a positive EX. Communication in the following areas is critical:

• Liaising with workers before changes are implemented.
• Making sure your company isn’t automating processes that no longer fit.
• Talking with everyone from front line workers to managers and executives.

Along with transparency and frequent communication making workers feel “heard” keeps them invested in the process while fulfilling your organization’s vision.

Another frustration in the  current workforce is that employees can spend up to one-fifth of their workday just searching for the information they need to do their job. And much of that time is spent switching from app to app looking for answers. A good digital workspace helps by giving them a single sign-on process that makes access to apps, content, and business services far faster and easier without compromising security. Having solutions that allow you to monitor how the workspace is being used and make adjustments on the fly that reflect individual work styles is invaluable.

Using innovative technologies like machine learning and microapps, can improve your employees’ daily experience is another way by allowing them to do more innovative and meaningful work. Using automation to remove complexity from performing tasks and creating a more personalized experience allows you to enhance your employees’ potential and give them the tools they need to be their most productive.

The Integrated Digital Workspace

With future personnel shortages on the horizon, organizations are under overwhelming pressure to deliver the exceptional work experience employees demand to retain and recruit talent.  Tools and technologies to do this are often at odds with what your company needs to stay safe. IT departments need powerful technologies that help them stay ahead of security threats., but they also need to make it easy for workers to quickly get their work done and bring value to the business. This is where HR flexibility requirements and IT security needs must collaborate for the organization.

Your organization must find a balance between IT security needs and EX digital workspace strategy that empowers employees to be successful. An integrated digital workspace delivers a smarter, more flexible way for employees to work to meet the demands of HR while giving IT the flexibility, control, and security a changing technology environment requires.

Well-executed digital workspace solutions give you and your workers self-service, innovative experiences that scale across platforms, locations, and devices with today’s cloud-based technology options. From improving application access and usage to app modernization projects and proactive threat management, IT gets the necessary tools to keep your organization safe while HR meets the demands of  employees to get the personalized experience, apps, and data they need to work across any device.

It’s a win-win situation that translates to better productivity, a happier workforce, a secure workplace environment, better talent recruitment and retention.