Digital Collaboration Benefits For Employees
Corporate working environments have been changed irrevocably by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the most significant change being remote working. A study by Owl Labs stated that 90% of the 2050 full-time remote workers they surveyed said they were as productive or more productive while working remotely. Unsurprisingly, 84% said working remotely after the pandemic would make them happier, with many willing to take a pay cut to do so. With a vast increase in businesses turning to remote or hybrid working, many have changed their systems to accommodate the new working environment and encourage digital collaboration.
What Is Digital Collaboration?
Digital collaboration in business environments allows teams or individuals to communicate, work on projects, share documents and files, and even utilize HR [1]. These components will ensure employee engagement and strengthen company culture by offering more value to those using them.
Collaboration only works when teams organically work together to share expertise and solve problems when they arise. With more digital technologies available, whole businesses can now work together entirely online and thrive in remote working circumstances. Knowledge transfer and sharing new learnings is an integral part of digital collaboration and one that employers should encourage. In fact, 87% of millennials believe that Learning and Development in the workplace is important, so implementing a system where employees can do so is critical for employee retention [2].
Why Is Learning An Essential Part Of Company Culture?
An often understated component of company culture is giving employees the time and resources to learn, whether to improve their work in their current role or learn something new that’ll help the business grow. According to Indeed, one of the top reasons employees leave jobs is that they no longer feel challenged in their role [3].
Some HR professionals suggest that a learning plan should be included in the employee onboarding process to encourage management and direction from existing employees. Many businesses fail by not giving their new hires access to many learning resources and the time to use them. Promoting an environment of learning can benefit the business by driving innovation and improving productivity, but it can also increase job satisfaction and empower employees through personal development.
Which Digital Collaboration Software Can Help?
As one of the biggest companies in the world, Microsoft is the first choice for many businesses looking to go remote. The Microsoft 365 package comes with collaborative document editing, file sharing, and communication tools through Teams. Microsoft 365 recently added a new employee experience platform to bring together communication, knowledge, learning, resources, and insights, which can be experienced using Microsoft Teams. The new platform, Microsoft Viva, comes with four components, the first of which is Microsoft Viva Learning, where employees can go to learn.
Microsoft Viva Learning gives users access to an entire learning ecosystem with their learning content partners, including LinkedIn Learning, Coursera, Udemy Business, Harvard Business Publishing, Infosec, Skillsoft, etc. It also gives users the ability to search, share and chat about learning content with learning tabs within Teams channels and organization-generated learning content through SharePoint. Employees can also recommend relevant learning content to their colleagues and track their progress. Microsoft Viva Learning will also connect to an employee’s calendar with the option of weekly suggestions via a briefing email to book learning time so that personal growth and development are prioritized.
While Microsoft 365 can offer businesses an entire digital collaboration package, some may want to stick with their current systems and only invest in learning platforms. These learning platforms include Learning Management Systems (LMSs): training platforms that allow employers to create their own courses, host live sessions, and develop tests and quizzes. Organizations can personalize the LMS to match branding and localize user language for those with employees in different countries. The LMS might also be able to integrate with other external systems, like Salesforce, Zoom, Slack, and MailChimp. Ultimately, the technology chosen for digital collaboration must encapsulate everything a business needs.
Digital collaboration allows businesses to be productive while working remotely by encouraging clear communication, efficient project management, and consistent upskilling and learning. With more and more companies embracing this way of working, new technologies are regularly being introduced to make what was previously a disjointed, limited way of running a business a thing of the past.
References:
[1] What Is Collaborative Working? A Quick Guide
[2] The Importance of Employee Learning and Development
[3] Why Do People Leave Jobs?
