As technology advances, the digitalisation of the workplace is inevitable. We incorporate the latest technology into our everyday lives, and employees increasingly expect more and more from their workplaces. But with this comes the blurring lines of where the workplace ends and the home begins, something that concerns business leaders and employees alike across Europe.
In a Ricoh-sponsored study, conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit, almost half of business experts said that the increasing number of work processes becoming digitised would means that everywhere, from homes to parks, could have the potential to be a “work” space. And this movement comes with a host of pros and cons that need to be considered before employers take the plunge into the ‘work from anywhere’ trend.
The end of the office?
In recent years, bold expectations from flexi-working, the end of the office, and the move towards “telecommuting” have been thrown around. And while flexible work environments are on the rise, the fact is the majority of businesses still revolve around a relatively rigid, office-based, work environment.
In the G8 group of industrialised nations, European countries have some of the lowest productivity per capita. It’s clear that businesses need to take action in order to improve productivity, collaboration and innovation across the continent. And many believe the answer is digitalisation of the workplace.