The swift pace of technological advancement has prompted huge changes in the way we communicate in our working lives. Phones are no longer devices solely for speaking to other people; in fact, they’re more likely to be used for email, texting or online messaging through apps like Whatsapp. There’s a whole generation of adults joining the workforce that don’t really recall life before the internet, and they are often more comfortable with online interactions instead of talking to someone, either in person or over the phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This evolution\nhas also changed modern business operations. With colleagues working remotely\nand offices scattered around the world, technology is essential for efficient\ncommunication. While email serves a purpose, more organisations are looking\ntowards secure collaboration tools for business that offer improvements to\nproductivity and also suit a younger generation’s natural approach to\ninteraction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the\n21st-century workplace is often disparate, a business needs a central, organised\nlocation to store all documentation and communications. You might have\ndevelopers in San Francisco and marketing in Chicago working for a customer in\nLondon, but that doesn’t matter if your processes, schedules and designs are\nall accessible from one place. That’s where collaboration tools for business\ncome in. These tools are designed to align teams and move away from attempts to\ncoordinate requirements from multiple sources and spending valuable time\nsearching for files to share. This frees up your working hours for the tasks\nyou need to accomplish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A unified\nplatform for document storage, file sharing, task distribution and real-time\ndiscussion streamlines your project workflow and instantly improves\ncommunications. You can have an online conversation that includes the exchange\nof files and images, and the whole thing is archived for future reference.\nTools such as Slack and Yammer can also integrate with existing apps and\nservices in your organisation to minimise disruption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And you can\nstill have meetings, even if you’re not in the same room. Cloud-hosted video\nconferencing and real-time document sharing can facilitate group meetings to\ndiscuss and develop projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As we\nmentioned above, you need secure collaboration tools for business – with the\nemphasis on “secure”. A generation of employees who default to social\nmedia as their primary form of communication will approach work collaboration\nin the same way – and if the business tools aren’t there, they may well use\ntheir own. A colleague-based WhatsApp group is not an ideal solution if it has\nno employer monitoring and is potentially used to share confidential\ninformation. Ensure that any collaboration tool you choose has encryption\noptions that suit your needs and top-level protection against security threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You also\nneed to introduce such tools carefully. Older employees might find it difficult\nto adapt to a new way of working, while younger workers must learn that sharing\neverything on personal social media doesn’t correlate with how you manage\nintellectual property in the workplace. Furthermore, emphasise to employees\nthat collaborative tools don’t mean they have to be available around the clock.\nImproved productivity is great; burnout is not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Digital\ninnovations are changing business practices all the time. Get the right\ncollaboration tools and the right balance for your virtual teams and you’ll\ncreate a flexible approach that benefits both your employees and your company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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