You have probably heard the phrase “Smarter Working” thrown around a lot, but what does it really mean? If you looked for a dictionary definition you would find something along the lines of “an open work space environment paired with all-in-one communications,” but it is so much more than that. Smarter Working is a lifestyle change of a company. It’s unifying not only your communications, but your employees; providing them with a chance not only to express their ideas, but to feel like they are making a difference each day. In an organization that may have thousands of employees, that’s no easy feat.
Now don’t be scared. This may sound like a lot of work, but it really isn’t. In fact, it’s almost more stressful to not work in this kind of environment. It is much more natural, and we have been doing it all of our lives. Think back to grade school. Did you still sit in your alphabetically assigned seat when you had a group project? Of course not! You pushed those desks together and worked as a team, openly discussing how you would achieve your goals. This is how group projects are worked on in smarter working environments, as teams with common goals and a common location, and it works.
Anyone who has worked in a cubicle knows how restrictive it can be. Sharing ideas in an open environment helps the flow of ideas and allows information to pass much more quickly. But no matter how open the environment is, you will always be limited by one thing – presence. If you aren’t there, no one can come and talk to you, whether “there” is a cube, an office with a window, or a desk in the middle of an empty room. Here is where unified communications comes in.
Linking your laptop, smartphone, tablet, Skype, Lync, and any other device or softphone together will ensure that you are never missed when you are needed. Technology has progressed to a point that being forced to sit at the same desk every day isn’t needed. Our technology is as mobile as we are now, and Smarter Working takes advantage of that. Many companies are only requiring people to come to the office 2-3 times a week, or are even hiring people who can work remotely that don’t live in the area. This allows for whole new pools of candidates that were once unavailable to them. This also allows for increased productivity as they can work whenever they get a great idea, not just when they get one at work.
Smarter working is about changing how your employees view the office. They should want to come to work because it’s nice place to be. The days of dark, dismal, cubical-ridden offices are coming to an end. Being surrounded by 8ft high cube walls is depressing and does its part in stifling innovation. Call it a good aura, call it positive energy, but having an open environment is just more inviting, and lifts the spirits of those in it. Take all these things, the open environment, the unified communications, the project teams, put them together, and you will start to see why they call it Smarter Working.
Be sure to check out Plantronics Video Series about Smarter Working at this Link