Navigating the digital workplace: A shift to the new normal

Xavier Mongin

May 02, 2022

After two years of global disruption, it’s safe to say government organisations are successfully making their way toward the new digital workplace.

Government organisations have been on the path to digital transformation for some time now. However, it’s taken an event of global proportions to help propel it forward. According a 2021 EIB Investment Survey 55% of the companies surveyed say the pandemic prompted a greater need for digitalisation.

Organisations with a transformation strategy underway prior to the pandemic were clearly ahead of the game. While the original plan may have been to gradually roll out new digital technologies that would improve efficiency, increase productivity, enable better resource management and enhance the delivery of services to citizens, the pandemic changed all that as speed became of the essence.

A catalyst for change

As the world slowed to a standstill, behind the scenes government organisations shifted gears to ensure employees and citizens’ needs were met. Almost overnight, governments were forced into a new reality as employees retreated from their physical workplaces to working remotely. Shutdowns changed the world from an in-person experience to a virtual experience for government workers and citizens.

Fortunately, digital tools made the shift possible. So, while the pandemic continued to pummel society, in many cases governments organisations were able to adapt operations and deliver services online.

Shifting expectations drive the new normal

The move to virtual work and service delivery environments in the private and public sectors has created new societal expectations about how work needs to change.

The pandemic shone a new light on our ability and agility to adapt and do things differently, including remote and hybrid working, in large part due to digitalisation. Because of the pandemic, hybrid work environments have become a popular way of working and employees want to keep the flexibility hybrid work models offer.

According to a 2021 McKinsey study, more than half of government and corporate workers say they would like to work from home at least three days a week once the pandemic is over.  And because private and public sector employees are also citizens, it’s not surprising that this new normal is impacting expectations about how governments should deliver services. In fact, citizens around the world now expect they should be able to efficiently access government services online from anywhere.

Toward the digital workplace

However, the evolution to a truly digital workplace is not without its challenges. A hybrid workplace can provide a bridge to meet government workers’ expectations and citizens’ service delivery expectations. In a digital workplace, advanced data and digital technologies will allow more communications and collaboration among government employees and between governments and citizens. It will enable more participatory, innovative and agile ways of governing and delivering services.

A digital workplace that is developed and implemented properly, with technology and functionality that includes citizens who have not yet made the move to digital environments, will ultimately lead to the intelligent workplace, which will benefit governments, employees and citizens well into the future.

Learn more about our holistic approach to digital transformation that helps governments create resilient, secure digital workplaces that streamline communications, improve collaboration, enhance service delivery and improve processes for workers and citizens.