What is a modern workplace?

Modern workplace, workplace of the future, workplace 4.0 – many terms are used to refer to the same concept. But what is a modern workplace exactly? Are we talking about futuristic office spaces, high-end office chairs, and smart boards instead of flip charts? Yeah, certainly a little. Not primarily, though. You see, a modern workplace refers to much more than just the office space.

Strictly speaking, a modern workplace is no longer a space at all. Sounds confusing. But in fact, it isn’t a single, specific place – like the office in the company’s building used to be. Instead, today we mean all the hardware and software, tools, and approaches that we use in connection with our work – no matter where and when that happens.

The modern workplace has thus evolved beyond its literal meaning. You could also say that it’s become a little less superficial and that we’re finally paying a little more attention to its inner values. – Sounds nice, doesn’t it? After all, everyone thinks more depth is great.

But what does this mean on a day-to-day basis? What does it encompass and what is it that actually makes a workplace of the future a workplace of the future? To answer these questions, let's take a closer look at the seven main features of a modern workplace.

7 Features of a modern workplace

1) Digital

Digitization is certainly one of the first buzzwords that comes to mind when we think about the modern world of work. After all, EVERYTHING is digital today. On your way to work, you check the news app on your phone to find out what’s going on in the world. And maybe you can use your employee app to see how some company projects are coming along – or find out what your boss has to say about the new annual report and what the cafeteria is serving for lunch. When you arrive at the office, you might send a few e-mails to customers, enter your vacation request into the system, research what the competition is up to, and then work on your presentation for the next conference – all completely electronically.

Digitization has become a vital part of everyday working life. And if there’s anything that isn’t yet digital at one company or another, you can be they’re in the process of digitizing it. This is why nowadays, the words “modern” and “digital” are often used almost interchangeably and are inseparably linked.

2) Creative

At the same time, digital solutions are becoming more sophisticated and smarter. The Internet of Things and particularly advancements in the field of artificial intelligence often leave us speechless. Will people still be needed in the working world of the future at all? The answer is yes (Lucky us!). It’s true that computers can already take an incredible amount of work off our hands and/or simplify numerous tasks. But we’re still a long way away from not needing human input anymore.

There’s one key area in which humans are still far superior to any computer: they can think completely independently and creatively. And this is precisely why humans and machines are an unbeatable team – humans perform the creative tasks and computers evaluate, simplify, connect, and archive. A fair way to divide up the work, wouldn’t you agree? 

3) Flexible

In order to stimulate this very creativity, a modern workplace needs to be as flexible as possible. This begins with the aforementioned office design and extends far beyond flexible working hours. Variety, for example, boosts creativity. So it can be really helpful to first be able to work highly focused for two hours in your own personal office. Afterwards, you can meet up with two of your coworkers in the cozy lounge area to brainstorm on sofas and beanbags. And later you’ll attend a meeting in a well-equipped conference room.

However, this might not be the right way for your coworker to get his creative juices flowing. Maybe he’s a real night owl and his creativity only kicks in long after you’ve gone home for the day. Flexible working hours are the best way to fully leverage this potential.

4) Mobile

Flexibility goes hand in hand with mobility, i.e. being able to communicate via smartphone or tablet while out of the office and access all kinds of data. What has long been standard in our personal lives is becoming increasingly common in the world of work. After all, being able to read the latest company news while waiting for your lunch and coordinate with your coworkers on the train to your meeting with a client is extremely practical.

In addition, the dramatic pace of development in the mobile sector over the last ten years or so has meant that modern workplaces are becoming less and less based on the need to be physically present, as was the case in the past. Instead, the focus is increasingly on the results of employees’ work. We think it’s fantastic, because if we want to achieve a certain objective, we can now concentrate more on what actually is the best way to do it – which simultaneously places the focus more on employees’ needs. After all, only satisfied employees are as productive and dedicated as possible.

Speaking of employees, it’s now also possible to get in touch with all of the employees outside the office who don’t spend their time working on laptops and other devices. We’re talking about employees on the front lines – at the sales outlets, in the warehouse, in production, etc. For example, an employee app allows them to connect with the company much faster, more reliably, and develop a stronger bond than was previously possible.

5) Collaborative

Ensuring all employees are better connected will also result in excellent opportunities for collaboration. For example, a modern workplace allows team members from different locations and from different departments to work more effectively together. In addition, sharing knowledge throughout the company is elevated to a whole new level and makes everyone’s work much easier (more about this in our blog post “What is Social Collaboration?”).

Being more connected and working better together will not only lead to faster and better results, however. It also has lasting effects on the company’s corporate culture. It’s really quite obvious if you think about it – when a team becomes closer, when it’s members can collaborate efficiently and effectively, it improves the overall mood. And, of course, the employees’ loyalty and dedication. There’s simply no end to the positive effects. 

6) Secure

The more that employees share and connect, the more important privacy and security become. And in times of cyberattacks and the GDPR, a functioning modern workplace simply isn’t possible without solid security measures.

Which in turn means clear limitations to what software can be used for the work. After all, apps like WhatsApp and Dropbox (think: shadow IT), which are unfortunately as popular today as they are dangerous, obviously have no place in a workplace of the future (more on this in our blog post “Six Reasons Why Companies Should Not Use WhatsApp Internally”). Instead, the company should ideally provide secure and GDPR-compliant software solutions that provide all of the functionality and tools required.

7) Simple

It should be clear from all of the aforementioned points that a modern workplace needs to function as quickly, conveniently, and easily as possible. Efficiency and effectiveness are top priorities. Nowadays, people have little patience for unnecessarily going back and forth making corrections or wasting the entire day in useless meetings.

This modern form of comfort dictates that although results should be excellent, they also need to be achieved as quickly and easily as possible. And that under no circumstances should employee satisfaction go ignored. Sounds kind of utopian, doesn’t it? But it is precisely this modern desire for simplicity that is the fundamental principle of the workplace of the future.

Coming soon: a modern workplace that isn’t just a fantasy

A workplace that actually offers these 7 features of a modern workplace would be a real dream, wouldn't it? Maximum employee satisfaction, productivity, and efficiency with minimum effort. Amazing!!

In fact, this dream is completely realistic nowadays – because software is available today that implements exactly these principles. Digital Workplace Solutions With a social intranet at its core, your company will receive the lion’s share of what it needs to create a workplace of the future. But there are still a number of things to consider when launching such a platform (more on this in our blog “The 7 Most Common Mistakes When Launching a Digital Workplace”). But as the saying goes: nothing ventured, nothing gained. So don’t be afraid to try something new!