To acquire and retain top talent, employers are looking for ways to enhance the digital employee experience (DEX) and make the workplace more collaborative, inclusive and sustainable. Balancing these goals will require a strategic approach.
I/O professionals (Infrastructure & Operations), such as Human Resources Managers, Business Development Consultants or Executive Coaches, are tasked with improving the overall work environment. In the last years, the factors that govern this outcome have shifted somewhat, with modern work changing the way teams interact. Inclusivity has become a goal for many organizations, while sustainability gains clout as a goal due to shifting public perception and changing compliance requirements.
In response, organizations are stepping up their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives, leveraging tools to manage sustainability. At the same time, many initiatives looking for the right technological solutions to achieve an equitable experience for all employees are struggling with legacy tools. This stands in the way of improved diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
According to Gartner1, the following are the “Top Priorities for DW I/O leaders in 2024”:
Figure 1: Top Priorities for DW I&O Leaders in 2024
Gartner ® – 21 December 2023, Predicts 2024: Build a Sustainable and Collaborative Digital Workplace Infrastructure, by Pankil Sheth, Dan Wilson, Stuart Downes, Tom Cipolla, Erin Pierre, Autumn Stanish
What organizations can do to increase ESG, improve DEX, and promote DEI
There are a number of steps I/O leaders can take at this point, ranging from the low-key to the strategic. On the ESG front, DaaS and VDI offers a solution to extend the lifespan of endpoint devices, as the bulk of the computing power no longer has to be provided on the terminal device. Rather, thin clients running a browser are enough to provide even compute-intensive applications to employees. Their cloud-based foundation also means a bonus for employee satisfaction, as it allows for remote or hybrid work models, the lack of which have become a major stumbling block for employee retention in companies unwilling to offer these alternatives to in-office work.
As part of their DEX initiatives, organizations should prioritize employee experience and satisfaction in their digital workspace strategy. This might mean making desk phones optional, or setting policies for digital collaboration that accommodate hybrid work styles. This will have the added benefit of supporting DEI initiatives, which aim to create an equitable technology experience for all employees. A technology experience that addresses all employees’ unique needs such as factors such as neurodiversity and accessibility will invariably lead to better results for all.
Saying good-bye to the landline
Telephony service use is changing, being subject to disruptive changes in communication culture and work styles. Video conferences as part of unified communication approaches have in many scenarios taken the place of traditional phone calls. This opens up saving potential by reducing hardware and service spend on phones. At the same time, the new paradigm of video-centric in-person communication requires a strategic approach in IT provisioning. For instance, many VDI and DaaS solutions cannot cope with the bandwidth requirements of live videocast running over the virtual machine, adding lag and greatly reducing usability.
Choosing a state-of-the-art virtual desktop solution for your ESG, DEX, and DEI initiatives
A modern DaaS or VDI-solution such as oneclick™ will provide a technological basis to future-proofing your organization. When looking for the right platform, keep in mind all factors that will influence implementation of your strategy, such as the ability to extend the lifespans of endpoint devices, providing modern alternatives to landline phones, or supporting modern collaborative tools and hybrid or remote work concepts. To strike the right balance of adopting transformational technologies and preparing for a better tomorrow, I&O leaders will need to prioritize these tasks to master the challenges of outlining a proactive strategy to achieve cost optimization, effective endpoint management, DEX equity and sustainability.
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