Intranet as digital workplace by @markmorrell #intra13

First of all we should be clear what a digital workplace is. Mark’s definition of a digital workplace is: work is something you do not a place you go to. In a digital workplace you can:

• work from any location or while mobile 
• have the same or similar online experience
• collaborate, search, and complete tasks online 
• choose what tools you can use to do this 
• feel comfortable whenever you are using 
• feel comfortable whenever you are using it 
• be confident you can use it when you need to
• have a better work/life balance

The real difference between the intranet and the digital workplace is that you can get work done with a digital workplace. It's not just a content and publication platform, but a place where you can get work done. It's collaborative, it's task-focused.

So, how do you develop a digital workplace strategy? Mark shares several points with us:

• it should align with your other strategies
• is wider than an intranet strategy
• is for the short, medium, and long term
• has a governance framework (Mark: 'everything should be managed')
• people who will create, support, and make it happen ('this is the hardest part', says Mark)

What steps can be made to work towards the digital workplace:

• develop a proposal for a digital workplace
• show the benefits to be gained
• get it approved...... and funded!
• have a steering group (focus on strategy, not implementation with them)
• agree on roles and responsibilities
• have standards, training, guidance (e.g. with vid- or podcasts)
• coordinate IT, HR and property management

During the workshop the participants worked on these steps and shared their approaches.

Mark blogs quite a lot about the benefits of digital workplace strategy. He shared some benefits during the workshop, such as:

• shared performance objectives reduce risk of conflicting priorities
• help decide top priorities to implement

Benefits of digital workplace are:

• BT employees took fewer sick days and were 20% more productive
• a study by the Emerald group at BT showed their work-life balance improved, even though they worked longer hours
• the BT Agile Worker program save 6000 pounds per worker

Mark also pointed to reports from other companies about the benefits they are getting from the digital workplace.