How to build a collaboration environment for a changing workforce

Most enterprise today are not the unified “all workers in the same space” environment that they were just a few years ago, when virtually everyone was in a corporate location and able to literally walk to the next office to communicate and/or collaborate with coworkers, or use email or simple internal messaging tools.

Employee communications, vital to the efficient operation of any organization, are far more complex today. Indeed, we estimate that a typical corporate entity has from 20 percent to 35 percent of its workforce as contingent labor – working independently and usually from remote locations. Keeping these independent contractors, consultants, third-party partners, and even customers connected is of critical importance to the productivity and the overall success of the organization.

A collaboration complication arises when we look at the future composition of the workforce and their work styles. By 2025, we estimate that 60 percent to 80 percent of workers in a typical organization will be millennials. These “digital natives” have a major impact on how worker collaboration takes place. They are not typically interested in walking next door to an office to communicate/collaborate.

Rather, they are much more likely to pick up a device and text, video chat and/or connect via a plethora of electronic means rather that in person. Further, they have highly varying work styles that don’t always equate to working a traditional 9-5 day. They have predisposed preferences for tools that must be met. 

Meeting their expected experiences in a secure fashion is mandatory. We’ve seen instances where companies trying to recruit employees among millennials have found

Most enterprise today are not the unified “all workers in the same space” environment that they were just a few years ago, when virtually everyone was in a corporate location and able to literally walk to the next office to communicate and/or collaborate with coworkers, or use email or simple internal messaging tools.

Employee communications, vital to the efficient operation of any organization, are far more complex today. Indeed, we estimate that a typical corporate entity has from 20 percent to 35 percent of its workforce as contingent labor – working independently and usually from remote locations. Keeping these independent contractors, consultants, third-party partners, and even customers connected is of critical importance to the productivity and the overall success of the organization.

A collaboration complication arises when we look at the future composition of the workforce and their work styles. By 2025, we estimate that 60 percent to 80 percent of workers in a typical organization will be millennials. These “digital natives” have a major impact on how worker collaboration takes place. They are not typically interested in walking next door to an office to communicate/collaborate.

Rather, they are much more likely to pick up a device and text, video chat and/or connect via a plethora of electronic means rather that in person. Further, they have highly varying work styles that don’t always equate to working a traditional 9-5 day. They have predisposed preferences for tools that must be met. 

Meeting their expected experiences in a secure fashion is mandatory. We’ve seen instances where companies trying to recruit employees among millennials have found they refused jobs or quit after a short period when these tools were not readily available (or acceptable) to them. The notion of a single work style dictated by the organization is outmoded thinking. This change is happening now, but most companies are not ready.

What we need to ensure effective collaboration

Allowing workers to use consumer-grade collaboration tools (e.g., texting, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and so on) typically is not an adequate solution for corporate use. Such use could easily expose corporate sensitive information to hackers and “bad actors” and/or allow users to share data with unwanted recipients, exposing the company to loss of data, regulatory liabilities, or worse.