From traditional to modern, the evolution of the workplace

The workplace is undergoing constant transformations. To remain relevant to their customers and employees, organizations must actively embrace these changes. How can organizations facilitate the modern workplace? And how did it come to be?

The evolution of the workplace aligns closely with productivity, often measured in Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Technological advancements have always been a driving force behind increasing productivity, from the Industrial Revolution to electrification, the advent of the internet, and now AI. Mid-20th century, a work concept emerged that would dominate until 2020.

The traditional workplace

Before the Industrial Revolution, work was primarily conducted at home in a workshop. This shifted to a central location with fixed working hours, creating the traditional workplace characterized by:

• Physical workplace: Employees work at a fixed location, such as an office, factory, store, or other physical environment.
• Fixed working hours: Employees follow a set schedule, typically from 9 to 5, where most employees start and end work at the same time.
• Personal interaction: The traditional workplace promotes face-to-face communication and collaboration among colleagues.
• Separated work and private life: Commuting between home and the workplace creates a clear boundary between work and private life.
• Physical presence: Presence at the workplace is often seen as an indicator of productivity, with employees expected to be physically present to perform their duties.

The introduction of the Personal Computer (PC) provided employees with significant computing power and data processing at their desks, boosting productivity. The PC was later replaced by Thin Clients in many larger organizations, allowing employees to log into a virtual desktop via a Citrix environment. With the advent of ADSL, remote work became possible, though it was rarely practiced until working in the office suddenly became impossible.

Accelerated digital transformation

Some organizations had already been undergoing digital transformation for several years, integrating digital technology into all aspects of their operations. While the exact form of digital transformation varies greatly by sector and company, the essence lies in leveraging digital technologies to enhance business processes, improve customer experience, create new value, and compete in a rapidly evolving digital economy. This also changes the role of the IT department: from a cost center to a business enabler.

However, the real catalyst for digital transformation came in 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic. This global crisis forced companies worldwide to quickly reassess their work arrangements, leading to a massive shift to remote work and digital collaboration.

The modern workplace

At the peak of the pandemic, according to RIVM (PDF), around 44% of the workforce was working from home, compared to just 3% pre-pandemic. Post-pandemic, remote work became commonplace, demonstrating that the modern workplace is here to stay. It features:

• Work anywhere: Thanks to cloud technology, employees can work from anywhere, reducing the need for a fixed workplace.
• Flexible working hours: Employees have more control over their work schedules and are responsible for managing their own time.
• Digital interaction: Video calls, chat, and collaborative document editing enable effective remote collaboration.
• Overlap of work and private life: Always being reachable for the employer, along with flexible working hours, requires clear work agreements.
• No physical presence required: With all tools for remote communication and collaboration, employees can perform their tasks from any location.
• Multiple devices: PCs and Thin Clients have been replaced by laptops, tablets, and smartphones.

For many organizations, transitioning from office work to remote work was urgent. The primary focus was on quickly making systems functional, which sometimes led to suboptimal or insecure solutions. Office environments had to abruptly shift to the cloud, and many Citrix environments lacked the capacity. This resulted in a significant increase in demand for hardware and cloud services like Azure Virtual Desktop. As a Digital Survival Company, we also experienced a substantial rise in demand for workplace management. Successful transition to the modern workplace hinges on two key factors: security and adoption.

Security and productivity go hand in hand

The evolution from the traditional to the modern workplace has also led to an evolution in IT security. Digitizing business processes requires better protection of business data. Security measures such as data encryption, two-factor authentication, and passwordless login are crucial when malware and ransomware can disrupt operations. Moreover, the use of devices with access to business data increases the risk of data breaches, highlighting the need for device management. Implementing all security measures effectively without undermining productivity requires a focus on the user.

Without technology adoption, its deployment will not lead to increased productivity. Therefore, the evolution of the workplace also represents the evolution of technology adoption. From awareness campaigns, training, and key users to e-learning, first-, second-, and third-line support, and workshops: all these elements are essential to ensure that employees can work optimally with the technology. During each migration project, we engage with key users and the IT department to identify and address bottlenecks. With proper configuration and alignment, organizations can fully leverage their Office 365 environment.

The workplace of the future

The introduction of Microsoft’s Copilot in the Netherlands is on the horizon. Copilot is an advanced AI tool that promises to assist employees with their daily tasks, boost productivity, and enhance team collaboration with smart recommendations and automation of routine tasks. There is significant interest from the market, and many practical questions about Copilot exist, which we are happy to address in a tailored workshop. This workshop will cover potential dangers, applications, and conditions for efficiently implementing Copilot.