Deloitte’s 2021 Tech Trends research has revealed that the increasing lack of in-person communication could have a negative impact on innovation in the future.
This presents an opportunity and a challenge for leaders to be creative in how they nurture collaboration, while simultaneously embracing the perks of a more digital workplace.
“Tech-savvy leaders combined different tools to enable collaboration, remote work, and company culture,” said Scott Buchholz, Government & Public Services CTO at Deloitte Consulting. “However, our new digital workplaces need to do more than maintain employee productivity. They need to create new opportunities and ideas by harnessing the power of data and technology.”
Buchholz adds that introducing apps can help foster the impromptu in-person meetings that the virtual workplace is lacking in. For instance, workers can schedule virtual coffee breaks in order to boost culture and enhance innovation.
Additionally, the use of automation and artificial intelligence is bound to shape how employees interact with their work environment. In the future, humans will be able to upskill, AI can recommend potential improvements and automation will take over menial tasks, further driving innovation among the workforce.
Due to this mass adoption of modern technology, companies will inevitably need to do better in terms of cybersecurity. Although these tools can be incredibly useful in the workplace, they come with their own set of risks, so investing into the proper cybersecurity protocols will be essential.
