Today, we’re grateful that Mr Ichimura was a visionary ahead of his time. The values and ESG commitments on which he built Ricoh are more pertinent than ever. 

We like to believe that we’re continuing his legacy. Everything we do is with the belief that our ESG values should be default, sincere tenets permeating every area of business. Ethics can’t be performative or linked solely with environmental days. Rather, they should be year-round, and tangible in all we do. 

An organisation’s ESG commitment is relevant to, and underlies, every stakeholder group and business area. It’s important for businesses to recognise the spotlight they’re under.  Customers, employees, and other stakeholders are more tuned-in to “green-washing” and “clout-chasing” than ever before. Therefore, your ESG values need to be sincere and demonstrable.

This is the first in a series of articles outlining our commitment to ESG. If you’re interested in partnering or working with us, here’s a chance to understand our values. I’ve written about this subject before and will continue engaging in this conversation. 

Our ESG commitment 

Our ESG strategy is based on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) laid out by the United Nations in 2015. They address key social and environmental issues. 

A commitment to these goals, and a rejection of apathy and stagnation, are vital. Our research suggests that 1 in 4 business leaders believe their organisation can’t make improvements to reduce their environmental impact. Further, 60% of decision makers agreeing there are no incentives for C-suite executives to help mitigate environmental impacts. 

A strong ESG commitment is not only our collective moral imperative and responsibility. It also makes strong business sense. Akira Oyama, Ricoh President and CEO, had this to say:

“We are promoting our activities in recognition of the fact that businesses that do not respond to SDGs will be eliminated from the market. At the same time, we view ESG initiatives as ‘future finance’ that will ring fence us against potential risks and capture future opportunities for our businesses.”

People 

Our global mission is to help people find fulfilment through work. This feeling is gained from achievement and self-development. If we enable people to work smarter, we can unleash their potential and creativity to realise a sustainable future. This applies to our own employees as well as our customers’ workforce. 

In my role as executive sponsor for inclusion, I have made a personal commitment to make Ricoh UK a diverse and fully inclusive workplace. One where everyone can be themselves and excel. We have active affinity and employee support groups relating to LGBTQ+, gender, ethnicity and disability. To champion inclusive behaviours across all levels of our organisation, we developed the Living the Ricoh Way programme, and I’m proud to say that the initiative was shortlisted in the 2023 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Tech Awards. 

We’re investing in our people’s development to ensure that they have the right skills for the future. At the same time, we recognise that work can be both rewarding and challenging, and I’m very proud that our comprehensive wellbeing strategy is based on a holistic view of what wellbeing means to different people. 

The planet 

Our approach to sustainability touches every part of our organisation. From manufacturing to distribution, business sites to recycling, and how we work and consult with our customers.

Ricoh’s commitment to the environment is based on socially responsible supply chain management. This includes a best-practice approach to carbon reductions and a circular economy. We are aiming for Net Zero, and have set a 100% renewable energy target for 2050. We have also committed to reducing 63% of all direct greenhouse gas emissions from our manufacturing sites, offices, and vehicles by 2030. 

There are many examples of programmes and innovations that will help us achieve these goals. One of them is Ricoh Comet Circle – our blueprint for creating a truly circular business. We’re very proud that our global efforts have been recognised in numerous sustainability awards. I’m looking forward to going through these initiatives in more detail as part of this series. 

Communities 

In February 2023, Ricoh donated twelve million Japanese yen to support global humanitarian relief. This was in addition to volunteering and donations of goods. Ricoh UK plays an important part in this global effort. 

Every Ricoh UK employee has an opportunity to spend 2 days every year volunteering and supporting local causes close to their hearts. 186 unique volunteers took this opportunity in the 2022 financial year alone, supporting 41 events nationwide to give back to their communities.

We have a long standing partnership with the Prince’s Trust, which I’m personally very passionate about. Over the past 8 years, our employees have dedicated their time to mentoring and upskilling young vulnerable people to help them find employment. 15 of them have been employed by Ricoh. 

Through our Social Mobility Pledge, we reach out to schools and other educational facilities to provide coaching, mentoring and career advice to disadvantaged communities. 

Looking ahead

ESG is an ever-changing landscape, with new targets, directives, and data coming out all the time. Whilst it is crucial for organisations to have clear targets and metrics broken down by business activity and function. It’s also important to be agile in their approach. For example, we recently revised our greenhouse gas reduction targets from 30% by 2030 to 63%,  because we were well on track to surpass our initial goals.

These steps couldn’t be taken without involving our people. Our research suggests that two thirds of European employees expect their employers to be part of the solution for issues such as climate change and inequality. Over a quarter said they would be willing to take a 10% pay cut to work for an employer committed to helping solve societal issues. We’re proud to be empowering our people globally to be ESG advocates.  In FY2023 Ricoh UK will form our first ESG Taskforce — a forum of experts within our business with a mission to reduce our carbon footprint, promote and deliver social value, and ensure strong governance of our supply chain. Members will meet on a regular basis to discuss our targets, progress and opportunities to shape the way that we operate and grow as a responsible business. 

We evaluate performance not just on financial metrics, but on how we respond and act in response to the greater societal and environmental challenges we all face. Though ESG goals are always evolving, it’s important to remain committed, agile, and motivated.

Click to read ESG Ricoh UK

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We challenge our people every day to adopt inclusive behaviours that will benefit our global workforce, customers and suppliers. It is core to Living the Ricoh Way. To mark National Inclusion Week, CEO of Ricoh Northern Europe, Phil Keoghan, shares practical steps you can take to be more inclusive in your daily working life. 

I want to introduce National Inclusion Week by telling a story.

Josh started at Ricoh UK as a Sales Executive in 2015, and he’s a valued member of the team. Before I start, I’d like to thank Josh for allowing me to share his story. 

In 2018, Josh was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis, a spinal condition, which, two years later, lead to a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

As Josh’s employer, we are legally required to make adjustments to accommodate conditions covered by the equality act, a crucial law that protects us all. But inclusion is what happened next. 

Supported by our board sponsor for disability, Josh’s management team and colleagues participated in a series of informal workshops and learning sessions to develop a deeper knowledge of Josh’s conditions and how to support him on a day-to-day basis.

More than a policy or law, empathy, curiosity, and understanding made the difference. 

Now, Josh is surrounded by people empowered to support him, and he feels assured he can progress while he’s at Ricoh. 

By doing more than required, we have built a positive working relationship based on trust, openness and communication. I’m incredibly proud of everyone involved and the small actions each individual took to go above and beyond. 

National Inclusion Week is about reminding each other and ourselves that we are all responsible for inclusion. All of us can be inclusive if we take a moment to connect, empathise, understand and seek knowledge. 

This year’s theme is the Power of Now, so let’s unpack how we can act today for inclusion. 

What is inclusion? 

Put simply: ‘Diversity is having a seat at the table, Inclusivity is having a voice.’ 

Diversity is about bringing together people from different social, ethnic and religious backgrounds, of different genders and sexual orientations, and of different abilities and ages. 

Inclusion transforms a diverse workforce into an organisation that can attract, retain and nurture diverse people. It unites and enables individuals to thrive regardless of differences. 

As an organisation, we believe inclusion is providing equal access to opportunities and resources for everyone. Being more inclusive as an individual is about validating, understanding, recognising and accommodating lived experiences.

Why is inclusion important? 

When people feel included, they can contribute and offer fresh perspectives without fear. Practically, it’s also about allowing the space and format for people to share their ideas. 

Getting this right is even more critical in a hybrid world. We use digital collaboration tools to create working spaces where everyone feels equally able and comfortable to speak up. 

In society, inclusion plays a crucial role in personal health. Amid global difficulties that magnify inequalities, like pandemics, wars, and economic struggles, inclusion is how we unite, understand and support each other. 

Five inclusive actions in five days 

This week, we’re encouraging all of our people to take five actions to support inclusivity. I’ve selected a few below. 

Each action sparks conversation, raises awareness and inspires connection. Maybe they’re actions you could take this National Inclusion Week. 

1. 1. 1. Learn about an identity. Whether that be religion, sexuality, gender or ethnicity.
      2. Arrange a volunteering day for your team and support your local community. Our people have two days annually to use for volunteering in the local community. 
      3. Call someone within your team and recognise an achievement or a personality trait you feel empowers them to excel in their job. 
      4. Challenge each other to contact someone you don’t usually work with to learn more about them. 
      5. Research a current news topic and understand how it’s affecting different types/groups of people. 

To reinforce individual action, we continually measure employee engagement so that we can take positive action and continue to strive for an inclusive culture. We are also committed to our affinity group programmes, inclusive recruitment and equitable progression opportunities.

Living the Ricoh Way 

I’d like to end this piece by returning to Josh’s story. 

I’m proud to say that there are many stories like Josh’s at Ricoh. Living the Ricoh Way and championing inclusive behaviour is the bar we’ve set for our organisation. But inclusion is more challenging when it’s not so clear-cut. 

Sometimes we know the person sitting next to us has a different lived experience, and it can be hard to know where to begin. In these moments, we need to lean into our differences with humility, openness and a willingness to learn. That’s why coming together, connecting and making everyday actions really matter.

Thanks again to Josh and his team for sharing their story and our HR team for organising a brilliant schedule of National Inclusion Week activities, kicking off with our trans-inclusion webinar.

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The past few years have pushed Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) to the top of the agenda for governments and businesses alike. From natural disasters to increasing social inequality, the need for change is becoming more and more apparent. And that was before the pandemic exacerbated the issues.

Investors, customers and employees expect organisations to act fairly and responsibly towards the environment and local communities. At a government level, increased regulation, such as the European Commission’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, is driving corporate accountability.

This is all putting pressure on companies, leading the way to a future where performance will be evaluated not just on financial metrics, but on how they respond and act in response to the greater societal and environmental challenges we all face.

The Challenge for Leaders

Business decision makers are often left with difficult choices to make. They find it hard to know where to begin when it comes to improving ESG performance and are often held back by the need to support other areas of the business. In fact, Ricoh Europe research recently found that the majority of European organisations struggle to invest in environmental sustainability because other business needs are perceived to be more urgent.

This is despite a vast array of studies showing that companies that focus on environmental sustainability concerns do not, as McKinsey puts it, “experience a drag on value creation – in fact, quite the opposite.”

Plus, it is not all penalty from a regulatory perspective; governments are offering incentives to those companies that want to change, with the European Union in particular committed to increasing the availability of funding and assets through projects such as InvestEU, Digital Europe and the EU Green Deal.

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Presented at the CBI annual conference 2020, our Conscious Workplace Report focused on the impact of remote working and the core challenges business leaders were facing. Featuring interviews with employees and managers from across the UK at the end of the first lockdown in England. The report also formed one of the first clear pictures of homeworking experiences and perceptions.  

But what can businesses do now to prepare for the future? The workplace is changing all the time, and so are employee expectations. In short, businesses must take stock of the learnings, start listening and work hard to define operational needs. 

To help facilitate these conversations inside your organisation, we will be conducting further research. Bringing industry leaders together to discuss potential ways forward for UK businesses. Using our Conscious Workplace Report as the blueprint for our discussions.

Destination versus desk time 

Our report indicated that hybrid working is essential as businesses seek to implement policies and processes that best suit their people and customers. 

The office is no longer a place employees visit every day, completing tasks and projects between the same eight hours. The original definition of the office may no longer be fit for purpose for many businesses and their teams. 

As a result, to overcome this challenge and find solutions, business leaders must open up lines of communication. Leaders, including HR directors and facilities managers, need to be involved in company-wide open discussions to understand the needs of the business and its workforce.

What does the future workplace look like?

As organisations begin establishing their return-to-work strategies, it is important to evaluate physical spaces and decide if existing workspaces are appropriate and fit for purpose. Asking a few questions can help with this process: 

• What benefit does a total return to the office bring?
• Does it fit with the current business strategy?

It is getting to the ‘why’ of the office, which is crucial. Employees have proved that they can work from home and be productive. Instead, it may be that the office becomes a destination. A space that encourages collaboration, creativity and teamwork rather than a place where people would gather to work in silos.

Business leaders should consider the existing policies and technologies their business has already implemented. These will highlight and demonstrate existing employee needs and allow leaders to devise a strategy that consciously uses the office. Alternatively, it could reveal that existing workplaces would be better suited for a redesign. Above all, allowing collaboration and supporting the new expectations of employees within the business. 

Greater collaboration needs to take place across businesses to understand the true nature of working practices today. However, to truly address this, more discussion between business function leaders is needed. To help understand the landscape we’re in and the future we want to create.

Revolution or evolution?

The way we work was already beginning to change pre-pandemic, with remote and cloud-based working growing in prominence. The pandemic has accelerated this movement, creating the need for rapid implementation of new technology. But now is the time to consider the past 18 months and look further past tomorrow, next week, or even next quarter to the next decade. New technology must suit the needs of the business for many years to come. 

Firstly, the shifting dynamics of the workplace shouldn’t be treated with suspicion and fear but rather as a natural evolution. It’s just taking place faster. Leaders have the opportunity to charge forwards and shape what evolution looks like. To mould practices and policies into what organisations need. 

Time to define the future workplace

Every component of the modern workplace, whether it’s physical or virtual, now requires conscious consideration and active decision-making. So how exactly do you create a plan that supports your people and digital business transformation?

Download our Leading Change at Work report for advice and help on how to devise your digital workplace strategy. We collected data from both our customers and industry experts based on real-life examples.

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Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO, recently wrote: ‘What we have witnessed during 2020/21 is the dawn of the second wave of digital transformation sweeping every company and every industry.’ Indeed, 2020 saw organisations scrambling to implement new technologies and integrate them into their existing stack. They had to react and re-engineer their businesses to make remote working the norm.

We’ve now accelerated past that first heady phase of reactionary digital transformation into a ‘reimagine’ stage. Therefore, forward-thinking organisations – those that tend to be quickest off the mark – are now adopting leading edge technologies. Examples are cloud, AI, IoT, and automation, all of which accelerate progress and gain an edge on their competitors.

In June 2020, I wrote ‘The future of work – an opportunity to reimagine’ as I could see that embracing digital technology would open up opportunities for growth. My own organisation has worked to realise those opportunities. Turning what could have been a difficult year into a positive business opportunity. But there is still so much more we as leaders can do.

Striking a balance

Hybrid working – a mix of remote and in-person working – is a state to which many businesses are now needing to adapt to. The trick is to see hybrid working as the next technology frontier, with opportunities for organisations that fully embrace it. Like any technological change, it can unlock operational differentiation for businesses, if they get it right.

Our lived experience has shown us that remote working provides both personal and business benefits. Many of us have benefited from more flexibility, productivity, family time and no commute. Indeed, 61% of business leaders said they have thrived in lockdown. But it hasn’t suited everyone.

Overcoming the paradox of hybrid working

The younger workforce has found it hard to engage and missed social interactions. Whereas, parents have had to juggle homeschooling and childcare arrangements with work. In fact, we’ve all been working harder than ever. With many employees working more hours at home than before, and struggling to switch off from work.

That’s the paradox with hybrid working. What we gain in flexibility and no commutes is often lost in a lack of face-to-face dialogue and not being able to escape work at home. In fact, 71% of people want flexible remote working, but 62% want more in-person work or collaboration.

How do we get that balance right? By adopting hybrid working. Specifically, a hybrid approach that marries the best of remote working with the best of being in the office.

How to seize opportunities by adopting hybrid working

We recently held two in-depth webinars with digital transformation specialists to unpick the specifics of how business leaders can get their hybrid working strategy right.

‘How to ensure your people and workplaces are ready – part 1’ hears from Simon Truby, Workplace Communications and AV, Sanjay Vadher, Digital Services, and Darren Murphy, UX Strategy Manager, all from my team at Ricoh UK. They take us through recent survey results to understand how employees, managers and business leaders view working patterns in the ‘new normal’. Diving into the ‘how’ of hybrid working. Including how to start planning for hybrid working adoption and the technology available to support, monitor and evaluate it moving forward.

‘How to ensure your people and workplaces are ready – part 2’ featured guest speaker Robert Epstein, Product Marketing Director at Microsoft, discussing hybrid working strategies and practical solutions. Darren Murphy, UX Strategy Manager at Ricoh UK also talks about how organisations can de-centralise for enhanced agility with cloud services. Explaining how to underpin this with robust communication among employees and with customers.

I’d highly recommend taking the time to watch both of these webinars as they will equip you with the latest data and opinions on the technology required to support hybrid working.

Adopting hybrid working by example

Business leaders who want to get hybrid working right for their teams and unlock the growth potential it creates need to:

• Communicate with your teams that doing nothing simply isn’t an option. Your competitors will seize the benefits of remote and hybrid working models. Going back to the office and resuming the commute as before could lead to a lack of resilience and dissatisfaction among some of your people. This could put your organisation at a competitive disadvantage.
• Be honest with your employees. Explain that there is no silver bullet to finding a way of working that works for everyone at the moment. Each company is different, so it’s a case of experimentation and reimagining. Emphasise that you’re testing and learning throughout.
• Lead from the top by sharing your own experiences with your people. After that, show them you understand the need for change and let them know you’re in this together.

Discover how Ricoh can help you Work Together, Anywhere

To plan and adopt hybrid working, we recommend starting with a Digital Experience Assessment of your people. Above all, it will give you a clear view of how they currently feel. Additionally, it will help you identify what they need and how this fits with your business objectives. Gathering this mix of qualitative and quantitative data will enable you and your implementation partner to establish a set of recommendations and key steps for how to proceed.

Learn more about our Digital Experience Assessments with this short guide.

Click to read

Work Together, Anywhere – Helping business succeed in a changed world

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But new digital innovations and software are arriving daily. So it can be hard to stay abreast of what’s available and what’s right for your business process and infrastructure. Let’s be honest, most of us are focused on running the organisation or simply doing our jobs to find time to assess new technologies. And even if you do, it is still necessary to invest more time to make sure they are right for your business.

The best way to drive improvements in business processes, automation, and efficiency is by collaborating with an experienced partner. One who understands that digital transformation is not just a one-off project, but a perpetual pursuit of improvement.

Business processes will never stop improving

Today, digital transformation is a concept known across every industry with new ways of working continuing to appear all the time. For instance, innovations are introduced that can impact your business both now and well into the future. But knowing which ones to add to your existing technology stack and which to avoid can be made much easier by collaborating with a knowledgeable partner. 

Therefore, it’s important to find a partner who has genuine experience in implementing strategies and technology. One that has credible expertise gained from being at the forefront of digital transformation over the decades. And the foresight to understand how this can benefit business process and automation today.

“Digital transformation is about putting yourself and your customers in a

position to be able to take advantage of new technologies” 

Tina Smith, senior vice-president for Ricoh Europe

A rich history in business process and automation

Some digital transformation partners have been at the forefront of change throughout the history of business innovation – and Ricoh is certainly one of them:

• Starting way back in 1936. Ricoh has continually revolutionised business and industry. With innovation, advanced products, and a people-first approach to technology
• In 1955, the first Ricoh photocopier – the Ricoh 101 – was introduced. This immediately began the transformation of key office functions and became the precursor for later advancements in many areas of business process.
• As far back as 1977, Ricoh originated the phrase ‘Office Automation’ as it began to broaden its product and services portfolio. To support a more productive digital workplace

As a leading digital services company, Ricoh has continued to develop and integrate solutions for its customers and partners for 85 years, supporting perpetual transformation for business processes and automation.

Ricoh today

Ricoh recently announced one of the biggest moments of transition in that rich history. Once again taking the right steps to retain their position at the forefront of business process change as a digital services company.

By driving innovation across its organisation, Ricoh helps customers all over the world, both large and small, empower their business process and automation ambition. Encapsulating the latest cloud technologies, software, AI, applications, and managed services, Ricoh is so much more than a technology manufacturer. Furthermore, with strategic partnerships with the worlds’ largest and best-known IT vendors, Ricoh is continuing to broaden its ability to give the best consulting advice and support to its customers.

Your digital services partner for business process & automation

Through ongoing innovation, we continue to create technologies and products that help solve business challenges, improve security and support future growth.

Our ‘Work Together, Anywhere’ philosophy brings together a specialised suite of products and services to help your people achieve their best work and maintain productivity in an uncertain world.

Here are just a few ways we can help your organisation with business process and automation:

By optimising business operations

Ricoh supports you with business processes and automation to improve efficiency. By removing repetitive tasks we enable your people to focus on high-value activities. In addition, process automation helps you make processes faster and more accurate, providing a better employee and customer experience.

Read our B&M Case Study

By enabling a distributed workforce

We help reshape your offices from a place to do 9-5 desk work, to a vibrant environment in which to collaborate, create, and connect. We achieve this through the introduction and integration of new technology and tools. Therefore offering your employees the choice of where to work, whether that’s in the office, co-working space, home, or on the move. All while being connected to key services and office-based technology.

By accelerating and securing digital transformation

Ricoh supports your business by helping to speed up business processes and automation. In addition, they then secure it too. It’s vital that cybersecurity is integrated across your entire workplace and devices. Therefore, your people can achieve their best work while keeping your data safe.

Read Our Coventry City Council Case study

Get in touch today

Business processes and automation are in a state of perpetual change. That’s why you need to select a collaborative digital services partner. One that can help you make the most of today and grow for a brighter, more secure tomorrow.

Ricoh is ready.

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With the vaccine rollout underway, the road to normality becomes a serious possibility. So we can soon start to make plans for the future but the first thing we need to understand is where precisely are we now? That’s why Ricoh undertook ‘The Conscious Workplace Survey and Report’. By surveying over 1,300 people across the UK, we have established a clear understanding of what workers in the UK have dealt with this year. This includes employees working both remotely and in the office ranging from frontline workers to c-suite managers.

The Conscious Workplace Report

Our Conscious Workplace Report uses survey data captured in September 2020. This was used to evaluate managers and workers’ experience to help identify their most significant challenges and overall employee behavioural experience. This, in turn, enabled us to highlight the opportunities we, as businesses, currently face as we plan our future.

Almost all the participants cited four common concerns:

• Happiness, motivation and productivity are significant challenges
• Existing office spaces are unsuitable for a post-COVID world
• Managers are struggling to introduce new processes and look after their employees
• New technology also caused concerns for managers over security issues and its inefficient use.

So, why does all this make employee behaviour experience such an important factor? Because every challenge facing organisations across the UK, in terms of productivity, process and wellbeing, centre around your people.

What are the challenges facing employees and managers?

We may have come a long way, but there are still many teething issues that affect our day-to-day lives. And managers and employees are on the front line of dealing with them.

Anything that changes in our life causes friction and stress. Relocation, remote working, changing power dynamics – these are all common occurrences across the country, but they’re major events which have occurred all at once. Then there are all the little things we used to take for granted whilst working in an office environment; such as conversations, micro-rewards, and collaboration ease. Now all replaced with digital imitations that sometimes don’t quite hit the mark.

Sudden changes to routines, environments and ways of working can have a big physiologically impact, which can ultimately change the employee behavioural experience, ultimately impacting wellbeing.

Meanwhile, for managers, there is an additional layer; their roles have changed drastically. Once they were focused on organisational objectives. Now they must pay much more significant consideration to their employees’ wellbeing – whilst still ensuring things get done. And this is all happening amidst huge societal change, with distressing news and uncertainty across the country.

Managing employee behavioural experience needs behavioural insight.

One of the most difficult things to replicate from our office days is social interaction – a critical human happiness requirement. It plays a huge part in peoples’ mental wellbeing. We’ve all come to understand the challenges with video conferencing, collaborating while working remotely and getting quick answers to questions you could once ask in person.

Your people can no longer easily enjoy ‘water cooler’ moments, share stories or discuss projects. And it’s much harder to receive constructive criticism, praise or positive feedback from managers. A key aspect of how we get happiness in the workplace.

Behavioural science can help bridge the gaps between your peoples’ difficulties with motivation, happiness and self-worth – both as individuals and within our teams – and a manager’s organisational challenges of the economy, productivity and process. Leading to a more positive employee behavioural experience.

How can a strategy centred around The Conscious Workplace help alleviate these issues?

Organisations have to look at how they can evolve agile working practices that cater to a blend of remote and physical workplace environments. And people are central to that. So put in place an employee behavioural experience strategy to fit a hybrid work style.

Technology
Technology is a great example of this. There are many fantastic options out there that can help your business transform to meet new challenges and opportunities. But you need to pick the ones that are right for your people, or your business will never see the full benefit. It would be best to consider how any new technology will affect your managers and your employees, and how you can help them integrate the new technology into their working lives and use it effectively.

Wellbeing
When it comes to wellbeing, it’s important to understand that the position we are in now isn’t sustainable, whether we’re comfortable working from home or not. You need to be conscious of your people’s health, productivity and happiness, and ensure you’re making critical business decisions with their future in minds.

Coming into the office will become a choice enabling aspects of flexible working to be maintained. Therefore organisations have a positive choice to cater to their needs. Making them feel valued, enabling those shared social interactions, and keeping them safe.

Get this balance right to create a positive employee behavioural experience across the organisation.

What steps do organisations need to take moving forwards?

One of the key issues to address is the disparity between IT experiences at home and in the office. Many people have found working at home to be easy; they can rely on their own setup to connect with others. But when they return to the office, they have to rely on the IT support and infrastructure there, which may well be lacking.

It’s vital that organisations look to technology that enables a seamless transition between the office and home working. And the same is true for existing processes. Scanning, printing and documentation also have to be as easily available to a remote worker as it is in the office.

And when it comes to your people, your greatest resource for identifying what you need to do moving forwards is the people themselves. The cornerstone of The Conscious Workplace is continual interaction to seek a positive employee behavioural experience. Asking them how they are feeling, what difficulties they are having, and then finding and testing the solutions to those problems to find the right fit for your organisation. 

Where can I go for more information?

To learn more about creating a conscious workplace, read our report – The Conscious Workplace.

Ricoh empowers digital workplaces by using innovative technologies and services, enabling individuals to work smarter. Our Work Together Anywhere webinar series is a great research destination for insights and to gain further understanding from experts.

 Watch past webinars and register for upcoming events here.

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To help drive your business forward Ricoh has partnered with Microsoft to provide you with useful insights, knowledge, and services to help you with your digital implementation strategy.

With a greater emphasis on agility and flexibility, virtual and physical workplace requirements continue to evolve. Therefore, to help you overcome the challenges you face we are able to deliver bespoke consultancy, technologies, and tools.

A people-centric approach to a digital implementation

In our recent “The Conscious Workplace” research, we discovered that keeping staff motivated, happy, and productive is the biggest challenge for 45% of managers. However, there is no one-size-fits-all answer for harnessing technology that will help employees be more productive. With significant experience across many industries, we have developed expertise in fitting solutions to bespoke requirements for digital implementations.

Our teams are working alongside customers at all levels helping them understand where they are in terms of creating a digital workplace. For instance, this means working directly with CEOs, CIOs, and CTOs, as well as staff at all other levels. So, by recommending technologies and services, we help them improve company performance, productivity and the wellbeing of their people.

To bring the latest innovations, seamless integration and an even wider scope, we now work closely with Microsoft. Therefore, This enables us to provide hardware, software, and business process services facilitating smarter ways of working in the modern workplace.

Partnership with Microsoft

Watch this short video to understand how our partnership with Microsoft can benefit your business.

In addition, you will see how we have helped organisations;

• Define a people-centric digital implementation strategy
• Meet the challenge of sharing and communicating data more effectively
• Enhance processes and the flow of information in today’s agile business environment
• Achieve effective digital implementation

Discover the latest research on remote working trends and unique employee behaviour insights by reading The Conscious Workplace Report.

Meanwhile, why not learn more about how we can help your digital implementation strategy read our latest guide – Implementing a Conscious Workplace. It is a practical guide on how to implement effective digital transformation that addresses new workplace behaviours.

Work Together, Anywhere – Helping business succeed in a changed world

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2020 will long be remembered as one of the most challenging and unpredictable experiences. The spread of COVID-19 and the ensuing global health crisis impacted the personal and professional lives . The UK lockdown and need to remain in the home when possible led to the UK GDP to fall as far as 20.4% in April – the lowest ever recorded monthly drop.

How lockdown unleashed accidental innovations in home working?

The first months saw a rise in discussion of a ‘new normal’ to come. As businesses and employees began to adapt to working from home, we saw an acceleration of remote working. Policies and the adoption of technology to support these new models up and down the nation. Businesses looked to innovate to stay afloat. Whilst we learned to adapt, it has become increasingly clear that the next challenge is the evolution of our workplace.

Facing new challenges

Never before have businesses had to deal with employees being fearful of returning to work . The consideration of illness within the office has never been a conscious worry. Perhaps people had hand sanitiser during flu season. But no office would have required staff to physically distance, sit behind Perspex screens or wear masks for the safety of the team.

What will lockdown mean for the way we work in the future?

Similarly, employees are no longer reliant on the convention of the office to be productive. With many people thriving in new locations, there is a growing call to change the way we use the office.  Addressing the modern-day worker who will want to use the office as a ‘destination’ location, that is fit for purpose.

This new ‘conscious workplace’ is achieved through engagement with change, enablement through new technology, innovation and a constant state of evolution. As a result of the current climate, businesses are having to make difficult and carefully conscious decisions to guarantee the safety and well-being of their staff – both physically and mentally.

We’re not just transitioning to a ‘new normal’, but rather a new future. So how exactly do we, as business leaders, make these choices? How do we create a physical environment which still functions productively and can generate collaboration and innovation?

Enabling through technology

Enabling through technology means employees and employers can create an environment that evolves in a stable way. Supporting your business’s future recovery and growth.

Productivity in the UK was in continuous free-fall before COVID-19. The uncertainty caused by global and European political and economic upheaval meant we had seen the UK’s lowest productivity level since the 1800s. This is not surprising when you consider 80% of office workers in the UK felt they didn’t have the technology to do their jobs properly. Studies showed that 56% of UK workers believed productivity was stalling their company’s growth because of outdated tech.

The transition to remote working due to lockdown kick-started a revolution in the way we work. Businesses and sectors famed for their legacy processes.  Systems had to play catchup and lead on digital transformation projects overnight. Suddenly the projects that IT teams across the UK had been trying to instigate despite opposition, were given the green light and thrown into hyper speed.

Engaging your employees

While we champion technology at Ricoh, we know that it alone won’t solve all your problems. Instead, it’s balancing technology with people that will help tip productivity levels back up. Being forced to work from home may have been a catalyst for a vast digital revolution, but people drove the solution.

Employee experience has long been rated as an important issue among workers. In some cases, employers denied flexible/remote working requests out of concern or fear that employees were unable to do their job efficiently.

Today, many employees feel an improvement in their work and life balance. But for some, the isolation associated with working from home had led to crippling loneliness. While there is no ‘one size fit’s all’, there is an organisational need to communicate effectively with employees, engage and listen to their needs. While enabling a better and more productive way of working.

The evolution

Like everything else in existence, the office will keep evolving. Over time, your employees’ wants, values and needs will change and so too will what your business has to provide.

The workplace environment must continue to evolve. With the right blend of working, we can create environments that are productive and sustainable in the long-term. Technology and the changing needs of people in the conscious workplace will be critical to ensuring long term productivity.

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The post The key to solving the UK’s productivity puzzle appeared first on Insights - Empowering Digital Workplaces.

In this post, I want to take these thoughts further by focusing on the office. Specifically, how workplace transformation can be the catalyst for positive and proactive change. Acting as the springboard to help your organisation and its people realise a better, more productive, and profitable future.

As we continue to respond to changes in our working lives, most organisations are now focused on how they get their employees back to work safely and efficiently. But is bringing them back to the same workplace they left many months ago really going to give you, or your employees, the best opportunity for the future?

Reverting back to a predominately office-based culture may well be a backward step for your business. Consider the fundamental changes which have occurred. The extensive use of cloud platforms, full-time remote working, the digitisation of workflows, and processes. These new technologies and ways of working should be enhanced further, not regressed.

Bringing employees back to business

Likewise, the daily working lives of employees has changed significantly. Many have reevaluated their priorities and found a new work/life balance. Adopting an entirely new, more agile way of working. With 73% of employees expecting more flexible working options in the future.

On the other hand, some have found the past few months less attractive. As many as 68% of employees miss face-to-face chats. This disconnection from conversations, camaraderie, and social interactions have left some feeling isolated.

So, reverting back to a one-dimensional workplace could make your business culture less attractive to talent. As well as slowing processes and potentially leaving you behind the competition.

Why now is the right time for workplace transformation

Disruption can be a catalyst to realise positive change. It’s also an exciting time for business leaders to shape how they want to take their businesses forward.

So now is a great time to consider a workplace transformation project. Transforming your office into a smart and safe workplace that enhances efficiency, optimises processes, and builds a strong culture for all. No matter their working style or needs.

Why workplace transformation will make your office space more valuable

The workplace has always been a valuable asset. But it’s also a costly one. So, taking this opportunity to reimagine how you use it makes sense.

It’s a great environment in which to bring people together to collaborate, inspire, share, and create IP. Digitising processes and workflows will bring more efficiency, improve security, enable the automation of repeatable tasks, and create flexibility.

But it’s a poor place to try and house all your employees all of the time, week after week. That’s expensive, demoralising and limiting for employees.

But now isn’t the time to make a knee-jerk decision. Many businesses have already closed offices or are currently considering a vast reduction in floor space. But before making radical decisions its good practice to have considered all the implications – our workplace transformation guide offers some great ideas and advice.

Realise the true value of your office

The future workplace needs to be a central hub for creativity and inspiration. A seamless digital environment where your employees come to immerse, connect, collaborate, and be productive.

Equally, the workplace needs to extend seamlessly beyond the physical office. Enabling individuals to be equally productive and connected whilst on the move or working remotely. Basically, anywhere an employee feels comfortable working. Whether that be at home, in a café or indeed in the office.

Successful business workplaces must fully meet the needs of employees, customers, security, the environment, and well-being.

The importance of face-to-face interactions

The most valuable aspect of the existing workplace is people-to-people interactions. This is when the real value is added, either in the form of inspiration and innovation or simply through collaboration and face-to-face interactions.

Whilst remote collaboration has, by and large, enabled organisations to continue with ‘business as usual’, the limitations of screen conversations can sometimes remove the rich, immersive experiences of face-to-face sessions. So, an ability to leverage both creates an ideal balance for any business.

Transform workplace experiences

As many as 49% of employees are currently concerned about social distancing if they return to work. So, to meet the needs of all employees, the workplace needs to be both smart and safe.

‘Smart’ to provide the right employee experience.  Support with the right blend of technologies, working practices, and processes. Delivering a consistent employee experience no matter where they are.

‘Safe’ by addressing the anxiety that your people may currently be feeling.  Adapt your workspaces to prioritise wellbeing without compromising the experience.

Making decisions about the best approach for workplace transformation can be a complex project. Requiring input and leadership across many areas of your business. Operations, IT, HR, Legal, and Finance will all have a key role to play. So, having a project leader who has a broad yet objective view will be vital.

Our experience suggests that Facilities Managers, working with an experienced business partner, are ideally suited to this task.

Getting started with workplace transformation

Our latest guide ‘Reimagine your workplace’ explores why now is the perfect opportunity to rethink your workplace. In this workplace transformation guide you’ll discover:

• Core thoughts and considerations for the future
• How to create a smart and safe workplace
• Tools and processes for seamless remote working
• Technology will enable better process automation
• Infrastructure and cloud technology for digital transformation

If you would like more advice on workplace transformation or help with an existing project, please get in touch.

The post Realise the true value of your office with a workplace transformation project appeared first on Insights - Empowering Digital Workplaces.