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.

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

The post Adopt hybrid working to establish a people-centered culture and accelerate growth appeared first on Insights - Empowering Digital Workplaces.

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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