ideas for work: how to create a culture that inspires - blueprint #2

Ideas for Work

How to create a culture that inspiresBlueprint #2

New technologies have reshaped the everyday experiences of today’s consumers. And that’s led to greater expectations in the workplace – both in terms of the technology they use, and the way they work in general.

Empowered by social media, smartphones, apps and online services, these individuals are ambitious problem-solvers with an inherent ability to multi-task. And they’re incredibly valuable assets to any business – if they’re properly engaged.

In the first in our series of guides helping organisations adapt to compete in this new climate, we’re looking at how employers can get the best out of their staff by creating a working culture that enables them to thrive.

Understanding today's workforce

Some organisations have already recognised the potential of this demanding new kind of consumer, and have adapted to embrace them, both as customers and as members of staff.

How do you inspire them?

By providing the right tools and building a culture that encourages and inspires their people, these businesses are becoming faster, more responsive – and more in tune with the needs of their customers too.

Businesses like Airbnb, Uber and WhatsApp have quickly

evolved from startups into major players in a comparatively short period of time, in part due to the way they've recruited and successfully engaged an ambitious, creative and forward-thinking workforce. Do the same and your organisation could reap the rewards.

How to create a culture that inspires

Give staff the ability to work remotely or give them permission to work more flexible working hours – depending on their situation.

Let employees have more control over their own working schedule to make time for doctor’s appointments, the school run or other elements of their private lives.

Offer a more flexible approach to working

Be comfortable letting them carry out personal tasks during working hours, as the likelihood is they’re sometimes doing work in their personal time too.

of employees say they like to keep track of work while out of work or on holiday1

1 Source: Mobile Technology in the Workplace Buyer Survey, CCS Insight www.ccsinsight.com/blog/survey-finds-irrevocable-shift-to-personal-computing-in-businesses

68% Your workforce will feel

happier, more valued and more in control, cutting down levels of stress in their work and personal lives. This will not only positively affect their output, but also can cut down your staff turnover and hiring costs.

You’ll have access to a more diverse workforce and a wider talent pool, without the old constraints of personal circumstances or geographical location.

Teamwork will improve as your employees become more accustomed to sharing the load of work and covering each other’s patches. As they’re all allowed the same flexibility, your team will be more likely to pitch in and support their colleagues.

In case of bad weather, power outages or travel issues, you’ll have a greater level of business continuity, able to provide an uninterrupted service despite obstructions.

Your business will have a lower environmental impact. You can potentially reduce office space as well as the amount of office supplies you need to order. Remote working will also enable employees to travel less and save on fuel – get on a conference call or videoconference if it isn’t vital that a meeting is face-to-face.

What are the benefits?


If you have a strict dress code, consider giving staff the freedom to dress more casually if they’re not required to be client or customer-facing.

http://www.ccsinsight.com/blog/survey

Be open-minded about the tools and services your staff choose to use to get work done, and try to avoid blocking platforms just because you can’t see the immediate benefit to work (social media and cloud sharing for example).

Enable staff to use the tools and devices that suit them

Consider device policies that allow your staff flexibility, such as COPE (Corporately Owned, Personally Enabled), BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) or CYOD (Choose Your Own Device).

of employees think that their company’s mobile IT policy puts unnecessary constraints on the way they work2

2 Source: Mobile Technology in the Workplace Buyer Survey, CCS Insightwww.ccsinsight.com/blog/survey-finds-irrevocable-shift-to-personal-computing-in-businesses

Your staff will be more responsive and more in tune with the needs of customers, resulting in better customer service.

If they’re free to use the platforms that suit the way they work, your team will be better at working together.

With the flexibility to use whatever tools they know work best, your staff will be more effective and productive.

Reduce capital expenditure on costly on-premise technology and software, as your staff make use of free or more cost-effective cloud-based services. You could also spend less on smartphones if you allow staff to use their own.

By providing safe and secure access to new technologies like virtual reality and wearables like smartwatches, you could enable new improved ways of working, and even help your staff become healthier by using fitness goal apps.

50%


Think about providing access to tools or devices that your company hasn’t previously utilised – if employees think they could be useful. You might be surprised by what doors virtual reality headsets or wearables could unlock for your business.



Offer your employees training in creative thinking and problem solving, to show them different ways of approaching tasks and challenges.

Reward creativity in the workplace, either via positive feedback or an incentivised programme – but reinforce the fact that creativity is valued in your organisation.

Encourage creative and entrepreneurial mindsets


of employees say that mobile business apps are already changing how they work3

Be sure to provide anonymous methods for submitting suggestions. Not everyone will feel confident enough to shout about their ideas.

It’s important to tolerate at least some mistakes, to ensure that your staff become (and remain) comfortable trying new things.

By giving ambitious employees the chance to contribute forward-thinking ideas and solutions, you’ll unlock new ways to drive business growth.

Foster a team that relishes the chance to solve problems and issues with current ways of working and your workplace will be full of more proactive and independent thinkers.

Giving your staff more freedom will help them develop a strong sense of purpose, making them more motivated and fully aware of your business goals.

Reap the benefits of a driven and inspired workforce, who are buoyed up by being given the opportunity to think differently.

By hiring more diverse teams, your staff will be more likely to come up with a rich variety of creative ideas informed by different perspectives, experiences and attitudes.41%


Promote diversity at work by hiring people from different backgrounds.

Make sure you block out time for your staff to be creative, rather than just expecting it to happen.



Create an environment that promotes working together

Having an open plan office will not only encourage more discussion between teams, but should also improve relations between different departments in your business as they’re no longer separated by walls or floors.

Creating dedicated meeting rooms as well as more relaxed spaces will give your people more opportunities to work together in a way that works for them.

of employees say that tablets, business applications and mobiles replacing PCs will be top trends that will affect their businesses in the future4


If you haven’t already, consider the potential benefits of an open plan office for your business, instead of walled desks or offices.

Whatever the layout of your workspace, ensure you provide ample space for different styles of working. Aside from meeting rooms, your staff may need space for silent working and contemplation as well as collaboration.

Create a dedicated space for breaks and mealtimes, so your staff don’t feel they have to eat at their desks.

Provide the right tools and devices to help your employees work together – even something as simple as an adequately-sized screen and webcam in your meeting room will enhance the videoconferencing experience. You might even want to consider how virtual reality could improve meetings being conducted remotely.

Making more of space by removing private offices will physically enable you to fit more employees into the same workplace, directly lowering overheads and giving you more floor space to create new meeting rooms and places for working together.

Providing a place for employees to eat together will result in happier staff, giving them a break from their desks and an opportunity for chance encounters that help them build stronger relationships with their colleagues from all areas of your business.

80%


Encourage your staff to use alternative services to email when working on specific projects. For example, platforms like Slack offer a stream-like view more suited to tasks where people need to have real-time conversations, as opposed to lengthy email chains.



How Samsung technology can help

This platform enables employees to use the same mobile device for their work and personal lives, giving them the freedom to work how and where they want.

They can be confident that their personal data is kept private, while business data is kept safe and secure. Samsung Knox supports a variety of Mobile Device Management solutions, and it gives your business the ability to back up data, track lost devices and wipe data remotely.

Samsung Knox


Give your employees the chance to use technology you might not previously have thought relevant, and give them creative license to use it to solve problems and come up with new ideas.

Virtual reality and 3D experiences have already been used in everything from experiential advertising to vehicle test drives – and even to save lives. Who knows? Exciting new technologies could soon be doing amazing things in your organisation too.

Gear VR & Gear 360


Visit our business site to find out how we can empower your employees to live and work more effectively, and learn how Samsung technology can give your organisation a chance to grow and compete in today's fast-moving economy.

samsungatwork.com linkedin.com/company/samsung-at-work twitter.com/samsungbizeu youtube.com/user/SamsungAtWork

Start inspiring your organisation

www.samsungatwork.com