Leveraging a Modern Workplace for the Public Sector
Read time 6 mins
Now more than ever, it’s crucial for public sector organisations to embrace the right IT solutions and meet the evolving needs of the modern workforce.
Providing not only potential cost-savings and productivity benefits amidst budgetary pressures, implementing a modern workplace strategy can also be vital in securing the best talent. After all, since the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for organisations to be able to quickly and successfully adapt working models has been paramount.
Leveraging the modern workplace can help public sector organisations continue to provide essential support and services to society. A modern workplace strategy will help to secure skilled staff while also providing resilient communication platforms and the security of sensitive data.
What is the modern workplace?
The term ‘modern workplace’ can be thought of as a set of technological, physical, and psychological conditions which aim to improve the overall employee experience whilst optimising the productivity of the whole organisation.
It’s for these reasons that a modern workplace strategy can be so beneficial to the public sector. It can pave the way for new and emerging technologies which support automation, collaboration, and hybrid work.
Of course, this has meant that the modern workplace is also a highly digital environment. A place that requires robust infrastructure to facilitate the technologies, applications, data, tools, and collaboration features necessitated by employees. An environment which enables them to access their workspace from anywhere without putting organisations’, or their customers’, data at risk.
Upon implementing a modern workplace strategy, public sector organisations are likely to benefit from some, or even all, of the below:
Faster, more reliable communications To nurture modern workforces, public sector organisations will need to facilitate constant communication through multiple channels. Users will require the ability to engage from multiple locations and at variable hours through face-to-face conversations, email, video, phone calls and instant messaging. Enhanced productivity Better user experiences can benefit public organisations in many ways, beginning with the empowerment of employees. After all, when employees’ digital interactions make their daily tasks easier, it’s natural that they will feel more satisfied and be more productive. More efficient processes It’s true that many factors influence your employees’ productivity, but having efficient and safe processes in place to help users perform their job is a critical aspect. Indeed, without the right technology to help simplify and streamline tasks, employees are forced to use valuable time and energy to navigate antiquated systems. Improved cyber security The working world has changed and so have IT security threats. Implementing a modern workplace strategy requires organisations to transform their cyber security offering, ensuring resources are invested appropriately and are in-line with actual organisational risk. Reliable backup and disaster recovery Public sector organisations often store lots of data and, as such, having a secure data backup system with modern security measures and encryption tools in place is imperative (it’s also an important compliance consideration). A modern workplace strategy can offer organisations enhanced protection against data loss and damage. Increased flexibility and scalability The modern workplace is often underpinned by cloud services, which means operations can be flexible alongside the needs of your teams. Peaks or dips in demand become less challenging in this instance (both financially and in terms of technical resource to manage), and software can be added or removed to suit. For organisations requiring rapid responsiveness, or that are dealing with budget restrictions, the flexibility of the cloud is a huge advantage. High return on investment Making the move to modern, cloud-based infrastructure boosts efficiency and productivity via optimised operations. The use of automation tools, and other streamlined processes, while simultaneously reducing ownership costs delivers a better ROI. Diversity and inclusion benefits A modern workplace can foster an environment of open communication where employees feel comfortable sharing their ideas and opinions. It also encourages collaboration and makes training and development opportunities available for everyone while reducing the impact of having a hybrid workforce. Enhanced employee wellbeing As focus shifts to employee experience in the modern workplace, many companies realise that unhappy employees are also unproductive, demotivated, and disengaged. The modern workplace can help prioritise mental health by facilitating open communication across multiple channels and affording access to wellbeing training and other digital learning materials. Modern workplaces also improve the Digital Employee Experience (DEX) and overall Employee Experience (EX), reaping the benefits of both in terms of productivity and staff retention. It’s often worthwhile for public sector organisations to consult with a managed service provider about migrating to an optimised modern workplace strategy that addresses the specific challenges they’re facing day-to-day to get the best return on investment. A collaborative and empathetic MSP will be able to deliver a tailored modern workplace that achieves the desired outcomes within the constraints of any budget, training, or operational concerns. Having said this, most modern workplace strategies will include discussions about the following elements: End user compute (EUC) / Digital Workplace Solution (DWS) EUC (sometimes referred to as DWS) is all about integrating users into their IT environment. This includes IT systems and architecture that ensure your staff can be fully productive, not held back by out-of-date systems, clunky software, and counterintuitive processes. Legacy software is often an issue for the public sector and conversations should take place regarding upgrading this, as well as any automation opportunities that could help improve productivity. In the modern workplace, it’s important for organisations to make sure that employees can get the most out of the resources implemented. This may include hosting discussion groups with team leaders and your chosen service provider during the planning stage, as well as offering user training and continued software updates. Users must also be able to work seamlessly across multiple devices and locations, using one or more devices to access virtual desktop infrastructure. Your MSP may also be able to take care of procuring new devices, installing software, and recycling or disposing of old equipment. Cloud computing The last few years have seen a significant increase in cloud adoption, with more and more public sector organisations embracing cloud-enabled digital transformation to improve processes, increase resilience, and rapidly scale infrastructure. Any why not? Using the public cloud removes the burden of constant equipment upkeep, offering better affordability and elastic resources that can be scaled up or down. Most public cloud providers, such as Azure and AWS, provide pay-as-you go features and are built to support the increasing velocity of software and security updates with none-to-minimal disruption. Offering computing power previously reserved only for enterprise-level organisations, it’s true that the cloud is likely to play a significant role in any modern workplace strategy. However, it’s important not to lose sight of the fact that not all cloud solutions are the same. If you are considering a migration to the cloud, consider what benefits you want the cloud to deliver and how these are aligned and connected to your organisation. Your chosen MSP should be transparent about such expectations, working alongside you to deliver a personalised, optimised solution – and continuing to collaborate after migration. Cyber security In the modern workplace – due to offsite data centres, public cloud environments, and the need for remote access from any device and any location – a secure environment is much more fluid and harder to manage. A strong modern workplace strategy should always look to simplify security technologies, focus on cost optimisation, and consider the end-users’ experience. Organisations may also consider outsourcing some (or all) of their complex cyber security needs. After all, doing so often provides access to wider skillsets and better tools than are within reach in-house. External providers can offer access to threat detection, alert analysis, and advanced threat handling that most in-house IT teams are unlikely to be able to manage on their own. Outsourcing cyber security services can be much more cost-effective for public sector organisations compared to the investments in tooling and skillsets required to operate in-house. A collaborative cyber security service provider will work alongside your internal IT team, extending their scope and allowing organisations to benefit from access to sophisticated security tools. Find out more about our public sector IT services here. If you would like to discuss how Littlefish can help you reduce costs, increase service quality, and support your transition to the modern workplace, contact us using the green get in touch button on this page.
Implementing a modern workplace strategy
