After a fantastic opening ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics there is a real buzz with everyone across the UK! People are energised, excited, and upbeat about what will be happening here for the next two weeks.
And the really important thing is how they will be spending their time, especially their working time, during the next two weeks that will herald the digital workplace becoming more of a reality and less of a phrase that organisations quote.
Last August I posted about the ‘London 2012 Olympics boost to the digital workplace‘. It is an opportunity which some organisations have embraced strongly or grudgingly made the minimum allowance for. The logistics of people travelling to work in and around the London area for the next two weeks will have an impact on businesses.
Employees will need to consider staggering their start and finish times and their journey time will take longer. While some employees have to be in certain workplaces because of the nature of their work, there are many who have the flexibility to work from other places for the next two weeks.
It will be interesting to see the outcome of the next two weeks on people working in a digital workplace!
Will organisations find:
- their employees were more engaged because of not having to commute?
- their employees are happier with a better work/life balance?
- employee productivity increased because they chose how they worked?
- businesses were more profitable?
- the digital workplace enabled new and better ways of working?
I really hope so and expect from my experiences to see that happen.
The Olympics lasts for two weeks but I believe the digital workplace will be here to stay for many business who will see the benefits gained and want to build on the progress made.
The Olympics gives London-based organisations a reason to explore the digital workplace. Hopefully their experience will be positive, and make mobile, digital work mainstream.