Over the past few years, an increasing number of companies have reported difficulty in attracting and retaining young employees, also referred to as millennials. According to industry watchers, this is because: 1) millennials are more tech savvy than baby boomers, demanding freedom in everything they do, including in choosing the technologies they’ll use to do their job; and 2) most companies are unable to accommodate the needs and wants of a generation that has grown up entirely in the digital age.
An organization hoping to attract and retain young, high-potential employees will need to change its workplace and mentality accordingly, combining its software solutions with emerging technology and social trends. What about the organizations that are already using an advanced ERP system? Will specific changes in the workplace affect the future of ERP?
Building the Digital Workplace of Tomorrow
A series of trends have already changed the workspace, transforming it into a more coordinated digital work environment in which employees are able to communicate and complete their assignments efficiently.
Further, high-tech workplaces complemented with intelligent ERP solutions are altering the way companies operate and compete by allowing employees to be truly mobile, enabling executives to manage projects interactively, and inviting everyone to stay connected in collaborative environments. Companies moving away from assigned offices, along with information flowing across all functional lines, and increasing numbers of employees speaking the language of technology are a few more factors that will change the workplace and drive the future of ERP.
Obviously, workspaces embedded with technology systems are able to deliver greater value to companies, improve processes, and stimulate innovation. However, developing a digital workplace isn’t that easy. To be successful, a company needs three essential components:
- Technology infrastructure – The development of a digital workplace begins with a careful assessment of the current technology infrastructure. After analyzing the current framework, the developer should consider the features and tools included in the new system, along with the rethinking of the physical work environment. Strong connectivity, both in the office and on-the-go, remains a critical requirement for a company to function efficiently.
- Adequate applications and devices – Giving employees unlimited access to different applications, regardless of time and location, is very important to ensure that teams can interact effectively and work cohesively. According to a recent survey, the companies that implement ERP systems and allow their employees to view, access, edit, and share information across different virtual environments 24 hours a day, 7 days a week can save up to 30 percent on operating costs. To offer employees the flexibility they expect, developers have also created applications that connect seamlessly with each other and can be used on most laptops, tablets, and Smartphones.
- Data security – The convergence of cloud computing and mobile technologies has created a series of issues relating to data security. However, advanced security protocols have been developed to allow users to not only access, store, and share information across private and public networks, but also to enable seamless peer-to-peer activities between different devices, online and offline.
Powerful, easy-to-use technologies along with the unanimous effort to attract and retain millennials have already changed both the work environment and the future of ERP, turning specific initiatives, such as BYOD and BYOC, into important parts of the “big plan” of each company.
Although most organizations are facing real challenges in offering millennials the level of technology they require, more and more executives understand the strategic value of creating a digital workplace.
In a nutshell, building a digital work environment and complementing it with a complex ERP system, such as Dynamics AX, have become absolute prerequisites to gaining an unparalleled advantage in productivity and innovation. These factors will further enable any organization, in any industry sector, to attract and retain the top-performing millennial workers it needs to stay competitive. Considering all these, choosing an ERP solution ready to adapt to the digital workplace has become more critical than ever. We cannot deny it anymore: the future of ERP is definitely looking bright.
