By Boomi
For the past year, we’ve been coping with the many ramifications of working and learning in the “new normal.”
For those fortunate enough to be at home, there are challenges of creating a “work fence” that separates us from kids, pets, doorbells, etc. And we need to share that precious Wi-Fi access to serve the multiple purposes of our jobs, our classes, and our social lives. If we have returned to our workplace or campus – for at least part of the time – we contend with screenings, staggered schedules, working farther apart, and even changing the way we lunch!
On top of that, whatever “official” new process implemented with the best intentions can change at a moment’s notice. When this all started nearly a year ago, most of us could not imagine how profound this change would be to our lives and our work – or that it would be more than just temporary. But now, most of us can agree that we need to prepare for a long journey not only to a new normal but to an improved normal as well.
As they say, “necessity is the mother of invention,” and there’s a whole lot of inventing going on right now in the effort to transform the way we work.
#WFH…and Then Some
Working from home is clearly a significant factor for organizations as well as individuals. Something we’ve learned is that work from home is not “one and done.” It’s more like semi-permanent at this point.
“We’re now at a stage where there’s definitely some attention needed because we might be doing this for a while, and this isn’t an emergency situation anymore,” said Melissa Swift, global leader, digital transformation advisory at Korn Ferry. “So how do we make this really work? Now is the time when the really interesting questions are coming up.”
Meanwhile, Mark Bradley, principal, EY People Advisory Services, said: “This pandemic has put a magnifying glass onto organizations. Things that were good about company culture and the way you work came out stronger. And things that were a struggle only became worse.”
Time to Transform the Underpinnings of Work Systems
Not too long ago, HR and IT teams expected that next-generation software would provide a seamless interface into the diverse processes needed to support recruiting, onboarding, benefits administration, network access, equipment provisioning, and more.
It turns out that in most cases, various systems were cobbled together with expensive, custom fixes designed for a single purpose. That resulted in discontinuous processes and multiple touchpoints for candidates and internal teams. Without integration and synchronization, these systems became unable to adapt and vulnerable to disruptions. Then, when the unexpected happened, the rigidity and complexity of this approach fell woefully short.
The Boomi Platform Approach
Superior Experience Is More Important Than Ever
In addition to supercharging work processes with agility, organizations need to deliver seamless connectivity so that people can easily navigate essential systems, whether they’re onsite, at home, or shifting between both. Also, many organizations have invested heavily in creating a premium physical workplace experience. Now they will need to up their virtual workplace game to attract and retain the best talent.
In our current disjointed and siloed engagement model, it will be challenging to deliver a premium experience when candidates and employees need to navigate different systems that can number in the dozens. What we need is automated, optimized work process orchestration. With this approach, you create an elastic, agile environment that supports all the required workflows that stretch across personas, departments, and technologies – delivering a superior worker lifecycle for all.
And, you’ll be getting more value from your current system investments by complementing instead of replacing applications.
Seeing the Silver Linings
It’s hard to see silver linings right now. But the innovations put in place today will reap serious benefits long-term. In a survey of CFOs conducted by PwC, we see some illuminating results, highlighting drivers that will make our organizations stronger. Of particular interest in the figure below is how both “Work flexibility” and “Better resiliency and agility” are tied for factors that will most improve the outlook for these companies.
These are qualities that we are proud to say are part of the Boomi DNA.
As I see it, this was always the promise of digital transformation. At Boomi, we are working with our customers every day to help them get to this promised land faster and with more agility. Not only are we connecting everyone to everything, but we are unifying data and delivering great integrated experiences to everyone who wants and needs them – wherever they may work.
That’s how Boomi can help bring together people, locations, and technology to transform the way we work today and in the future.
And that’s work reimagined for a better tomorrow.
To learn more about how the Boomi AtomSphere Platform can enable organizations to meet this challenging moment, we’ve pulled together some great resources. We have an on-demand Work Reimagined video series and other information about adapting to our new normal. We’ve also created easy-to-implement application templates you can use to automate critical processes and keep your people safe, healthy, and productive through rapid change.