Digital workplace trends: How India is adapting to the new normal

COVID-19 pandemic significantly changed the way we work. According to NTT DATA’s 2023 Global Employee Experience Trends Report, nearly 60% of employees around the world are now working remotely all or some of the time – and India is no exception. Clearly, hybrid working is now slowly becoming the norm.

Employees value the flexibility of the hybrid work arrangement, but they will end up frustrated if they don’t have the tools and facilities to do their jobs at home or at the office. Our report finds that only 48% of organizations agree strongly that their employees have access to technology that will help them perform optimally while they’re working remotely or in office.

Let’s explore some of the main workplace trends in the era of hybrid work.

1. Video-enabled meeting spaces

When some employees are working from the office and others are remote, meetings become tricky to run. This has led to a surge in demand for video-enabled rooms where participants can connect and collaborate seamlessly, with the chance of one or more participants being remote.

Our report reveals that more than 7 in 10 organizations globally are upgrading their meeting spaces with cloud enabled videoconferencing.

We expect the market for meeting-room video devices in India to grow significantly, especially because the user experience is constantly being improved with features like speaker tracking, presenter tracking and auto framing (“slicing up” the image of a group of people in a meeting room into individual shots).

2. Integration of AI in collaboration platforms

AI-powered features are becoming increasingly prevalent in collaboration platforms such as Cisco Webex, Microsoft Teams and Zoom. These features automatic note-generation and the ability to quickly catch up on missed portions of a meeting – no more guesswork if you were late to arrive! In this way, the integration of AI is making meetings more efficient.

It’s also helping to overcome language barriers: real-time translation supports communication and collaboration among global teams, and between clients and employees in different regions.

3. Evolving workplace infrastructure

The fixed-desk arrangement is gradually changing in India. Organizations are realising that much of their office real estate is likely to remain underused, even in a hybrid work scenario. By using less space more efficiently, they can reduce rental, maintenance and utility costs as well as their carbon footprint.

As a result, hotdesking and flexible-seating arrangements are gaining popularity. In these scenarios, it’s best practice to enable employees to easily book spaces for formal and informal collaboration with their colleagues.

4. In-depth workplace analytics

Organizations are also investing in technologies that provide valuable workplace analytics in real time. Solutions like Cisco Spaces supply data on office occupancy, and video devices which monitor air quality and other environmental factors. For instance, if there are 14 people in a meeting room meant for 10, the organization might want to automatically adjust the air conditioning and then check why a suitable room wasn’t available.

These technologies enable organizations to create carefully controlled work environments that support employee well-being and productivity.

5. Cloud-based communication tools

In the evolving workplace, the cloud is making it simpler and quicker to deploy and manage a range of solutions. Even traditional desk phones are gradually being replaced by cloud-based communication tools.

As mobile telephony becomes more affordable in India, organisations are opting for cloud versions of communication solutions such as  Webex Calling and Microsoft Operator Connect & Zoom Room. These cloud-based tools allow employees to use their own mobile phones for both professional and personal purposes.

6. Secure work practices

Whether employees are using their laptops at the office or a browser at an airport kiosk with public Wi-Fi, they must be able to securely access and transmit data from any device and collaborate effectively from any location.

So, organizations are focusing on securely migrating their corporate and client data to the cloud and using mobile device management to protect it.

Keep in mind that better security and great employee experience (EX) aren’t the only upsides to these technologies: there are also sustainability benefits. New devices usually consume less power and switch to sleep mode when not in use, while ecofriendly office designs can lead to big reductions in energy consumption.

Getting it right from the start

So, where do organisations start in reimagining their workspaces? At NTT DATA, we begin with the use cases: how and where do employees work, and what do they need so they can be as productive as possible?

Once the use cases have been listed and prioritised, our next step is to find the right technology to match the client’s needs and budget. Throughout this process, we prioritise integration with a client’s existing infrastructure and standards wherever possible.

In India, this approach has borne fruit at clients ranging from massive private-sector banks to large judicial institutions. Allow us to help your employees thrive in the digital age too.

Read more about NTT DATA’s Digital Collaboration and CX services.