Sri Lanka’s needs to replace traditional workplace with new strategies: JLL

techJun 06, 2016 (LBO) - Sri Lanka should be developing new workplace strategies and new workplace methods soon to cater to changing trends, Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), a global real estate company, said in a report. “The era of using desktop computers, having a permanent workstation, individual landlines, and making copious print-outs is likely to become out-of-date very soon,” the report said.

“It is well-known that technology creates a decentralised organization but the balance between centralising and decentralising depends on the organisation concerned and also on its culture.” It is noticeable that the Sri Lankan workplaces that JLL deals with rely on a plethora of hard and soft technologies such as smart phones, laptops, tabs, Microsoft links, email, cloud facilities, WebEx and online marketing channels such as ‘Facebook’, other such websites and software systems that are customised. Sri Lanka is in the latent stage of becoming a fully-fledged digitalised economy.

National internet penetration has reached over 25 percent (InternetWorldStats.com) in the last five years and internet use is higher in the Western Province with the proliferation of high-quality affordable smart phones. As a result, the use of smart phones for official purposes is also growing. According to the report, IT infrastructure needs to be adopted more broadly across all sectors not just amongst the BPO/KPOs. “It is widely known that, today, decisions are made in real time and this requires real time data which depends heavily on connectivity, reliability and disaster recovery of systems and a quick response time frame,” it said.

For instance, if we look at a multinational company, we can see that their field staff depends on smart phones as point of sale to book orders from retailers and wholesalers by using a customized sales order application and that this makes their work more effective and efficient.

In the event of a natural disaster that affects a manufacturing facility, the real time data and interconnectivity help its management make quick decisions after consulting the regional / international divisions, the report adds. Another way that workplace space is being revolutionised is through the agile working concept provided by technology that allows home-based and agile working to slowly infiltrate the Sri Lankan working environment.

This impinges on three value generation aspects, especially for employees and for end-users. Firstly, certain employees who work from home, benefit by having a more balanced work life that gives them more flexibility, time with family and allows them to make use of time more productively. This, in turn, helps the organisation to reduce overheads and the employee to save on travelling time and associated expenses. However, work at home could be implemented if efficient individual performance measurement mechanisms are implemented, along with clear human resource policies that are coherent. Workplace strategies will not only boost the transparency within the firm but also the efficiency by reducing human errors, the report said.

When fair and transparent HR policies are set for home or on flexible working hours it boosts the confidence level of employees, giving them comfort and appreciation. Then simultaneously the employer can monitor progress to confer benefit to the organisation.