Conclusions & Recommendations

1. Leadership: Cross-departmental collaboration will be needed

For an organisation's finance and operations team to enact effective and long-term strategy, their CEOs must provide more holistic frameworks for cross-departmental collaboration. By uniting these siloed groups, the finance and operations team can unite the expertise of other business leads to develop a strategy that puts people at its heart, bringing together the different aches and growing pains to create a more seamless operation.

2. Analysis: Using metrics to gain clarity

To develop plans with longevity, finance and operations teams need their CEOs to seek out metrics from the wider business. They need to define what a productive and well-supported employee looks like so the right investments can be invested in. By defining these structures, the finance and operations team will be able to develop and enact a more robust business strategy to protect against any other issues which may occur as a side-effect of recent global events. Only through this approach can we move away from assumptions and lead effective change to hybrid businesses.

3. Understanding: Assessing the “cost-benefit” of new working practices.

Finally, by utilising realistic metrics and cross-departmental collaboration, the finance and operations team will be able to effectively implement and assess the “cost-benefit” of new working practices. Ensuring that plans designed for today are fit for purpose for tomorrow.

Businesses should look to utilise digital workspace technologies, like sensors, which offer real time data and thus dependable insights for future HR developments. This data can be used to make other critical decisions such as the need for desks and room booking, which will support hybrid working plans – what every they look like. Another key solution organisations can explore is business process and automation such as accounts payable receiving and e-invoicing, alongside the use of dashboard reporting which will give critical time back to HR teams. By employing these technologies they in turn can re-invest their time in your organisation's people management and support.

Now that you’ve read insights from
your Finance & Operations peers…

Take a look at further advice to drive your digital workplace strategy

ARTICLE:
How Finance and IT collaboration can accelerate digital transformation

ARTICLE:
A CFO’s view: Finance automation is critical to productive hybrid working

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