The art and practice of digital workplace governance

In the past, some viewed the digital workplace as a kind of inevitability—something that will emerge organically as business tools and processes improve with the advance of new technology. But the pandemic changed everything. It prompted a swift move to cloud-based tools and a sharp rise in remote work.

The overwhelming majority of companies around the world believe that in the future, remote working will increase (78%) and that the digital workplace and the physical workplace will coexist (86%), according to a 2020 report from Harvard Business Review. Rather than allowing gradual trends to shape the digital workplace, many organizations are keen on accelerating the process to get in front of the changes happening to business and the culture. Success in these efforts will require deliberate digital workplace governance.

By driving a digital workplace culture, organizations can improve communication, connection and collaboration—leveraging the power of unified action across the organization. This can remove the barriers of time and place, enabling teams to work in physically distant locations, while mobile and in all time zones while staying coordinated and connected. It also boosts business agility, which is increasingly necessary in today's fast-moving, fast-changing and unpredictable world.

But the digital workplace needs more than the right tools. The other vital part? A digital workplace framework and workplace governance.

Technology is to blame for the ‘Great Resignation’

Have you heard about the September exodus? More than four million Americans quit their jobs that month, shattering the record for resignations previously set the month before. And some 40% of remaining employees are thinking of quitting, too, according to a Microsoft report.

The crisis is even worse in technology. TalentLMS and Workable reported recently that 72% of US-based tech employees are thinking of quitting their job in the next 12 months.

Pundits point to many causes for the trend, from government stimulus checks to the rise of remote work to entitled millennials and even pandemic-driven stress.

In general, it’s clear that there’s a growing incompatibility between the reality and the expectation of the employee experience.

Making matters worse: The more people quit, the harder life gets for those who remain on the job. This is especially true of tech workers. IT departments have been notoriously understaffed, and as the Great Resignation increasingly hits tech workers, all employees suffer more downtime, cyberattacks, and tech implementation slowdowns.

This is an emergency. You need to know why people are resigning in such high numbers

How to bring digital retail experiences to your brick-and-mortar store

Despite the growing popularity of online retail, good old-fashioned brick-and-mortar retail stores are here to stay. What's changing is customer expectations about the retail experience.

In short, online retail and physical retail each have upsides and downsides. Consumers have come to expect all the upsides (like digital retail technology in stores and easily navigable store flow) and as few of the downsides (long lines and poor customer experiences, for instance) as possible. Many stores are accomplishing this balance by establishing digital experiences and technology in retail stores.

Feeling vulnerable? Here’s how to build a cybersecurity vulnerability management program!

As businesses grow, so does their attack surface. More network-connected devices drive innovation and efficiency. But with more devices comes more cyber risk.  Protecting the ever-expanding attack surface is more important than ever, with high-profile vulnerabilities being exploited more frequently—and with more impact. 

One of the most effective ways to mitigate cyber risk is by creating and maintaining a robust vulnerability management program.

How to do hyper personalization right

Personalization is good. It makes people feel good about brands that offer it. Good old-fashioned personalization typically uses data points such as name, title, purchase history, zip code and behavioral data to present relevant information.

The most common example of personalization is mass marketing emails that address each customer by name. Another is when a consumer is browsing for a brown jacket and are then shown online ads for brown jackets on other sites.

Hyper personalization takes it up a notch with artificial intelligence and near-real-time data to provide extremely relevant and timely content to customers. 

Using AI, customer behavior and preferences can be finely captured, and that data can be turned into specific messaging delivered at the right time and place for maximum effect.

Here's how to do hyper personalization right.

How the rise in cyberattacks Is changing consumer behavior

If a store you visit often suffers a cyberattack, you might feel like someone went through your wallet. This kind of attack or data breach, and this kind of feeling, isn’t new. The growing frequency, cost and impact of cyberattacks are new — and consumers notice. Consumers are more aware of attacks than ever before. After all, they affect the public directly more often now, such as when attackers steal their personal information from a large company.

Here's how consumer awareness is changing as the result of the rise in cyberattacks. 

Thanksgiving turkey!

I have no idea what this complicated mixture is that Amira made for Squishyface to rub on the turkey, but it’s delicious. 

Thanksgiving wine!

Every year we drink for Thanksgiving this stunning amber wine called Veto — both made by our wonderful friend, Sara Meneguz, whose winery is in the Prosecco Hills district of Veneto (just north of Venice). The color of Veto is mind-blowing. The taste is indescribable, unlike any other wine I have ever tasted. And it’s the only wine I know of that pairs with all our Thanksgiving foods. I always try, but fail, to capture the color in photographs. But I love the way this Italian wine sparkles in the California sunshine. I’ll keep trying. 

Thanksgiving dishes!

Mac-n-cheese (by popular demand), cranberry sauce (cranberries cooked in orange juice with spices), mushroom green beans, saffron wild rice pilaf, Amira’s mind-blowing salad dressing.
  

Thanksgiving pumpkin pie!

Pumpkin pie made with fermented emmer and whole spelt crust and butternut squash (which tastes better than pumpkin).