The Modern Public Sector Workplace

Keith Martin, Phoenix Software’s Director of Public Sector, looks at the growth and advantages of the Modern Public Sector Workplace.

Happy New Year everyone. I hope you all enjoyed the festive break?

Whilst digesting mince pies over Christmas I was reflecting about the tremendous change that we are seeing in the market place and some of the great innovation and transformation that our customers have and are undertaking.

Within the Public Sector the speed of innovation has been fantastic to witness and organisations are continually looking at ways to unlock productivity and drive outcomes. One of the areas that has been a continual talking point is the Modern Public Sector Workplace.

Modern Workplace is a widely used phrase and within Public Sector it can mean many different things. I think before we really look at what it might mean and the benefits, we need to consider the problems that Public Sector customers can face which includes:

• Providing an improved, efficient service often with reduced staff and budget
• Retention of talent within the workplace and within the region
• Mobile workforce – ‘hot desk’ or ‘no desk’ policies
• Provision of enhanced citizen/patient engagement and experiences
• Providing a secure environment despite an ever-growing threat landscape

The above are just a few of the many problems that customers are facing, yet for those wishing to look at the art of the possible, the opportunities to truly change are significant. The Modern Public Sector Workplace firmly puts the focus on the user and providing them with all the tools they need to be productive whilst at work. This could be a Microsoft Surface Device, Windows 10, M365 supported by the specific Public Sector applications that the user requires. This could broaden to provide rich, real time data feeds which could help case or patient management as an example. By giving staff the ability to do their job with minimal if any duplication, to provide foresight rather than relying on them to react and to provide a service that satisfies rather than frustrates can change the whole perception of a Public Sector body, improving job satisfaction and enhancing the populations view of the organisation.

Of course, the Public Sector has huge challenges around cost and it is amazing to see that innovation around Modern Workplace does not only deliver service improvements it also can also provide significant savings. There are many examples of this:

• Social Workers able to complete work in the field rather than making notes and typing up when back in the office. This increases the numbers of cases they can deal with.
• Doctors able to manage patients at the bedside rather than logging in at central stations and update or revisiting notes. Saves time, money and provides a more personal service.
• Public Sector bodies spending fortunes, sometimes in excess of £100,000 per annum on translation services when translation can potentially be done in real time using software.
• Space being utilised in different ways, or efficiencies in building costs as individuals don’t have to permanently work at a desk
• Ease of booking meetings and meeting rooms, no requirement for Administration Teams to do this.

The list goes on and on. Public Sector bodies should not fear this change, this is the opportunity to unlock the potential of their employees and deliver a great service and significant savings within their region. Personally, I believe there is a fantastic opportunity for Public Sector bodies to really provide the foundation to drive the UK forward over the next decade.”