Over the past few decades, we’ve witnessed technology pervade, disrupt, and reshape every segment of the global economy. During good times, tech platforms drive business growth and scalability. During bad times, they serve as pillars of resilience and stability.

The democratisation of technology is increasingly allowing even small businesses to digitise their operations, providing them with a competitive advantage and better prospects for the future. Our current technological landscape is one of doing more with less, customising and owning your workflows while navigating rapid change and rising economic uncertainty.

Last year was marked by inflation, the Great Resignation, and a lively debate around workplace flexibility and hybrid workstyles in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic. In 2023, I expect to see businesses respond by investing in a hybrid workforce equipped with highly versatile, user-friendly communication and collaboration platforms. Here is why I expect the adoption of such platforms to be the defining workplace trend this year.

DIY-type software is becoming the future in every industry

Autonomy and self-reliance will be the most important soft skills of the hybrid-working era, so workers will expect flexibility and freedom to be reflected in the tools they use for work. As a natural consequence, businesses will gravitate toward workplace solutions that allow employees — even those without any coding experience — to take control of their own workflows.

Since team members are no longer bound to a physical office and can work from various locations, they require a work solution that enables them to collaborate and manage their workflows efficiently. Therefore, the most effective solution will be an all-in-one centralised platform to house company data, tasks, and communication.

Rapid deployment and adaptability dictate business success

Passive software tools are for passive companies. The world is moving faster than ever, and software tools have to change accordingly. Paying large sums of money for developers to build customised features is going to be less desirable as DIY options become cheaper, more sustainable, and adaptable.

Companies will be looking for software that can offer quick modifications to their customisable build while supporting specific business requirements. No-code platforms in particular will play a pivotal role in helping companies keep costs low while increasing their agility and competitive advantage.

Employees expect technology to save time and make work easier

Workers are becoming more frustrated and burnt out from spending their days switching between multiple digital platforms for different functions, such as messaging, workflow management, and HR processes. These days, employees are spending far more time than necessary jumping between platforms and doing repetitive tasks instead of the actual work they were hired to do.

Silo platforms can no longer support the level of collaboration at which modern businesses need to operate. Employees won’t tolerate technology that is supposed to support their productivity and efficiency, but instead impedes their work performance and output.

Employees want their work to be organised around their lives

While some companies are pushing their employees to return to the office, hybrid work has become the only acceptable option for a large segment of the workforce. The pandemic has caused many of us to shift our perspective on work. We used to organise our lives around it; now our approach is the other way around.

Today, people want to be closer to their families and communities, avoid needless commutes at peak hours, and have more time for their hobbies. The only way to enable hybrid work while maintaining workplace productivity is by adopting a permissive workplace culture supported by the right digital tools.

No-code software, in particular, can be a lifeline to local communities, a solution to urban sprawl, and an extended hand to people for whom the traditional way of office work was not an option. I’m particularly encouraged to see this trend in my home country of Japan. With our ageing population and struggling local communities, we need to bring more diverse people into the workforce and do more with less.

Digitisation will make it easier to scale and hire

In many segments of the economy, the difference between business success and failure lies in the ability to scale. Generally speaking, companies that want to expand rapidly need to hire a lot of staff. However, every staff member added to a company needs training, onboarding, information, and communication. Traditionally, new staff can take months to become efficient and productive members of an organisation, and this can be a burden on companies trying to be rapid and flexible.

That period of inefficiency can be greatly mitigated by better information sharing. Centralised communication platforms ensure that everyone has the latest information. These tools also allow organisations to preserve their history and institutional knowledge so that turnover doesn’t bring operations to a halt.

In Southeast Asian countries with a young population of up-and-coming tech professionals,  centralised no-code platforms allow people to expand their professional opportunities, work more comfortably, and learn new skills. Young professionals can also become more productive by having instant access to all the company’s internal know-how and resources, as well as a platform that lets them customise their workflows, communication, and team operations.

The Asia-Pacific region has been suffering from the pressures of inflation, with massive hikes in property, taxes, and more. Economic uncertainty is poised to continue, and no-code technology is sure to play an increasingly central role as markets wait for the next period of economic growth. Business leaders are waking up to the value of no-code groupware as uniquely capable of responding to the needs and workstyles of diverse teams, while still centralising all business elements into a single platform.