NTT Ltd., the global technology services company releases its 2020 Intelligent Workplace Report ‘’, which highlights that the pandemic has put employee wellbeing at the forefront of the business agenda. Almost four-fifths (85.4%) of organizations agree that home-working during the pandemic has been challenging for employees. Connectivity and workspace issues such as bandwidth, a feeling of isolation and a lack of dedicated workspace have all contributed to their concerns. Organizations have to look at every aspect of workplace strategy to optimize employee experience, these include; culture, technology and location.
As the world continues to adapt to the challenges of COVID-19, organizations must develop a more robust strategy to permanently provide for their distributed workforce. While 93% of organizations recognize the value of employee experience as a crucial strategic differentiator, just 39.2% are very satisfied with their current capability.
For now, a third of all businesses (35.2%) have changed their IT policy to help employees work within a new operating model and half (51%) have deployed new communication and productivity tools. In many cases, employees have been left to use their personal devices and applications which has rapidly increased the risk of security vulnerabilities. In fact, only 58.6% have increased their IT security capabilities to keep their organization and employees secure.
According to the report findings, almost half (46.2%) of businesses are already reviewing the general office design and how best to align with employees’ new needs. Respondents are somewhat polarised on what to do with office space in general, with over a third (34.4%) of global C-suite execs saying they are looking to reduce office space, yet almost a quarter (24.0%) plan to increase it.
We now have access to a vast range of digital platforms and applications, but the rapid adoption of these new technologies has not always been supported with adequate training. To motivate employees to use new technology, it is important to clearly articulate the benefit to them as individuals, especially if they are working remotely.
Having adapted to the pandemic in recent months, over half (55.3%) of the global C-suite strongly agree that now is the time to create the workplace of the future. Pranay Anand, Senior Director of Intelligent Workplace, Asia Pacific at NTT Ltd. agrees with the need for businesses to act now, stating: “ Businesses must react with agility and purpose. Those who were already ahead of the game in employee experience – making brave, data-driven, human-led decisions are now in a much stronger position in creating a supportive culture.”
For more information about NTT Ltd., visit www.hello.global.ntt
(This content is surmised from a press release)
