With the global pandemic on the wane, the future of the new workplace is uncertain. Employers, faced with what is becoming a “war for talent,” can’t afford to get it wrong.
While many employees are eager to return to the social contact and collaborative work environment of the office, many are equally adamant that work from home is best.
Seventy-three per cent of respondents in Microsoft’s 2021 Work Trend Index study said they want to have the ability to work from home. Meanwhile, according to a recent FlexJobs survey, almost 60 per cent of respondents said they’d leave their current position if they weren’t given the option of working from home at least some of the time.
Participate in: “How IT Can Support Employee Production and Retention”
With the pandemic still a factor, and the future of the central office unclear, it appears flexibility will be the big workplace key going forward.
Evolving role
“Work-from-home is here to stay,” said ITWC CIO Jim Love. “The results achieved during the pandemic in terms of productivity increases and other positive impacts have won over even the most skeptical employers. Yet it hasn’t been all positive – burnout, difficulties in communication and collaboration, and challenges around social interaction have hurt employees and employers alike.”
Star mentality
The same IT groups that were pressed into emergency service when the pandemic began will need to retain their star presence heading into the post-pandemic period.
While technologies that were hurriedly implemented to keep operations running smoothly will remain important, IT will need to take a prominent role in the future when it comes to enabling employees – wherever they may be. This means addressing all angles of their experience, and doing more to fine-tune and/or automate processes.
“Now’s the time for IT to embrace their starring role,” said Love. “The pandemic forced the C-suite to make quick decisions and rely on IT to achieve the impossible – an essentially overnight shift to digital-first. Going forward, CEOs can see the building of a winning work environment as being abundantly achievable through its IT players.”
Focus on IT
If you have even a shred of doubt that your IT group is embracing its starring role in building for tomorrow, you will want to set aside an hour on Dec. 7 for How Can IT Support Employee Productivity & Retention.
Love will be joined by Holly Zhou and Toby Lewis of Logitech as they present recommendations IT can implement to promote an inclusive, productive workplace and support business continuity.
