Article by Jason Coari, VP of Lakeside Software
Organisations that have adopted remote work are being forced to meet employees’ needs at the office, home, or a combination of both, and it’s proving to be a difficult feat.
At Lakeside, we surveyed more than 600 C-level executives, IT leaders and employees, across various industries on productivity in a digital world, and what we found was concerning. More than a third of the employees surveyed have considered leaving their jobs due to a poor digital experience—and 14% have actually done so.
The digital employee experience (DEX) isn’t just a modern buzzword—it evaluates the quality of a workforce’s daily interactions with technology. When employees can’t complete their jobs effectively due to inefficient tech (which is no fault of their own), it’s not just them who suffer—the whole organisation is impacted. If companies hope to retain top talent and reach optimal efficiency, they must remove the IT burden from their employees.
Employees have reported the loss of one hour per workweek due to tech challenges and, in general, feel that they are working at 60% of their productivity potential, meaning 40% of staff potential is untapped.
The disconnect between executives and employees was apparent throughout the survey, with most IT executives (nearly nine out of 10) saying they gave staff the necessary support and tools to complete their work, while one in four employees disagreed. Productivity issues due to lagging tech cannot be ignored. Employees who feel unsupported and unsuccessful have less reason to stay engaged with their work, further reducing business outcomes and the odds of retention.
Technology is integrated into our everyday lives at home and work, and we cannot ignore its advances, defects, and changes. As our employees interact with advanced and seamless technologies in their personal lives, their expectations for their digital experiences at work rise. This is even more true when you consider work-from-home employees who are likely shopping online, streaming content for entertainment, paying bills online, and so on, intermittently throughout the day. If their workplace’s DEX is substandard, but it’s clear that advanced technology is available, the question of why their workplace won’t invest in better technology will be top of mind.
With nearly two-thirds of UK employees currently working from home, according to recent research by Bloomberg, the time to invest in DEX and tap into employees’ full potential is now. Companies investing in DEX should expect positive results for their business. Executives surveyed in Lakeside’s Digital Employee Experience report said they plan to see benefits such as higher employee engagement, enhanced business agility, and stronger revenue growth. And 44% of the C-level executives surveyed said they expected increased staff retention.
Employers should understand that this is the beginning of the end for lacklustre job offers and poor working conditions. Employees know that their talent is in high demand across industries. Leaders in IT and executives across industries should be prepared to make the necessary adjustments to bolster DEX initiatives, including implementing DEX management systems and providing better tech for their employees. Creating excellent digital systems and offering employees a good work environment will increase staff retention, bolster productivity, and ultimately help the bottom line—meaning more lucrative business outcomes and happier employees.
