IT must take the lead in hybrid work
They need to ensure technology is making employees’ lives easier, not harder.
Why You Should Care
Hybrid is the future of work.
But it comes with major challenges, particularly for IT teams, according to Ivanti.
How can they balance easy access to tools and security requirements?
The future of work is going to be hybrid.
This is confirmed by studies from the likes of Microsoft and Gartner, and now from security company Ivanti’s survey of 10,000 IT professionals, executives and normal employees.
The research found that just 13% of respondents wanted to work exclusively from the office and 69% expected to work remotely at least 25% of the time.
This is linked to the productivity gains from working remotely – 58% of normal employees are more productive now than before the pandemic, this rose to 74% for C-Suite respondents.
While there are benefits of remote work, it is not a panacea; there are still significant challenges facing companies as they try to build a good digital employee experience (DEX).
The main issues mentioned by respondents include too many emails or chats (28%), feeling disconnected from their coworkers (27%), software and apps not working properly (23%), IT teams taking too long to deal with problems (21%), and challenges with their device or hardware.
As a result, employees are frustrated by the technology available to them (both software and hardware) – Ivanti found 64% of UK respondents felt this way – and this is pushing one in four to consider looking for a new job.
IT must take responsibility
Ivanti is very clear that getting DEX right should primarily be under IT’s remit.
The report argued that they need to think about the end user experience when selecting new tech tools for the workplace – currently, just 24% of IT professionals in the UK do this.
But what do employees actually want from workplace tech? They want better IT helpdesk facilities (28%), and to be less reliant on emails (19%) and video meetings (11%).
They are also irritated by burdensome security requirements (23%). Workers want more intuitive software and tools, which integrate into one another (24%). Currently, 88% of UK workers are working across multiple apps, and this is causing duplication of work and wasting their time.
The problem is that hybrid work has created a conflict between effective work and secure systems – 49% of respondents said their organization had relaxed security measures to make it easier for employees to access tech tools they require to do their work.
“The solution to this conundrum cannot be choosing between security and employee experience, since both hold equal weight in the overall success and resilience of the organization,” Ivanti’s report stated.
It continued: “In reality, it should not be about trying to balance the two, but about approaching them as two inseparable elements of any digital transformation.”
Thankfully, there is an answer that suits both employee demands and security needs, and ultimately reduces the security burden on employees – single or zero sign-on so all their apps are under one login.
While it is IT’s responsibility to oversee the tech side of DEX, Ivanti is clear “the digital employee experience is also as much about company culture as it is about technology.”
“Overcoming these challenges requires close alignment between business leadership and IT to better integrate people, processes and technology,” according to Ivanti’s survey.
Ultimately, collaboration is key.
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Chief Reporter
Allie is an experienced business journalist and can be reached at alexandra@unleash.ai.
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