IT problems slow down employees

The new study of the Unisys Corporation (NYSE: UIS) "From Surviving to Thriving in Hybrid Work," which was developed in collaboration with leading global research firm HFS Research shows the extent to which IT problems slow down employees. It also provides a roadmap for employers to increase employee productivity and engagement.

Better technology use and support for greater employee engagement 

The report shows: Access to best-in-class technology will continue to be a critical factor in employee engagement and their performance. Sixty-two percent of employees surveyed said that access to technology is a very motivating factor in their job performance. However, the report also shows that how companies adopt and continually support technology solutions is a challenge for employees:

• Nearly half (49 percent) of employees estimate that they lose between one and five hours of work productivity each week because IT issues keep them busy. Yet 42 percent of employers do not measure the loss of productivity due to IT issues.
• Employees want to help improve the IT experience. 92 percent are somewhat to very willing to share their data if it enables better predictive technology support.

Employers should also consider the differences between generations in terms of the perceived value of different workplace technologies. The key here is to strike a balance between what is new and innovative and what increases productivity. For example, Millennials see far more value in chatbots, wearable devices and virtual whiteboards than their Generation Z counterparts.

Investing in employee experience programs

Many companies have recently launched or expanded employee experience (EX) programs to improve employee recruitment and retention. Companies with very mature EX programs believe their employees are more engaged today than they were six months ago (74 percent), compared to companies with immature EX programs (24 percent).

Both employees and employers share similar views on the value of an EX program: more than 60 percent each believe that such a program has a significant impact on employee productivity, talent retention, turnover and profitability.

The new standard for work models is Hybrid Work 

No one needs to prophesy "hybrid work will catch on" anymore, because a hybrid work model has become the standard. However, companies must not only adopt hybrid work models, but also optimize them to attract and retain talent, train and engage new team members, attract new leaders, and maximize engagement and productivity. Other findings from the study include:

• Seventy percent of employers say hybrid work arrangements will continue to be their primary employment model.
• Sixty-seven percent of hybrid workers cite location flexibility for work-life balance as one of the most important motivating factors influencing their job performance.
• Individual decision-making power at work is a necessity - 70 percent of workers say decision-making power is a critical factor in their motivation, while only 57 percent of managers consider it important.

"The convergence of workplace technology and employee engagement has never been more imperative. Organizations continue to face difficult choices and must weigh how to invest in creating the workplace of the future while fostering a strong workplace culture that drives employee satisfaction," said Joel Raper, senior vice president and general manager of digital workplace solutions at Unisys. "Our study underscores what we're seeing with our customers as companies shift to a 'hybrid-first' mentality and embark on the kind of organizational change management initiatives that drive long-term employee satisfaction and productivity."