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DEBATE: Is employee experience with IT the key factor for a productive post-pandemic workforce?

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People who mainly worked from home prior to the pandemic were far less likely to have received a promotion or a bonus compared with their office-based counterparts.

Is employee experience with IT the key factor for a productive post-pandemic workforce?

Pedro Bados, chief executive and co-founder of Nexthink, says YES.

Employees’ working experiences have historically been measured through three key elements: people, place, and technology. Recent months have turned this dynamic on its head. With workers across the country sent home from the office, place and people are no longer in employers’ control.

Technology needs to step up to meet this deficit. A survey conducted this year found that 78 per cent of IT leaders believe digital employee experience is an essential or high priority today, compared to less than half 12 months ago.

In a remote environment, increasing engagement with employees to understand their experience more deeply is essential — as this is more varied than it has ever been. While individual situations and the ability to cope will differ significantly, their digital experience can be controlled to boost satisfaction and productivity at work. 

A digital employee experience, which focuses on solving IT issues preemptively, can democratise the workplace as some staff start to return to the office, while others continue working from home.

Alex Fleming is country head and president of Adecco Group UK&I.

IT is just one factor when it comes to keeping the workforce’s productivity high while working from home. 

Those business leaders that have been transparent, engaged and flexible with their employees throughout the pandemic will likely have seen increased levels of productivity from their staff. The reality is that working much more flexibly, including from home, is going to be the future of work, and businesses need to ensure they can keep their staff productive. 

This doesn’t just mean investing in technology though. What’s also needed is a resetting of working norms moving forward.

Our research has found that there is a strong sense that the traditional 9–5 needs to be reconsidered. Over two thirds of British workers think that set-hour contracts are no longer relevant to modern ways of working. Furthermore, nearly three quarters think employee contracts should focus on output rather than the number of hours worked. 

Creating a better normal for everyone relies on strong communication and transparency as much as technology.

Main image credit: Getty