Survey Says Happy Employees Boost Bottom Line

90 per cent of businesses agree hybrid and remote work has a positive impact on their bottom line. But, less than half (48 per cent) of organisations strongly agree that employees have access to the technology they need to work well both at home and in the office. This is according to research conducted by NTT Ltd, a leading IT infrastructure and services company and parent company of Dimension Data.

In its 2023 Global Employee Experience Trends Report findings, NTT Ltd. explored how current workplace trends, such as hybrid work and Artificial intelligence (AI), are influencing employee experience strategies and the correlation between employee experience (EX) and business performance.

The report found that many organisations are now implementing more structured approaches to work, with the report finding that approximately 56 per cent of hybrid workers spend half the work week at the office. However, with hybrid models still favourable and recognised by most business leaders as fundamental to positive EX, organisations need to ensure they are providing employees with the technologies they need to work effectively, regardless of location.

This shows how the EX-narrative has evolved over the last several years.

Today, it is a business-wide priority to ensure employees feel empowered and have the right technologies in place to drive efficiency. Previously, EX strategies have primarily focused on employee wellbeing. Commenting on the research, Marc Jessiman, Vice President of Technology Solutions at Dimension Data said, “There is still too much of a disconnect between what employers provide and what employees require. Many employees prefer to work according to what works best for them, but hybrid working strategies often limit that flexibility.”

Top-performing companies that increased their IT spend and invested in EX technology were 56 per cent more likely than underperformers to report improved business growth due to improvements to EX, and 89 per cent more likely than all others to have significantly increased employee satisfaction.

“Interestingly, 73 per cent of organisations agree that hybrid and remote working contribute to mobility investments over the last two years, yet more needs to be done to improve EX and reduce disconnects. As a result, satisfied and engaged employees are 66 per cent more likely to provide exceptional customer service,” added Jessiman.

In addition to hybrid work, EX is also being impacted by the rise in AI, with the emerging technology voted as the leading enabler of future customer experience (CX) and EX strategies, and AI interfaces rising to become the norm for 4 in 5 organisations within the next 12 months. Despite this, 87 per cent of organisations agree that human-led support remains a critical element in their customer engagement.

“NTT’s report findings are reflective of today’s dynamic work landscape, including a more permanent era of hybrid work and focus on employee engagement, said Sheila McGee-Smith, President & Principal Analyst, McGee-Smith Analytics. “The adoption of AI is growing, driven by the real business outcomes revolutionary AI technologies are bringing. Organisations are seeking guidance on how to harness all that AI has to offer to succeed in dominating their markets while supporting employee fulfilment and well-being.”