The way
people spend their work hours has been the same for a long time, but the
pandemic was a major disruptor of this. Work has changed and will continue to
change going forward.
Almost
half (48 percent) of the employees in the study say that they enjoy increased
flexibility at work. 52 percent consider flexible work hours or locations as
key requirements, and 25 percent say that flexibility is the top priority if
they would start to look for a new job. Doing work rather than going to work is
seen as central in this new way of thinking about work life.
Employers
need to embrace digitalization and flexible workforce management, and this can
be done by creating a workplace of the future that supports human
collaboration, simplifies work and values employee input in decision making.
Key
findings:
- Flexibility is
the new work life currency. Employees
predict flexibility as a future employment need as hybrid work continues
to be the norm as 25% of the global working population say they will
prioritize flexibility above all else.
- Digital
technologies renew employee confidence. Using the right digital
technologies boost twice as much positive feelings for employees without
increasing stress.
- Decision-makers
and employees are increasingly at odds over technology. Only 33% of employers consider
employee preferences when investing in new technology as 4 out 10
employees struggle with non-relevant tools for their tasks.
- Flexible
workplaces may come at the cost of increased surveillance. Balancing visibility and privacy
is a challenge and concern for hybrid work. 65% of employees who are optimistic
about technologically-enabled flexibility also believe it will be tied to
an increase in monitoring.
- Globalized labor
markets bring talent and concerns to employers. Decision makers in emerging
markets agree loyalty is declining with the rise of remote jobs.
- Five employee paths shape the future of
work. Employees prioritize flexibility (24 %) digitalization (20
%), project-based work (12 %), or career (19 %) and financial stability
(25%).
“Based
on our research, it is quite clear that the future of work is going to be
increasingly dependent on ICT solutions such as high-speed, globally available
mobile connectivity. We felt the pandemic could finally be seen in the
rear-view mirror, and therefore wanted to take a closer look at what changes in
peoples worklife had stuck, and what was only a temporary adjustment! My own
favourite take-away is that remote work is clearly here to stay – maybe not
exactly at the level as was measured during the pandemic, but still at
significantly higher levels than before the pandemic!” - Anders Erlandsson,
Head of Ericsson IndustryLab
"Amidst
the rapid digitalization brought on by the pandemic, our research highlights a
concerning gap between the technology available in the workplace and the needs
of employees for flexible working. With 6 in 10 companies lacking relevant
technology for their staff, and just 2 in 10 employees feeling they have
relevant tools at workplace there is a pressing need for organizations to
invest in digital tools and robust connectivity that enable remote
collaboration and flexibility, not only to attract and retain top talent, but
also to stay competitive in the post-pandemic world." - Jasmeet Singh
Sethi, Head of Ericsson ConsumerLab
The
research was carried out during 2022 within 30 markets globally; 38,000 online
surveys of employees plus 3,600 online surveys of decision-makers and 11
in-depth interviews with decision-makers from selected industries within three
markets; China, Spain and US.