Nitro Software has released the first installment of its Future of Work report, highlighting trends that are shaping up the digital transformation of organizations.
When organizations shifted from physical offices to working from anywhere, it raised recurring concerns about how talent productivity will be affected and if business continuity would be possible in such a scenario. Reports have shown that productivity has improved as employees work remotely. But, as a new report shows, some prerequisites need to be fulfilled for productivity to increase or even remain stable. The biggest one is access to the right technology and digital tools.
Nitro SoftwareOpens a new window , a global document productivity company, has released the first installment of its Future of Work report, which indicates trends that are shaping up the digital transformation of organizations. As per the report, digital tools are the key to making knowledge workers remain productive. Some industries, such as insurance, banking, construction, and real estate, have experienced the most significant shift from paper to digital workflows due to COVID-19.
Nitro Founder & CEO, Sam Chandler, said, “Companies and teams have quickly seen the benefits of embracing digital transformation as a result of the pandemic, from cost and productivity improvements, to employee satisfaction. As the trend continues, we are increasingly interested in how this ‘new normal’ will impact work more broadly, particularly around wellbeing, stress and satisfaction for employees.â€
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What Are the Emerging Trends Highlighted in the Report?
Four significant trends demonstrate the rapid digitization of companies:
- Significant decline in printing
- Speedier migration to digital workflows
- Emphasis on electronic signing and digital collaboration
- Change in work hours to expand beyond typical business hours
All the trends are not favorable. For example, the first three indicate a shift to a more efficient and cost-saving method of operating. But the last one could become a cause of concern that might lead to an adverse impact on employees’ mental healthOpens a new window and lead to burnout.
Also, while the digital trend is positive, studies have shown that HR teams, which are usually at the helm of workforce-related transitions, are not equipped to manage this pace of digital change. A recent study by DoodleOpens a new window , which was based on data collected from the Doodle platform, shared that when HR professionals were asked about how prepared they were to cope with the rapid increase in virtual interactions, 17% responded negatively, and 31% said they were only slightly prepared.
In entirety, the bigger picture indicates that while digital tools have led to an increase in employee productivity and cost optimization for companies, the two core concerns that are arising are the HR team’s pace of adapting to this change and the impact on employee well-being.
The reason for the lower adoption by HR professionals could also be due to the lack of visibility that they have with respect to HR applications and how their ROI can be measured. A survey conducted by AppLearnOpens a new window in 2019 shared that 92% of HR professionals say they have “some†or no visibility on the use as well as the effectiveness of their HR applications.
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How Can Organizations Drive HR’s Transformation?
The first step is to accept that HR is part of the solution. Even when the emphasis is on business-specific workflows, HR has a critical role to play in identifying employee needs and communicating them to business leaders. Also, as the workforce continues to remain virtual, the skills and tools needed to stay productive will keep changing. HR must incorporate those skills into their list of requirements as they hire new talent.
When digital transformation speeds up in organizations, it also leads to a simultaneous increase in the need to revisit existing roles and reskill talent. HR will need to be part of this process. With large corporations such as MicrosoftOpens a new window creating the roadmap for training millions on digital skills, it is a matter of time before others join this journey. Before they start on this journey, ensuring that their HR teams believe in the same vision is essential.