How did you do that? Almost half of businesses don't understand employee working habits

A new survey of 400 senior US and UK IT decision makers (ITDMs) finds 45 percent of organizations do not conduct any employee journey mapping, leaving them in the dark about how employees complete their work and what digital friction they face.

The study from Scalable Software finds the majority of ITDMs believe they have sufficient data on the digital employee experience (DEX). 92 percent of ITDMs say they have enough insight into the configuration, stability and performance of endpoints and applications to optimize DEX.

Most (84 percent) say they can proactively identify digital friction and easily rectify it, and 86 percent say they can track DEX over time and predict productivity degradation. However, the same group of ITDMs estimate that employees lose an average of nearly four (3.8) hours a week to DEX failings.

Without an employee-centric view though, organizations can't see how corporate policies align with employees' preferences and real-world behaviors. 57 percent of ITDMs say it is difficult to
get employees to use 'corporate standard' software and collaboration tools because the workforce prefers other solutions.

"Historically, management of IT services has been technology-centric, with many specialized tools employed to resolve specific technology needs. These tools are now being pressed into service to address employees’ digital experiences," says Mark Cresswell, co-founder of Scalable Software. "Our analysis clearly shows an emerging disconnect between how useful ITDMs see these traditional tools in the DEX context, and the benefits that employees are receiving. The whole situation is amplified by the shift to hybrid working where traditional management practices can no longer plug the gaps."

Only 44 percent of respondents say that they can spot excess out-of-hours work and staff at risk of burn out. 48 percent can't identify those needing more training or support, and only 56 percent can spot changes in collaboration and communication that may indicate an employee is less engaged.

"Accurately assessing digital employee experience in the modern hybrid workplace is complex and critically important," adds Cresswell. "It's no longer acceptable to retrofit IT management tools to fill a gap in DEX knowledge. Organizations need purpose-built DEX analytics that deliver insight into the digital experience 'black box' -- showing how teams accomplish tasks, highlighting inefficiencies and digital friction. As hybrid working becomes business as usual for most knowledge workers, employers must cultivate an employee-centric view of the digital workplace. ITDMs can lead the way in this endeavor by ensuring HR and business leaders have actionable DEX analytics to drive beneficial outcomes for employees."

You can read more and get the full report on the Scalable blog.

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