Barry Murphy
Managing Director, Sage Ireland
New digital solutions are helping to advance businesses’ core goals and deliver true flexibility for employees as we embrace the future of work.
New digital business software solutions are allowing businesses to focus on their core goals and provide employees with a better work-life balance. With new technology for tackling administrative demands becoming more understood and available, there is a generational opportunity for businesses to achieve greater efficiency while building a better working environment, whether it be in a physical office or working remotely.
The benefits of remote and flexible working
While many businesses are still adapting to new working models, it’s clear that tangible benefits have emerged. According to 2021 research from Sage Ireland conducted among Irish businesses in association with YouGov, the businesses who experienced positive impacts from COVID-19 outlined how their customers are now more active virtually, how their staff are more productive and that they had gained more customers.
Barry Murphy is the Managing Director of Sage Ireland. He believes administrative burdens of older working models can be permanently removed through utilising the various digital tools at businesses’ disposal, to put businesses on a new direction of travel, allowing more focus on their core objectives and ensuring a better work-life balance for staff.
He adds: “There is currently a wide and growing variety of digital tools to provide fast and efficient solutions to the regular administrative processes that businesses, particularly SMEs, have to contend with, such as invoices, expenses and admin.”
Utilising tools to make positive, lasting change
Sage’s offering of cloud-based accounting and payroll software solutions suits the needs of businesses of all sizes and is there to streamline business and increase efficiencies. In a nutshell, embracing cloud technology to help run a business means that business owners, and their employees can work remotely more efficiently and manage their business processes anytime, anywhere.
Sage’s software is seamless, intuitive and offers 24/7 telephone support, online chat support and free training for users.
Businesses can now harness new digital solutions to remove the worries of the past from their strategies.
Industries are showing their appetite to adapt to using new technologies, with just under 9 in 10 businesses having made a change to the way they operate as a consequence of COVID-19, according to Sage Ireland’s 2021 research.
This same research outlined how businesses making their goods and services available online and accelerating their ‘digital transformation’ are the most common changes businesses have been making to adapt.
“Of course, there is no one size-fits-all with any transition in working style,” adds Murphy. “Through identifying their workforces’ diversity and employees’ specific needs in the office and outside of it, employers can create more personalised experiences to improve staff wellbeing to help with this transition.”
Building better working models with the right solutions
With the help of cloud HR and payroll software, there are numerous ways to improve employee wellbeing. Providing flexibility will help employees manage their work and home priorities. Employers should consider offering flexible start and finish times, reduced hours and remote or hybrid working to maintain engagement.
It’s important to look at offering extra support too. Resources that employees can self-serve with – such as wellbeing support numbers, employee benefits and financial support schemes – can help them put their wellbeing first.
Time to start embracing the future of work
With reductions in stress and absences related to mental health resulting in higher employee engagement and productivity, embracing better working practices for employees and leveraging new tools is a win-win.
“Businesses can now harness new digital solutions to remove the worries of the past from their strategies, allowing for a more dynamic working environment. This is the trajectory businesses should be moving in and we want to help them do that,” concludes Murphy.
To find out how you can use technology to support your employees, visit sage.com/ie/futureofwork.