Simon Daly
Employee Experience Strategist, Qualtrics
A better physical and digital workspace and an increased focus on employee wellbeing are key demands of the modern workforce.
At the heart of a better employee experience is regularly listening and taking action. Flexible working and staff wellbeing are high on the agenda as the outlook of employees continues to shift amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Employment expert Simon Daly warns that companies which fail to listen and respond to changing workforce demands will be in for a “bumpy ride” in the months ahead.
Employee engagement
Engagement with staff, he continues, will be crucial as workplace experience has a strong correlation to productivity.
“Somebody who is naturally happier and feels more connected to a business that listens is more likely to give their best. It will also have a positive impact on their wellbeing,” says Daly, who is an Employee Strategist with experience management platform Qualtrics.
Noting that the trend towards hybrid and remote working has been accelerated by the pandemic but was already emerging prior to 2020, he adds: “The pandemic has demonstrated over the last 18 months how adaptable people are and how productive they can be working from home in fairly extreme circumstances. People were hesitant to try it before because nobody was making the leap.”
However, with the onset of hybrid working, organisations need to consider what they are offering. Those employees now expect better physical and digital workspaces, wherever they are.
Managers and colleagues are used to being sat together in the office, and now that’s no longer the case, it becomes much harder to understand how someone is feeling.
Alternative employment
Evidence also suggests that more than one in three staff will seek alternative employment if they have to go back to five days in the office. (Qualtrics Employee Experience Trends Report 2022).
While the concept of presenteeism is diminishing, working remotely also needs to be managed as some staff may find it difficult to separate home and work life. This underlines the importance of employers taking the time to listen to their staff on a frequent basis
Daly explains: Managers and colleagues are used to being sat together in the office, and now that’s no longer the case, it becomes much harder to understand how someone is feeling.” It can also impact employee retention if companies fail to listen, or not be “adaptable and flexible” in how their staff work.
Trends for 2022
He believes the year ahead will continue to be unpredictable. Qualtrics has seen four clear trends emerge from a global study of 14,000 people about what workers want in 2022.
These indicate an exodus of people, notably women, from organisations; demands for a better physical and digital workspace; stronger diversity and inclusion programmes; and that a lack of focus on wellbeing will be a “countdown to disaster.”