Recently printed information by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) claims that the UK is in a productiveness disaster, lagging behind many different G7 nations in workforce output.
But the bulk (85%) of enterprise leaders don’t really feel that distant and hybrid working is a trigger for this, in response to new analysis of greater than 500 enterprise leaders from Okta.
More than half (61%) state that their staff are extra productive whereas working remotely, 1 / 4 (24%) say that they’re equally so, and solely a minority (15%) really feel that productiveness has decreased. However, enterprise leaders in Germany (94%) and France (91%) report larger ranges of productiveness, in tandem with the ONS findings that these areas surpass the UK. This suggests that companies might acquire extra productiveness benefits from hybrid working.
Perceptions of productiveness ranges whereas working remotely have largely superior within the UK. In an Okta research from 2020, greater than 1 / 4 (27%) felt that there was a definite notion that staff have been doing little work whereas at dwelling, however most (64%) felt that this improved in the course of the course of the pandemic.
Over a 3rd (37%) of enterprise leaders now see higher productiveness as one of many important enterprise drivers in adopting a hybrid mannequin. However, 1 / 4 (26%) really feel that that is nonetheless a problem, and a 3rd (32%) say that it is a high precedence to enhance.
Hybrid on the rise, together with proximity bias
Over the previous few years, there was an growing want for workers to undertake hybrid working, rising from April 2020 (35%) to March 2021 (43%), with three-quarters (72%) now utilizing this mannequin in 2023. Okta’s 2020 analysis discovered that over half (55%) have been within the workplace on a regular basis previous to the primary nationwide lockdown, and in March 2021, nearly a 3rd (31%) believed that their employer would require them to return full-time. However, the brand new research finds that that is now the case for only a quarter (25%).
The rise of hybrid work has concurrently led to a development in proximity bias, which is a bent to provide preferential remedy to these working onsite in comparison with these working remotely. This is considered an growing problem for a fifth (19%) of UK companies. Two-fifths (42%) of leaders are actively investing in methods to stop this, whereas an analogous quantity (41%) would take into account investments on this area.
Additional priorities for companies in 2023 embrace enhancing worker expertise (33%), sustaining a optimistic office tradition (30%), and getting collaboration proper (27%). To do that, leaders plan to extend funding into video conferencing instruments (78%), productiveness and collaboration instruments (70%) and worker engagement instruments (68%) over the following three years.
Ian Lowe, head of business options EMEA at Okta, mentioned: “Many employees predicted that they would be required to return to pre-pandemic ways of working, but this hasn’t been the case.
“Business leaders and governments alike have in fact listened to employee demands and the general public sentiment, recognising the benefits of hybrid work, from improved productivity and better wellbeing, to reduced operational costs. As a result, most businesses have now adopted a hybrid model, while various legislation has been implemented in the UK and globally to introduce more rights and protections for remote workers.
“But, in line with this, issues like proximity bias are rising. Going forward, leaders must ensure that they are creating environments which empower employees to work wherever is best for them, without any fear of being left behind, by adopting solutions that allow them to adapt quickly, create equal opportunities and boost resiliency.”
Security a better problem, regardless of elevated investments
In addition to office points, the analysis finds that know-how and safety challenges are growing within the hybrid period. Although 4 in 5 (79%) have elevated investments in safety and privateness instruments over the previous three years, nearly half (46%) within the UK now see cybersecurity as their greatest problem with hybrid work, a bigger quantity than another nation surveyed. The majority (86%) of leaders anticipate their investments to extend additional over the following three years, with cybersecurity standing as the highest funding precedence.
In a related research carried out by Okta in March 2021, solely a minority (10%) felt their safety was not robust sufficient, indicating that cyber challenges are growing in tandem with the rise of hybrid work. But regardless of this, passwords nonetheless stand as the preferred authentication issue, utilized by over half (54%) as their main measure, a rise from two-fifths (40%) in 2021. Biometrics have additionally risen in adoption, with nearly a 3rd (30%) now utilizing this as an authentication issue, greater than doubling since 2021 (14%).
When it involves know-how extra broadly, 1 / 4 (25%) of UK enterprise leaders admit to fighting equipping hybrid staff with the best tech. This determine has remained the identical since March 2021, when the identical quantity (25%) felt that the required tech was solely obtainable on the office. Almost a 3rd (30%) of leaders now see implementing the best know-how as their high precedence.
“Increased remote and hybrid work has magnified the need for additional tools, and now that businesses are settling into the hybrid era, these missing elements are more prominent than ever,” provides Lowe.
“It’s encouraging that stringent security measures like biometrics are seeing higher adoption, as businesses look to combat the growing threats from attackers hoping to capitalise on dispersed workforces. But many are still turning to factors like passwords as their primary protective measure, and with security challenges increasing, this isn’t enough.
“As investment conversations take place for 2023, this provides the opportunity for leaders to take stock of their tools and assess how to better equip themselves through identity-centred measures, which could include a move to passwordless authentication or the adoption of biometric solutions. Taking a strategic approach to identity will help organisations truly embrace hybrid and meet the needs of today’s workforces, so they can operate efficiently, safely and securely.”