CEOs vote hybrid work flexibility key to employee experience: Report

A recent employee experience (EX) survey conducted by NTT revealed that while almost all businesses positively view hybrid and remote work, fewer than half of organisations provide their employees with the necessary technology to support these work modes. 

The 2023 Global Employee Experience Trends Report by NTT delves into the influence of workplace trends like hybrid work and artificial intelligence (AI) on EX strategies and their connection to business performance. 

The report highlights that 90% of businesses acknowledge the positive impact of hybrid and remote work on their bottom line. However, only 48% of organisations strongly believe that their employees have access to the technology required to perform effectively both at home and in the office. 

To adapt to the changing work landscape, approximately 56% of hybrid workers now spend half of their workweek in the office. Despite this shift, most business leaders still consider hybrid models essential for a positive employee experience. As such, organisations need to ensure that their employees have the necessary technology, regardless of their work location. 

The report underscores the evolving EX narrative, emphasizing the growing importance of proactively empowering employees with the right technologies to foster connectivity and efficiency. 

Additionally, a report from KPMG reveals that CEOs are increasingly committed to returning to in-office work. Nearly, 64% of them anticipate a full return to the office within the next three years. At least 87% of CEOs surveyed indicate a likelihood of tying financial rewards and promotions to a return to in-office work. 

The NTT report also indicates that top-performing companies, that increased their IT spending and invested in EX technology, were 56% more likely to experience improved business growth and 89% more likely to have significantly increased employee satisfaction compared to underperformers. 

Commenting on the research, Amit Dhingra, Executive Vice President of Network Services at NTT Ltd. said, “It was positive to see that 73% of organisations agree that hybrid and remote working has led to their investment in mobility over the last two years to promote flexibility, but more still needs to be done to reduce the disconnect and improve EX. This is especially true given that satisfied and engaged employees are 66% more likely to deliver exceptional customer service.”    

Furthermore, the rise of AI is impacting the employee experience, with the technology being considered the top enabler of future customer experience (CX) and EX strategies. AI interfaces are set to become the norm for 4 in 5 organisations within the next year. Nevertheless, 87% of organisations still regard human-led support as a critical element in their customer engagement efforts.