Qualtrics’ Work Different study surveyed more than 1000 Australians to provide insights on the evolving employee needs, expectations, and experiences with regards to the future of the workforce in a post-pandemic world. The survey looked into how people rate their employers’ COVID-19 crisis response, what work routines they want once the pandemic eases, and what shifts in workplace policies they expect of their employers.
According to the study, the majority (76 percent) of Australian workers agree that the technology industry has reacted well to disruptions caused by the global pandemic, with more than half (58 percent) feeling more productive than before the COVID-19 crisis hit. Furthermore, 55 percent expect the future of the workforce in their respective industries will transform for the better after the pandemic eases due to the anticipated increased focus on innovation (62 percent) and new uses of technology (73 percent) in the workplace.
Steve Bennetts, Head of Employee Experience for Qualtrics in the Asia Pacific Japan (APJ) region also revealed:
“As a result of their employers’ quick thinking and actions, the majority of workers across Australia currently feel a lot more valued (47 percent) at their company, and a lot more proud (54 percent) to work for them. This is in part down to the human-centered approach many adopted when the pandemic hit—using solutions like the free Qualtrics Remote + On-site work pulse, which has supported 55,000 projects globally.”
Other key findings include:
- a third (34 percent) of respondents said their employee experience has improved during the pandemic, while half said it has remained the same
- the most effective actions employers have taken to make their teams feel more valued throughout this period have been more workplace flexibility (37 percent), gratitude from direct managers (21 percent), executives (18 percent), and customers (17 percent)
- the top actions workers want to see are more flexible work schedules (51 percent) and a higher focus on personal hygiene (47percent)
- more than half (78 percent) of workers believe it is highly important that their employers listen to their feedback during a crisis
How to Work Different and the Future of the Workforce
The study shows how employee needs, expectations and experiences have significantly changed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In her keynote session during the recently held Qualtrics Work Different virtual event, Alexandra Nation—Principal Sales Engineer at Qualtrics—said that these changes are most prominent in the way people have had to adapt to new and different ways of working. She also commented on the new trends in the future of the workforce:
“Many technology companies have been able to safely and securely transition people and teams to remote working models. No matter how quickly the health and economic circumstances surrounding COVID evolve, there is no doubt that remote work and distributed teams will become even more business-critical than ever before.”
As companies innovate, it is becoming more apparent how consistent data-driven view on the needs, opinions and sentiment of every employee will be crucial in ensuring high-performance teams. According to Nation, this is where Qualtrics EmployeeXM can help.
The software solution aims to help leaders to optimise employees’ technology experiences by gathering data and real-time feedback within their organisations’ work flow. Nation adds,
“Quatrics EmployeeXM helps to close the gaps between the perceived value and satisfaction of technology held by IT leaders and a true experience of the employees they support.”
