Conclusion:
From survival mode to sustainable growth

Our research shows that the right approach to digital workplace services can make a significant difference to growth, innovation and employee satisfaction. Doing nothing will erode productivity and leave organizations behind in an already challenging economic environment.The next wave of transformation is coming, and it is going to be even more disruptive. It will reshape the workplace as we know it. The organizations that act on the following five fundamentals now will join the Productivity Leaders and define the future of work.

Five fundamentals to drive growth, keep employees productive and deliver competitive advantage:

1. Balance cost discipline with business needs
Cutting costs alone is shortsighted. Productivity Leaders manage budgets carefully but not at the expense of employee experience and business growth.

2. Embrace new-era IT support
Generative and agentic AI are redefining the service desk. Productivity Leaders use them to reduce downtime and free up IT teams to focus on higher-value work.

3. Put employees at the center of strategies
Technology is only effective if it works for the people using it. Productivity Leaders show that feedback, XLAs and employee-centric design can turn technology from a source of frustration into a productivity driver.

4. Prioritize leadership alignment
Disconnected leadership derails transformation. IT and business executives have to align on shared success metrics, blending efficiency with employee-focused outcomes. Even Productivity Leaders are struggling with this.

5. Commit to digital transformation for the long term
Short-term fixes do not deliver resilience. Productivity Leaders sustain momentum by constantly evolving — they balance efficiency today with innovation for tomorrow.

About the research

To better understand how businesses are leveraging AI to modernize digital workplace services and unlock business growth, Unisys partnered with FT Longitude to conduct a global research study of 1,000 senior IT and business decision-makers between June and July 2025.

The study explored a broad series of topics and issues facing companies in the United States (n=375), Europe (n=525) and Asia-Pacific (n=100). Participants were either C-suite executives (n=133) or C-suite minus one from IT functions, e.g., SVPs, directors and heads of IT (n=867). Quotas were applied to achieve representation among a wide range of industries, titles and roles.

The findings are representative of these respondents only. The study utilized an online survey methodology.

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