Designing digital workplaces with people in mind

An effective digital workplace strategy depends on harnessing the right technologies. But European organizations recognize that the skills to implement and scale are equally important. Around three-quarters (73%) say they have the right talent in place to scale their use of AI, machine learning and automation, compared with 57% and 56% of APAC and US organizations, respectively.

A truly employee-centric approach goes beyond hiring specialized tech talent. For example, around 8 in 10 European organizations (79%) report using employee and device data to enhance the workforce experience and working arrangements, compared to 64% of US and 62% of APAC organizations.

European organizations also recognize the value of involving employees directly in the development of digital workplace services. Around 8 in 10 (78%) have implemented robust feedback mechanisms where employees can suggest IT investments, compared with 65% and 55% of organizations in the US and APAC, respectively. European organizations are also prioritizing a move away from traditional service-level agreement (SLAs) to experience-level agreement (XLAs) in IT support. More than half of German and UK businesses are shifting toward employee-centric metrics, compared with less than a quarter of New Zealand-based organizations, for example.

Figure 5:

Australia and New Zealand lag on XLA adoption, while Germany takes the lead

Q: Thinking about your organization’s IT support, to what extent do you agree with the following statements?
Q: Thinking about the past 12 months, how would you describe your organization's investment in each of the following digital workplace solutions?

Figure 6:

European organizations are shifting to employee-centric IT support metrics

Q: Thinking about your organization’s IT support, to what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements? (Agree)

Q: Thinking about the past 12 months, how would you describe your organization's investment in each of the following digital workplace solutions? (Increased investment)

By building their strategies around their employees, European organizations are benefiting from a tech-forward culture that maximizes IT ROI. Over three-quarters (76%) say their employees are quick to adopt new technologies, compared with 61% of US and 56% of APAC organizations.

Keeping employees involved in the development of digital workplace services can also impact employee satisfaction. Two-thirds (66%) of European organizations say they are outperforming expectations in this area, compared with 58% of US and 44% of APAC organizations. Happy, fulfilled employees are more productive and easier to retain, helping organizations stay on track toward long-term objectives, with broader commercial benefits and stronger growth.