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Could do better: The post-lockdown enterprise is flexible but there's more to do

Could do better: The post-lockdown enterprise is flexible but there’s more to do

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Could do better: The post-lockdown enterprise is flexible but there’s more to do

Organisations need to become high-performance machines for outstanding task execution, but they also need to be humane environments that zealously guard employees

It's often claimed that the pandemic lockdown acted as a giant fast-forward button for the way organisations work. We applauded ourselves for our adaptability, reaped the benefits of conferencing and collaboration technology, learned to live on the cloud and stayed productive via mobile devices and the ability to work from anywhere there were web browsers and Wi-Fi. And, by and large, we all appreciated the wonders of digital transformation as means of virtualising an off-limits physical world. But there's still a way to go before we can say that we have achieved all-round digital excellence: if this was a school report, the grade would read "could do better".

And we have hard evidence: the Unit4 2022 Business Future Index survey of 3,450 respondents from markets around the world points to an environment where digital transformation, flexible working and productivity all made great leaps forward for about half of organisations polled. There were big benefits stemming from this, with 74% noting improved employee wellbeing, 73% boasting of tighter team working and 72% seeing an improved user experience.

There were some unforeseen advantages too. We were freed of the shackles of decades of presenteeism where the expectancy was of staff being physically there in work locations unless there was a good reason for them not to be. Almost half (49%) celebrated the fact that they were able to recruit globally, and they gained especially from this benefit if they had also used their time to invest in workforce automation.

But for every positive there is a partial negative.

Growth has been a watchword for governments around the world as they seek to recover ground after Covid, but more than a quarter (28%) say they are not outperforming their 2021 selves and almost half said they are at best on target. Those that focused on (and invested in) growth were far more likely to prosper (51%), showing the importance of bold ambition and a commitment to innovation.

There is no room for complacency or expecting an organic return to pre-pandemic performance, and it's also clear that, for many, just getting the fundamentals in place is tough. A shockingly high number of respondents confess to having challenging financial management processes in place or to being unable to forecast accurately (87 and 89% respectively).

And ESG and diversity still remain way off from where they need to be for most with just 24% saying they can meet sustainability goals at least very well. Fully a fifth (20%) admit to poor ESG credentials. This in turn will hurt the ability to hire well and, especially, to recruit from across generational divides.

Now look at flexi-work. Although most (92%) have instituted some form of flexible working policy, these policies constitute a mixed bag with flexible hours, mandatory proportions of office time or complete-flexibility packages. If organisations do not offer the best, most attractive packages then staff will move to those that do. Hiring and reskilling people continue to be massive challenges and most (76%) agree that their flexi-work policies need refining; 62% say better tools and tech would help.

And another point: although the pandemic saw a rise in digitisation there is still scope to adopt best practices in essential mechanisms such as cloud, data management, AI/ML, reporting and workflow automation.

So, what lessons can we learn?

What's clear is that there is a clear correlation between those that invest to innovate and those that perform. In an ultra-competitive global business ecosystem, enterprises need to harness real-time data to support key decision-making, unleash their employees to work on stimulating, human-centric tasks, create policies for optimal flexible working, automate what were previously manual processes and back up leading-edge recruitment and retention policies with the tools to do the job.

In the age of the Great Resignation, organisations need to become high-performance machines for outstanding task execution, but they also need to be sensitive, humane environments that zealously guard employees and offer the commitment for them to give their best selves. Many of the answers lie in culture and leadership, but having the systems, technology and appetite to innovate will take us all a long way forward too. We've come a long way… but we're not there yet when it comes to building the dynamic, data-aware businesses of the future.

Chris Richards is regional president UK&I, Unit4

Could do better: The post-lockdown enterprise is flexible but there's more to do

Organisations need to become high-performance machines for outstanding task execution, but they also need to be humane environments that zealously guard employees

So, what lessons can we learn?

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