Trust Is Central To New World Of Autonomous Workplaces

There is, of course, an element of “talking your own book” involved when an IT company publishes a survey indicating how employees are embracing new methods of working. But the findings in the 2024 Work Relationship Index, just out from the hardware maker HP, nevertheless make for startling reading. Starting off with the statement that “work is still not really working,” the study, based on a survey of more than 15,000 knowledge workers, IT decision makers and business leaders in 12 countries around the world, indicates that “to improve the world’s relationship with work, our attention should be on the worker — a worker that wants to be treated as an individual, rather than simply as part of a collective workforce. Leaders and workers are placing ever-increasing emphasis on choice, customization and autonomy.”

At least two-thirds of workers expressed a desire for personalized work experiences, including tailored workspaces, access to preferred technologies and flexible working environments. These experiences are crucial for improving relationships with work, and have positive implications for both employees and businesses. In particular, 64% of knowledge workers say that if work was tailored or customized to personal needs and preferences, they would be more invested in their company’s growth, with 69% of them believing it would enhance their overall well-being and 68% saying it would incentivize them to stay with their current employers longer. Indeed, the desire for personalization is so strong that 87% of knowledge workers would be willing to forgo part of their salary for it. On average, workers would be willing to give up to 14% of their salary, with Gen Z workers giving up as much as 19%.

In case anybody thinks this might be an aberration or exaggeration, another study — by the European arm of Ricoh, the Japanese maker of printers and other equipment designed to support digitisation — found a high level of frustration among employees over lack of access to the latest technologies that can improve workflow and productivity. The survey of 7,000 office workers across the U.K., Ireland and mainland Europe found that banishing tedious tasks was not just about boosting productivity, though. It was also “a key factor in nurturing employee fulfilment and job satisfaction.”

A quarter of employees said that having the right technology to allow them to do more rewarding work would improve their sense of fulfilment at work, while 21% said that having better software technology, including automation solutions, would make them less likely to consider leaving their current roles within the next 12 months.

The Ricoh research also identified executives’ concern about the risks of implementing process automation technologies. In particular, the leaders are worried about integrating the technologies into existing business systems and the chances of interruption to operations.

Commenting on the second annual Work Relationship Index, Neil Sawyer, managing director of HP U.K. and Ireland, was alive to the security concerns associated with more flexible working. He said that security and the safeguarding of people and data were “the foundation of what we do.” But he pointed out that HP itself had had flexible working policies in place at its facilities around the world for many years. Moreover, as an organization that over its more than eight decades in business — it celebrates its 85th anniversary this year — had invested in its community, it could see the need to help employees with not just their work/life balance but also outside responsibilities, such as caring for elderly relatives as the population aged.

Being flexible didn’t take away from the need to build a culture, but the company — arguably the originator of Silicon Valley — was committed to being around for many years to come and that meant being adaptable, Sawyer said. Dealing with the new expectations of employees meant leaders’ skills needed to change. It was particularly important that leaders showed humanity. As AI usage exploded — the study indicated a doubling of its adoption by knowledge workers in a year — the time freed up should be used to develop relationships. “We shouldn’t discount the importance of interpersonal skills,” he said, adding that trust was key to this because it enabled people to feel valued. “Trust is a free benefit and it comes back the other way. It delivers flexibility and benefits that don’t cost anything, but are just part of the fabric.”