Nearly a third of employees find it hard to turn off – our new survey explores the impact of hybrid working on wellbeing
In today’s working world, employee wellbeing is everything, and offering a hybrid working model is a key component of that. Following the rapid move to remote or hybrid working models, all of the analyst comment points to the majority of employees state that they would prefer a hybrid working environment. However, a hybrid working model doesn’t automatically mean a content workforce.
Scalable Software surveyed 2,000 UK hybrid workers and published the results in it’s Digital Experience Report. The survey found that almost a third (31%) of employees admitted to struggling with switching off from work. Employers need to take note as the knock-on effect could be employee burnout and rising levels of dissatisfaction.
It’s clear that there are challenges around hybrid working that must be addressed. Let’s take a closer look at some of the findings.
“Mission creep” threatens wellbeing
Hybrid working comes with many positives, and our survey certainly revealed elements of that: 42% of hybrid workers said it led to better work-life balance, and 33% said they were more productive. However, with many struggling to switch off from work and almost a third (30%) working longer hours than they did pre-pandemic, the “mission creep” of work into home life is clearly a problem.
A core reason behind this is the experience that employers are providing their employees with. The majority (79%) of respondents agreed that they find it more difficult to do their job remotely because of technology challenges. The survey showed that employees are working an additional 2.2 weeks a year because of poorly designed workflows, lack of user-friendly applications, and because they are not equipped with the right technology. All of this highlights just how damaging a poor digital experience can be to employee wellbeing.
Organizations must rectify the digital experience
With almost a third (30%) of hybrid workers saying that a substandard digital experience has either made them want to leave – or has contributed to them leaving – a job, addressing these experience problems will be key. The working world is currently going through what has been dubbed “The Great Resignation,” and organizations cannot afford to lose skilled staff simply because the digital experience isn’t up to scratch.
The challenge many organizations are facing is that it’s much harder to spot and rectify technology and wellbeing issues when the workforce is dispersed. But with hybrid working here to stay, this can no longer be an excuse. Organizations need a new lens through which to measure the impact of hybrid working.
The role of workplace analytics
Organizations need comprehensive, granular and intelligent workplace analytics tools that give them a real-time business lens. Scalable Software’s workplace analytics platform, Acumen, enables organizations to measure, optimize and transform the employee experience. Acumen collates and distills data across all technology infrastructure to deliver insights to IT and HR leaders. Armed with deep understanding of how people and systems are interacting in a hybrid model, organizations can protect employee wellbeing, optimize the digital experience, and boost employee success.
To learn more about how Acumen can help your organization strengthen its hybrid model, check out this demo. You can download the full Digital Experience Report 2021, here.
