TALKING

Through my conversations with business leaders across EMEA , I know there is a focus on overcoming the challenges of this new working environment and ensuring readiness for the new COVID economy we now find ourselves in .

These leaders know that strategies built around Digital Transformation can bring the agility and resiliency they need to be successful now and in the long term .

This is key , of course . But our recent Work Survey report , which explores the impact of COVID-19 on business , highlighted to me why we must not lose sight of what really matters as we form our COVID readiness strategies : our people .

We are at an inflection point , one that has put the employee firmly at the centre of organisations – and creating stand-out experiences for the workforce has never been more important .

Three headline findings from our research , which involved 400 executives and 3,300 employees in Europe , stand out as being pertinent to the employee experience .

Now more than ever , our employees need to know that we care . They want to feel safe and protected , but also continue their work and make a valuable contribution .

On the face of it , these findings suggest a potentially rocky road ahead in meeting these needs . Yet while the concerns that our Work Survey highlights are understandable , I know they can be overcome .

Paul Hardy , Evangelist , Chief Innovation Office , ServiceNow

Firstly , the accelerated pace of change in 2020 ; 92 % of executives in EMEA say the pandemic has made them rethink how they work .

More importantly , 91 % say their businesses have transitioned to these new ways of working faster than they thought possible – but that means big changes for the employee to contend with .

Secondly , this early sprint only tells half a story . Organisations reacted rapidly to the COVID-19 crisis , but around half ( 47 %) of EMEA executives say continuing the transition to a new way of working will be more challenging . Concerns are higher among employees , with 55 % agreeing this will be the case .

The third aspect highlights the challenges that are emerging now distributed work is here to stay . While all EMEA executives and 94 % of employees have seen some benefits of remote work , executives are most worried about delays in product or service delivery and , for employees , it ’ s reduced collaboration .

We are at an inflection point , one that has put the employee firmly at the centre of organisations – and creating stand-out experiences for the workforce has never been more important .

At a time of great pressure , we ’ ve demonstrated – alongside our customers across EMEA – that it ’ s possible to adapt established working practices . We ’ ve proven that it ’ s possible to collaborate and innovate faster than ever before , with Digital Transformation efforts focused around the employee experience , not business processes .

For example , we ’ ve delivered four emergency response apps to help organisations navigate

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