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According to the results of a new Dell Technologies survey, workers are exhausted. The Covid-19 outbreak changed the dynamics within organizations across the world.
Despite the obvious need to modernize not only their technology but also their practices and processes, companies in India are falling short in several important aspects of that effort.
According to the results of a new Dell Technologies survey, workers are exhausted. The Covid-19 outbreak changed the dynamics within organizations across the world. Employees saw the lines between leisure and work slowly blur as the two spaces merged into one. This along with other pandemic-related hurdles, both mental and physical, became the perfect recipe for burnout. Even as organizations move towards a hybrid working model, the challenge to address this is more pertinent than ever.
More than 40 percent of companies surveyed as part of Dell’s Breakthrough study said the people they count on for innovation are wrestling with burnout and poor mental health, and their work is suffering as a result. Nearly 60 percent of the respondents globally said they don’t always have the motivation to act on important tech modernization efforts in the workplace. In the same report, Indian respondents were among the highest in number to point that they are still struggling to collaborate remotely.
It is imperative that technological change shouldn’t be something employees suffer through. If that’s the case, they’ll give up early, or use only a small portion of the new tech’s features. A more empathetic approach on the part of leaders creates the best possible experience for employees and creates a more humane and productive workplace. A collaborative workspace, regular checks on the employee’s mental well-being and consistent rituals to bring team members together, are some of the many ways to create a better working environment.
Dell surveyed 10,500 people from senior leaders to IT decision makers and employees involved in digital transformation efforts at companies ranging in size from 100 employees to more than 10,000. The results are clear: If organizations want to contribute to a better future for all, they must recognize that business success and their peoples’ wellbeing are inextricably linked.
The numbers are striking: half of respondents to the Breakthrough survey don’t believe their organization knows what it takes to transform the workforce. Nearly 70 percent believe their organization underestimates “people requirements” when planning transformation programs.
When we dig a little deeper, the numbers don’t get any better. In fact, in India, a staggering 93% of businesses feel their leaders overlook different perspectives and viewpoints. We discover the shortcomings of a top-down culture have broad repercussions for the workforce, and the results it is tasked with achieving.
True innovation begins with empathetic leadership, and technology that frees people from unfulfilling toil.
A hierarchical culture that undervalues consultation, or even makes employees feel like it’s too risky to speak up is a costly miscalculation that both stunts employee development and fractures digital transformation efforts.
Clearly a culture change is necessary to build a productive and loyal workforce, and it requires leadership’s full support. To be successful, leaders need to be sensitive to how their words and actions impact others, and they need to develop a greater sense of self-awareness. More than half of senior business decision makers surveyed admitted they simply assume employees understand why it’s important to adopt new technologies and modernize.
Deeper and more meaningful communication helps leaders recognize more subtle challenges, like the significant portion of the workforce that simply does not like to be hurried, or the potential clash between the 65 percent of the workforce that considers itself methodical, and the 35 percent that say they are not. The non-methodical group often relies on others for that attribute, but methodical workers are often frustrated when others are not.
Genuine dialogue allows leaders to better tailor change programs to employees’ individual skills. When leaders take the time to know how comfortable their people are with change, they are better able to ensure success for the large number of employees that may require more time, support, or incentive to change habits and learn new skills.
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