Leading IT infrastructure and services company, NTT Ltd has shared the findings of its 2023 Global Employee Experience Trends Report, exploring how current workplace trends, such as hybrid work and AI, are influencing EX strategies and the correlation between EX and business performance.

While 84% of businesses see the enablement of hybrid and remote work as having a positive impact on their bottom line, less than half (43%) of organisations strongly agree that employees have access to the technology they need to work well both at home and in the office.

Many organisations are now implementing more structured approaches to work, with the report finding that over one-third (36%) of hybrid workers spend half the work week at the office. However, with hybrid models still favourable and recognised by most business leaders as fundamental to positive EX, organisations need to ensure they are providing employees with the technologies they need to work effectively, regardless of location.

Top-performing companies that increased IT spending and invested in EX technology were 56%more likely than underperformers to report improved business growthdue to improvements to EX, and 89% more likely than all others to have significantly increased employee satisfaction.

According to NTT Australia senior director of workplace, David Hanrahan, one of the most surprising findings in the report is the widening gap between how executives and operational teams perceive EX standards in their organisation.

“It appears that while CEOs may be aware of their organisations’ EX-related challenges, senior executives still report higher levels of satisfaction with their EX capabilities than their operational leads. The report found that only one-quarter (25%) of operational leads say they are very satisfied with their organisation’s EX capabilities, yet executives are almost twice as likely to be very satisfied,” he said.

The EX-narrative has evolved over the last several years. Today, it is a business-wide priority to proactively ensure employees are empowered and have the right technologies in place to feel connected and drive efficiency.

“In fact, the majority (84%) of ANZ businesses see hybrid and remote work as having a positive impact on their bottom line, however, less than half provide employees with the technology they need for hybrid work. To address this disconnect, organisations must invest in modern technologies that can drive better EX,” Hanrahan said.

“With the rise in AI, many organisations have voted AI as the number one enabler of future customer experience (CX) and EX strategies, and AI interfaces are rising to become the norm for four in five organisations within the next 12 months.

“Despite this, 86% of organisations agree that human-led support remains a critical element in their customer engagement. As technology advances, it is important for organisations to stay ahead of the curve and learn how to harness the benefits of emerging technologies to reap greater productivity and effectively improve bottom lines while supporting employee fulfilment and wellbeing.”