Survey: Necessary tools needed for flexible work

KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 76% of Malaysian respondents say they need their organisations to provide the necessary tools and infrastructure to work anywhere, according to a survey by Dell Technologies.

Malaysia country manager Mak Chin Wah said businesses performed tremendous feats to connect, collaborate and conduct business online during the pandemic but they are not finished.

“In fact, they worry their people might be left behind because they do not have the right technology to shift to a highly distributed model.

“The technology alone is not sufficient. Businesses also need to make work equitable for people with different needs, interests and responsibilities,” he said when presenting the survey results here yesterday.

The survey field work was conducted by market research company Vanson Bourne from August to October 2021 across more than 40 locations in all regions of the world.

Mak said 82% of Malaysian employees would like organisations to clearly define ongoing commitments to flexible work arrangements and the practicalities of making it work, equip leaders to effectively and equitably manage remote teams, and empower employees to choose preferred working patterns and provide the necessary tools/ infrastructure.

Meanwhile, he said the survey highlights that sustainable digital transformation happens at the intersection of people and technology and organisations should provide employees with consistent and secure work experiences, help drive productivity by augmenting human capabilities with technology tools, as well as inspire employees through an empathetic culture and authentic leadership.

He said most organisations around the world, including Malaysia, realise the need to digitally transform, but find digital transformation hard.

Mak noted that people do not always embrace change.

“This human-technology friction is only compounded by the pandemic and what we end up with is businesses that are more digitally resilient, but many of their people are exhausted.

“Today, businesses aspiring for sustainable success need to be asking themselves how they can thoughtfully and purposefully help their people navigate further change,” he added.