This is especially so with the impending influx of digital natives (born after 2000) entering the workforce for the first time.
In revealing the findings of its Asia Workplace 2020 Study, Microsoft said: “More than half of the respondents (71%) value work-life integration today, where the boundaries of work and life have blurred, but have enabled mobile professionals to be able to collaborate and work virtually.”
The study also found that employees in Malaysia did not feel empowered to embrace the demands of the digital workplace.
It said while 70% of Malaysia respondents considered themselves to be mobile workers and spent at least 20% of their time working outside their offices, only 41% felt empowered by their organisation’s culture and managers to be able to work together productively and collaboratively.
“In addition, only 32% of respondents agree that their organisation is committed at a leadership level to ensure every employee is included in closing the digital skills gaps within the workforce.”
The study involving 4,175 working professionals from 14 countries, including 319 respondents from Malaysia, was done between February and March. It seeks to understand shifting employee behaviour and gaps in the workplace when it comes to productivity, collaboration and flexi-work practices.
Launching the Malaysia survey results, Microsoft Malaysia’s chief marketing and operations officer Michal Golebiewski said: “As Asia primes itself to become the most connected market with more than half of all mobile connections originating from the region by 2021, organisations need to rethink how they empower their workforce with the right culture, policy, infrastructure and tools to maximise their potential.
“This means enabling collaboration from anywhere, on any device. However, it is also critical for business leaders to evaluate and implement changes to counter cultural and management challenges that are hindering employees to work seamlessly from wherever they are, which will in turn, hinder an organisation’s growth and progress in the digital age.”
The study also found that respondents were seeking better devices to help them become more productive at work.
“As the nature of work changes, how employees collaborate and work together will be impacted as well. It is critical for business and HR leaders to seek ways to better empower individuals and remove barriers to collaborate for the digital age, especially when the study clearly identifies gaps that can be minimised with technology. However, it is also important for businesses to also bridge the leadership and employee gap with more focus on people and culture,” added Golebiewski.