Ericsson: Future of Work Will Depend on Emerging Technology Tools

Emma Okonji

A new report by Ericsson Consumer IndustryLab, has examined how employees and employers would navigate the current work environment as well as their views on the future of work, shaped by the COVID19 pandemic, digitalisation and the fluctuating labour market.

The report findings showed that the future of work would be increasingly dependent on ICT solutions from emerging technologies such as high-speed mobile connectivity among others.

According to the report, titled, “Future of Work Life,” almost half of the employees in the study (48 per cent) said they enjoyed increased flexibility at work. 52 per cent considered flexible work hours or locations as key requirements, and 25 per cent said flexibility would be the top priority for them, if they would start to look for a new job.

“Doing work rather than going to work is seen as central in this new way of thinking about work life. Employers need to embrace digitalisation and flexible workforce management, and this can be done by creating a workplace of the future that supports human collaboration, simplifies work and values employee input in decision making,” the report said.

Key findings of the report showed that flexibility is the new work life currency. Employees predict flexibility as a future employment need as hybrid work continues to be the norm as 25 per cent of the global working population say they will prioritize flexibility above all else.

The report also revealed that digital technologies renew employee’s confidence, thus using the right digital technologies will boost twice as much positive feelings for employees without increasing stress.

The Report discovered that decision-makers and employees are increasingly at odds over technology, as only 33 per cent of employers considered employee preferences when investing in new technology, while four out 10 employees struggle with non-relevant tools for their tasks.

The report said flexible workplaces could come at the cost of increased surveillance, since balancing visibility and privacy could be a challenge and concern for hybrid work, as 65 per cent of employees who are optimistic about technologically-enabled flexibility also believe it will be tied to an increase in monitoring.

Other findings include globalised labour markets would bring talent and concerns to employers, as decision makers in emerging markets agreed that loyalty was declining with the rise of remote jobs.

Analysing the report, Head of Ericsson IndustryLab, Anders Erlandsson, said: “Based on our research, it is quite clear that the future of work is going to be increasingly dependent on ICT solutions such as high-speed, globally available mobile connectivity. We felt the pandemic could finally be seen in the rear-view mirror, and therefore wanted to take a closer look at what changes in peoples’ work-life had stuck, and what was only a temporary adjustment. The truth is that remote work is clearly here to stay – maybe not exactly at the level as was measured during the pandemic, but still at significantly higher levels than before the pandemic.”

Amidst the rapid digitalisation brought on by the pandemic, our research highlights a concerning gap between the technology available in the workplace and the needs of employees for flexible working. With six in 10 companies lacking relevant technology for their staff, and just two in 10 employees feeling they have relevant tools at workplace, there is a pressing need for organisations to invest in digital tools and robust connectivity that enable remote collaboration and flexibility, not only to attract and retain top talent, but also to stay competitive in the post- pandemic world, Erlandsson said.

Head of Ericsson ConsumerLab, Jasmeet Singh Sethi, said the research was carried out within 30 markets globally; 38,000 online surveys of employees plus 3,600 online surveys of decision-makers and 11 in-depth interviews with decision-makers from selected industries within three markets: China, Spain and US.