VMware: Bridging the Digital Employee Experience Perception Gap Crucial in Delivering Better Business Outcomes
• Perception gap arising between IT decision makers, employees & HR functions could be a key stumbling block to successful digital transformation
• HR may play an important role in helping drive superior employee experience
Singapore – July 24, 2019 – According to VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW), a leading innovator in enterprise software, the delivery of positive digital employee experience correlates with improved business outcomes and this is shaping how organizations innovate and compete. Findings of the new global VMware Digital Employee Experience study also uncovered key perception gaps between IT decision makers and employees when it comes to the topic of digital empowerment within their organizations in Asia Pacific (APAC) and the need for HR to step up to support IT in delivering positive digital employee experiences.
The study, which surveyed 1,600 respondents from Australia, Japan, India, Singapore and China, found that while the vast majority of APAC IT decision makers (95%) agree that IT provides employees with the digital tools they need in order to be successful in their job, 46% of employees surveyed do not agree with this. The perception gap presents a challenge to APAC organizations looking to harness digital transformation initiatives for improved business performance, highlighting the need for IT and HR to collaborate further to realize the true value that digital employee experience brings.
In Singapore, where technology heterogeneity has become ubiquitous to the workplace, organizations are still struggling with the delivery of the optimum digital employee experience. According to the study, employees in Singapore cited reasons including the lack of understanding of what employees want and need (52%), the lack of technical skills (47%) and lack of senior support (33%). Employees surveyed in Singapore also indicated that they do not have much freedom when it comes to choosing their preferred device or system for work purposes – between Android or iOS (43%) and between a MAC or PC (51%). This is higher than the regional average of 38% and 39% respectively.
“Almost eight in ten Singaporeans are now online (1) and as Singapore continues to go full steam ahead with its smart nation push, it is imperative for organizations to prioritize the digital employee experience today so the workforce is well-equipped to keep up with the digital economy of tomorrow,” said Adrian Hia, Country Manager, VMware Singapore. “The Singapore government is taking the lead with the launch of its Digital Readiness blueprint to support organizations and employees and this is a great first step. However, organizations must also seize the initiative by embracing technology heterogeneity at the workplace to attract and retain the best talents. The prioritization of the digital employee experience is critically important for organizations in Singapore looking to improve their business outcomes.”
The study also found that 86% of APAC employees agree that HR should have more responsibility for the digital employee experience within their organization. This is higher than other regions including EMEA (80%) and North America (74%). Most respondents (95%) also recognize that HR and IT could work better together to improve the digital employee experience, indicating that a closer collaboration between the two departments is imperative to delivering superior experiences.
Intelligence-driven workspace management is key to delivering superior digital experience that supports business growth
The rise of new workstyles that are more open, flexible and collaborative has challenged both IT and HR departments to support employees and their preferred way of working while ensuring corporate assets and personal privacy remain protected. To create a work environment that empowers both employees and organizations to drive better business outcomes, VMware believes that enterprises should focus on three key factors as they build an intelligence-driven digital workspace platform with embedded security capabilities.
• Modernize Management; embrace a Heterogenous Environment: Embracing heterogeneity, along with an intelligence-driven digital workspace platform with embedded security capabilities and culture can help reduce costs and complexity, automate management and security and provide a better employee experience.
• Implicit Trust from Device to Network: Technology today can help customers take advantage of better securing any app on any device using, data loss prevention (DLP) policies, encryption, and access management, to name a few.
• Enhance Employee Experience & Productivity Across More Apps and Devices: With the right productivity apps at their fingertips, employees can get more done, faster, from anywhere. With secure productivity apps that are both engaging and intuitive with a consumer-simple experience, employees will be able to work securely and seamlessly access relevant enterprise content and apps across any device.
“Modern management is essential to today’s digital workspaces as organizations transition from traditional management approaches, older operating systems and legacy applications,” Hia said. “VMware is committed to helping organizations close the digital experience gap by taking modern management to the next level and deliver the flexibility and seamless experiences that employees are increasingly seeking for at work. With these, organizations can maximize the benefits of their transformational efforts and attract top talent in the competitive job market.”
About VMware
VMware software powers the world’s complex digital infrastructure. The company’s cloud, networking and security, and digital workspace offerings provide a dynamic and efficient digital foundation to over 500,000 customers globally, aided by an ecosystem of 75,000 partners. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, VMware is committed to being a force for good, from its breakthrough innovations to its global impact. For more information, please visit https://www.vmware.com/company.html.
VMware is a registered trademark or trademark of VMware, Inc. in the United States and other jurisdictions. This article may contain hyperlinks to non-VMware websites that are created and maintained by third parties who are solely responsible for the content on such websites.
About VMware Digital Employee Experience Report
VMware Digital Employee Experience report is a global survey of 6,400 respondents conducted in partnership with independent research firm Vanson Bourne in Spring 2019. In Asia Pacific, 1,600 respondents across Australia, Japan, India, Singapore and China were surveyed on their views on the digital experience within the workplace.
About Vanson Bourne
Vanson Bourne is an independent specialist in market research for the technology sector. Their reputation for robust and credible research-based analysis is founded upon rigorous research principles and their ability to seek the opinions of senior decision makers across technical and business functions, in all business sectors and all major markets. For more information, visit www.vansonbourne.com.
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Media Contacts:
Anubha Pandey SEAK Communications, VMware
Phone: +65 8113 5721
Email: anubhap@vmware.com
Ooi Shi YunOPRG for VMware
Phone: +65 6424 6951
Email: shiyun.ooi@omnicomprgroup.com
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[1] Digital 2019 Singapore, We Are Social, https://wearesocial.com/sg/digital-2019-singapore