If you are reading this article from the comfort of your home office, you are living a reality that, until a few years ago, was the exception for a small minority of workers. Now, many companies across various sectors are facilitating hybrid or remote work in one way or another, making the home office a more common setup for people than before. However, while technology makes remote work easier, workers feel disconnected from their colleagues.
This disconnection may be due to location, as we are more physically distanced from our coworkers. However, amid the growing “return to the office” movement and concerns that remote and hybrid work could be detrimental to the workforce, it turns out that the feeling of disconnection between colleagues is being caused by something entirely different.
The hidden barrier to employee connection
Recent research from Workato found that only 26% of UK workers felt it was more difficult to connect with colleagues virtually, and even fewer said that not being in the office with colleagues hampered their ability to collaborate. Data shows that location has very little impact on our ability to feel connected to coworkers. UK workers feel distant from their colleagues for a completely different reason; There is simply too much work to do and not enough time.
Unattainable workload, and the way it is managed, is robbing UK workers of time they could be spending connecting and building relationships with colleagues, regardless of whether they are in the same room or in a completely different location. This lack of connection is having a knock-on effect on employee engagement, making people feel isolated and teams struggling to collaborate.
Administrative tasks are contributing to a significant time crunch for UK workers, particularly highly repetitive tasks such as internal emails and note-taking; Time that could be better spent connecting with colleagues. The research found that almost half of workers felt they would need an extra 30 to 60 minutes each day dedicated to team building to feel closer to their colleagues. With limited resources and only a certain number of hours available in the working day, UK businesses are struggling to strike a balance between optimizing time and fostering employee engagement – a challenge that could have a significant impact on success. long-term of their teams.
The role of automation in connecting equipment
Creating more free time at work doesn’t mean employees will work less—they’ll work smarter. When organizations look to implement automation technology, they not only improve efficiency by reducing enormous amounts of time spent on repetitive tasks, but also the impact on the people responsible for those tasks. Automation paves the way for broader thinking, giving employees the space to consider their career goals, think about improvements within the business, and plan for future resource challenges or obstacles. By moving from task-based work to values-based work, organizations can instill a mutual sense of empowerment among all levels of an organization, in a joint effort to strengthen the business and contribute to its long-term success.
While the benefits of automation are compelling, it is of no use if workers do not agree with the changes. So how do workers feel about automation? The response is overwhelmingly positive. UK workers are seeing the productivity benefits of automation tools and the quality of their work is improving too. Specifically, with the use of automation tools, more than 4 in 5 people in the UK believe that automation is part of the solution to save time for more complex jobs, and 85% believe that it is part of the solution to improve productivity.
Implementing automation allows companies to invest in human relationships to increase efficiency and productivity among workers. The benefits go beyond simply improving the bottom line; Employees in the UK value automation as an essential tool to strengthen the quality of their work, create stronger relationships with teammates, and set aside time to connect with team members on a personal level.
When a company consists of a strong and happy team, it naturally creates a domino effect that leads to satisfied customers; a winning solution for everyone.
Building a workplace for connection and collaboration
As organizations continue to explore what the future of work will look like, many must consider how they will foster an environment that enables UK workers to be creative, collaborative and connected. Recognizing automation as a path forward to improve work, people and culture is crucial to the success of companies, regardless of industry or size. Leaders now have the opportunity to invest significant time, resources and money in their workers to better promote a sense of belonging.
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