Business Applications & End-user Computing

Digital workspaces, a term adopted by internal IT organizations to describe projects, are often shaped and defined based on what a technology vendor can map to from a technology or solution perspective. I am a proponent of digital workspaces and was pleased to see multiple companies come together in an effort to put consistency behind digital workspaces. Full details on the Alliance can be seen here: Ten Tech Leaders Form the Digital Workspace Ecosystem Alliance to Help Organizations Navigate Remote & Hybrid Work Solutions

(more…)

In ESG’s 2021 Technology Spending Intentions Survey, when asked whether IT leadership has gotten any pressure from business executives to increase employee monitoring at any point stemming back to the outset of the pandemic, nearly half (48%) of senior IT decision makers responded in the affirmative.

Two-thirds of the respondents at these organizations cited productivity and/or security as the reasons behind the increased monitoring requests.

Work is no longer measured by the total number of hours logged in the office and has left some executives out of touch with their employees and teams. IT teams have a challenge on their hands as they walk the line between monitoring IT systems to deliver optimal user experiences and monitoring capabilities that track application usage, active device time, and the general productivity of users. IT professionals can help strike an ideal balance through insight and analytics that monitor user experience and proactively capture issues before they impact performance, productivity, and employee satisfaction.

This is a difficult topic for executives, IT pros, and employees. Stay tuned here as we research the current and planned state of businesses to help us all understand how employee insights are being used in meaningful ways.

Antiquated management philosophies that connected successful work with hours in an office are being proven to be erroneous. In fact, ESG’s 2021 Technology Spending Intentions Survey highlighted that 72% or organizations are becoming more pro-work-from-home and 44% of respondents would prefer to keep as many employees as possible working remotely as long as possible. As a result, we are seeing the pressure being turned on for IT pros who are being asked to increase employee monitoring. 

Employee monitoring has always been a fine line for IT pros to participate in but executives see an opportunity as they look to:

• Support a surge in output.
• Enhance employee engagement levels.
• Maintain remote and flexible work.

As workforces become more distributed and business processes become increasingly digitized, it is more important than ever for companies to have detailed insights into their employees. While monitoring employees via technology interfaces does provide valuable insight into work habits and well-being, business executives must be careful to avoid the perception of spying. Businesses need solutions that address these needs while challenging models of the past to support a surge in output, enhance employee engagement levels, and maintain remote and flexible work.

This is a challenging message for businesses and the IT vendor community. As a result of the complex topic, ESG is launching initiatives so we can help IT pros, executives and the vendor community highlight the value of employee insights and contribute to improved user experience, enhanced security, and the overall greater good of employee well-being.