January 2024 - Astute Financial

Nearly half (46%) of UK & Irish employees think their employer lags behind when it comes to adopting the latest technology, such as workplace experience or process automation tools.

New research from Ricoh Europe has revealed that there is a significant gap between employee expectations of technology in the workplace and what is currently provided by employers.

The poll of 1,000 workers across the UK and Ireland*, conducted by Opinium, found that nearly half of UK and Irish employees (46%) believe that their employer lags behind when it comes to adopting technology that would benefit them in the workplace.

More than a quarter (28%) report that their remote work set-up hinders their productivity, and over half (58%) are bogged down by high administrative burdens. What’s more, only 68% of UK and Irish employees believe their employers provide the necessary technology to do their jobs well – highlighting a significant missed opportunity.

Businesses should look to process automation and workplace experience tools to improve collaboration and streamline repetitive workflows and tasks, ensuring workers are equipped to do their best work. Implementing the latest technology, such as Workplace Experience Platforms, AV solutions and enterprise content management enables employees to focus less on admin, and more on value added activities.

Dennis Scannell, Director of Digital Service Consultancy at Ricoh UK, says: “What we’re noticing in the market is that more and more organisations are looking to re-imagine their workplaces to bridge the gap between employee expectations and the available technology.”

Without addressing these discrepancies in 2024, employers risk losing workers, who may seek alternate employment where their needs are better met. Almost one in three (30%) workers cited working conditions and their employee experience as a reason they would look for another job, while just under a fifth (18%) of employees noted the quality of technology software and technological devices as a leading contributor to them seeking alternate employment.

7 improvement tools to integrate into your organisation

Dennis continues: ‘We work with many UK businesses to transform their physical and digital workspace to be more collaborative and productive. For one of our customers, we were able to increase their office occupancy from 35% to 50% and deliver employee satisfaction rating of 4.8 out of 5, following a successful office transformation project. Ultimately, we create workplaces where people feel fulfilled and are happy to work.” He added: “Employee experience should be at the centre of any workplace transformation project.”

With over half (65%) of employees believing they would deliver more value to their company if they had the right tools and technologies in place, the benefits of getting this right extend beyond talent attraction and retention.

Nicola Downing, CEO, Ricoh Europe, says: “Looking ahead, it is imperative that businesses align their technology offerings with employee needs, particularly around process automation and workplace experience, which can help employees be more productive and focus on tasks where they can add more value.

“As our research has revealed, any business which overlooks employee experience around workplace technology, risks losing valued team members who will simply look elsewhere for a workplace that meets their needs”.

In the ever-evolving landscape of business and technology, HR professionals find themselves on the crest of a transformative wave – the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

As a HR professional, it doesn’t matter if you niche in the complexities of talent management, employee engagement, or are just a generalist, AI will have been discussed in meetings from boardroom to teams to a coffee break. And it may well have you feeling worried or nervous. If AI can do, well, just about anything, from writing policy to screening CVs, then what use are actual humans? You may be worried for your own role, and the role of HR in a company when people can use programmes to write everything from job descriptions to LinkedIn posts via those all-important emails or drafts of new protocols.

However, when it comes to workforce optimisation in 2024, AI emerges as a powerful ally for HR, offering unprecedented opportunities to streamline processes, enhance decision-making, and unlock new dimensions of human potential. If the fear comes when you think of AI and how it’ll work with your work, remember two things: It’s a tool you can use for the better, in many ways, and it needs you to operate it.

Still, it’s likely you have a lot of questions about AI – and as a key trend in 2024, how you might use it day-to-day and the impact and changes it’ll have on your work, your company and your role in HR. Is it up to you, as a HR professional, to be completely in the know about how to use the AI software, and all the pros and cons?

In 2024 you may well be recruiting (using AI in the process) for an AI Officer

Yes – to an extent. But the traditional role of HR has been one of a facilitator, managing administrative tasks, recruitment processes, and employee relations. However, the advent of AI heralds a huge shift, propelling HR into a realm where data-driven insights, predictive analytics, and intelligent automation redefine the very fabric of the workplace. Woah – sounds scary.

As organisations grapple with the imperative to adapt and innovate, AI is not merely a buzzword but a catalyst for change in HR practices. From leveraging machine learning algorithms for more effective talent acquisition to deploying natural language processing for enhanced employee engagement, the rise of AI in HR promises a future where organisations can better understand, connect with, and empower their most valuable asset – their people.

Focusing in on where you’ll use AI

So, where to start? First up, the ‘where’? The short answer here is in recruitment, that’s the key message from HR professionals. But that’s a huge remit – so let’s unpack the details. In a survey by Littler of 780 European employers, nearly 100 of which were UK-based, 61% say they use predictive AI tools for at least one HR function (such as recruiting and hiring), and 59% report using generative AI for HR purposes.

We enjoyed a lovely lunch recently, to celebrate the birthdays of Richard Bowe and Callum Musgrave.

We were also delighted to celebrate Richard’s promotion to Business Manager – Interim Division, after being awarded our Employee of the Year for 2023! Well done Richard! 👏
The team enjoyed a lovely meal, drinks and some birthday cake! 🎂
Great start to the year for Team Astute!

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Mike

16:04 13 Mar 23

Highly recommended! Josh and Sarah have been fantastic at Astute. They've found and placed me in 2 jobs now between them, both really responsive and excellent at keeping you up to speed with things. Very knowledgable about the roles and happy to talk to companies with any queries you have.

C R.

10:45 27 Jan 23

Great agency one of the best ones I've worked with! Liz has been a great help and support in helping me towards a new direction in my career life. She is very attentive and keeps me in the loop at all times! She makes the extra effort to work with my preferred requirements for work and even if it isn't completely attainable she meets me in the middle and does as much as she can to help! Also Liz is very funny might I add 😂 and I'm happy that I can now put a face to the name after all these years! Thank you again Liz for all your help and support! 😊

Christine

10:32 20 Dec 22

Josh and the Astute team was very swift to help me to find roles that matched my profile. They are really reliable and will help through every step of the recruitment process going out of their way to assist and follow up when needed. Could not find a better recruitment agency!

Helen Pinegar

16:19 18 Dec 22

Fantastic recruitment agency.. Josh was extremely enthusiastic, encouraging and clearly knowledgeable about what was needed from both the employee and the employers point of view. Extremely supportive especially in regards to interview preparation and endeavoured to procure feedback promptly. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Astute in the future to both candidates and recruiting businesses particularly for the right fit for the role!!!

Lisa Leigh

11:56 30 Nov 22

I have worked as a candidate for Astute and they have been excellent. Super friendly service and professional agents keen to fit the right person to the right job. It has been a pleasure dealing with them and I would happily work for them again in the future. Highly recommend this agency.