Research commissioned by Kaspersky Lab has revealed that three-quarters of the employees it surveyed in SA want to rethink pre-COVID-19 ways of working.
The study is based on input from 8 000 SME workers across a variety of industries and countries.
Rather than return to business as usual, workers are now shaping a future of business on their terms, whether that’s spending more time with loved ones (65%), saving money (68%), or working remotely (50%).
Business leaders had to contend with their workforces moving to working from home practically overnight, and now must adapt quickly to remain secure and resilient.
Staff are also using this time as an opportunity to reassess yesterday’s priorities, and plan a future around what really matters to them. “And as work and home lives are transformed, it’s employees who now see themselves in the driving seat,” says Kaspersky.
Yesterday’s rigid job routines are no longer satisfactory, as employees across the globe redefine the next normal for work as one that is more agile and accommodating.
Moving forward, 52% of workers surveyed in SA want to leave behind the nine to five working structure, 36% are ready to see the back of fixed office desks, while 41% want to end the five-day working week.
The research also highlighted that 50% view remote working as the third greatest benefit, as a by-product of the pandemic, after saving money (68%) and spending time with family (65%).
The majority of the advantages revolve around pursuing new opportunities for personal enrichment outside of work, as getting that work-life balance becomes even more important.
Concurrently, as workers continue to embrace more forward-thinking and flexible ways of working, it is critical that businesses augment and adapt the support they provide. Given that half the workforce locally actively seeks more technology support from their organisation when working remotely, the need to provide the tools and technology to keep users productive, connected and secure has never been greater.
“We are facing a defining moment in time, and this is very exciting. It’s clear this pandemic has accelerated digital transformation and the blending of our work and home lives,” says Alexander Moiseev, chief business officer at Kaspersky.
“What we’re now seeing is employees using technology to own a new future, and actively taking the lead in embracing changes in pursuit of greater freedom and flexibility. Companies now have a mandate to adapt and remodel the modern workplace into something more productive, sustainable and malleable.”
To help secure flexible workforces, Kaspersky recommends empowering employees to become more cyber-aware.
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