Research on the work of ServiceNow shows that Dutch executives believe the upcoming changes are more dramatic than those at the beginning of the pandemic.
- Due to the need for change, Dutch companies are on the eve of unprecedented innovation in work processes and workplaces
- Most Dutch employees expect the tension between the importance of business continuity and safe return to the workplace
- With the greatest benefit of lost travel time for employees, executives emphasized more personal responsibility
Amsterdam – The corona pandemic has brought about major changes in the way of working, but Dutch executives expect that adapting to the new normal after the pandemic will be more challenging than the mandatory changes at the beginning of the pandemic. Half of Dutch employees also have these concerns.
This is evidenced by a large-scale global research “job survey” conducted by the leading digital workflow company ServiceNow, which makes people’s jobs better. This study examines the impact of COVID-19 on our work and the possibility of digitally improving the way employees and companies work.
ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott said in a survey: “The global trend of digital work shows the future of work. “Digital workflow is the way to complete business in the 21st century. We will not return to the situation of COVID-19, and digital transformation will accelerate. New ways of working will become the norm, and we are on the eve of unprecedented innovation in work processes and workplaces. “
Personal safety and business continuity
Surprisingly, 52% of Dutch employees worry that employers will find business continuity more important than getting employees to return to the workplace safely. Even more striking is that a higher percentage of executives (58%) shared these concerns. This percentage is much higher than the European average of 37%, and the proportion of Dutch employees is equal to the European average.
In addition, almost half of Dutch employees (46%) do not believe their organization will take all necessary steps to ensure a safe return to the workplace. Similarly, the proportion of executives is even higher, not less than 56%. In contrast, the European average is 32%.
The pros and cons of being forced to work from home
All managers and almost all employees (96%) in the Netherlands agree on one thing: working from home has an undeniable advantage. But this does not mean that there are no worries. Employees (78%) and executives (90%) have expressed their concerns:
- Executives are particularly concerned about service or production delays (62%), while employees are particularly concerned about the lack of collaboration between different departments (53%).
- Executives believe that the biggest advantage of being forced to work at home is that employees take on more personal responsibility (56%). Dutch employees believe that the time saved by reducing commuting is the biggest benefit (62%).
Other notable results:
- 94% of executives in the Netherlands believe that the pandemic has changed the way we work. A slightly lower percentage of employees (87%) said that COVID-19 has helped their organizations create better ways of working.
- The vast majority of executives (94%) and employees (87%) stated that their organizations have adopted new ways of working faster than previously thought.
- 96% of Dutch executives expect that changes in business operations caused by corona will save costs. They believe that these savings should be mainly invested in entering new markets (60%) and digital transformation (54%).
Adapting to the new normal will bring greater challenges
In the Netherlands, 62% of managers and 50% of employees expect that adapting to the new normal will face more challenges than the changes required at the beginning of the corona crisis. Another complicating factor is that 84% of executives report that offline workflows still exist within the company, such as approving documents, reporting security incidents, and requesting technical support. Although progress has been made, three-quarters of Dutch companies have not yet established a fully integrated system for managing digital workflows.
Lack of confidence in the second rapid transformation
According to 86% of Dutch workers, the new system developed and implemented in response to the corona pandemic provides new and better ways of working. However, these systems seem to be susceptible to the next major change, because many executives say they don’t want key departments (such as IT, HR, or customer service) to develop and deploy new workflows within 30 days. Employees have the same concerns, and only a few believe that the IT department can implement changes within the set time frame.
“Corona enables European organizations to implement changes faster. ServiceNow Nordic Vice President Michael Maas said: “And, at a level that we have never seen before, I really didn’t expect to have such a level. “There is a lot of discussion about adapting to the new normal, but the reality of many companies is that only the current situation is meaningful, and with it is constant change. The biggest challenge facing Dutch and European organizations is to find a balance between business continuity and the individual needs of employees, and to ensure that both are digitally prepared for future changes. Concentrating on digitization will be an important factor in achieving this balance.
When asked about the implications of the research results, futurist and author Tom Cheesewright said: “This research is at the beginning of the transition from the early chaos of COVID-19 to new sustainable development in many organizations. The method of change. The incredible results have been achieved under extreme pressure. Hybrid technology has proven its value. But there is still work to be done. Culture, workflow and behavior must become part of the new technology foundation At the same time, employers and employees must sign a new social contract, and remote work occupies a central position.
For more information on job surveys, please see here.
Download the chart to get the most compelling results of the Dutch study:
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Research methodology
Wakefield Research conducted an online quantitative survey from September 1 to September 10, 2020. The survey surveyed 900 C-level executives and 8,100 office workers in companies with 500 or more employees from the following countries or regions: the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, India, Japan, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. The survey was conducted by respondents who worked in five core sectors: financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, telecommunications, and the public sector.
About ServiceNow
ServiceNow (NYSE: NOW) is creating a world of work to make people work better. Our cloud-based platform and solutions provide digital workflows that can create outstanding experiences and release productivity for employees and businesses. For more information, please visit: www.servicenow.com.
©2020 ServiceNow, Inc. All rights reserved. ServiceNow, the ServiceNow logo, Now and other ServiceNow marks are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of ServiceNow, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Other company names, product names and logos may be the trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.
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