APAC News

Work blender—virtual meets physical

The ongoing global pandemic has put employee welfare under the microscope, as many businesses have had to embrace remote working in order to continue business as usual. Companies had to create new digital workplaces where remote employees have the right tools to communicate and collaborate, while also feeling supported which maintains productivity.

The new report from Verizon Business, Recreating Work as a Blend of Virtual and Physical Experiences, examines the impact of the recent rise in remote working and discusses key areas business leaders should focus on as they help their organisation adapt to new ways of working moving forward.

Over 80% of the companies surveyed see the digital workplace co-existing with the physical workspace in the future, although 80% are also expecting an increase in the amount of remote work conducted. This increase means organisations will be able to pick and choose which types of work and which people will require a physical presence, and where the company can gain efficiency and productivity with virtual work. More than half of business leaders reported that the quality of remote work was on par with the work conducted in the physical workplace. The benefits of remote working are numerous with over half of respondents experiencing improved collaboration, seeing a boost in business agility and an increase in productivity. The report also highlights that businesses that have a digital workplace strategy are consistently more likely to see greater ROI than those that don’t. For instance, over half saw increased productivity versus only 40% of those without such a strategy. In order to achieve these results, businesses need to go beyond a mere work-at-home policy to define the purpose and goals of the program, the approach the organisation will take, and how they will measure success. The use of technology is a key differentiator in this strategy.

The report focuses on three key focus areas for maximizing digital work strategies in the future:

• Working smarter: COVID-19 forced widespread use of video and web conferencing.

Smart organisations are increasing efficiency by integrating these with collaboration tools to let employees collaborate remotely in realtime, spend less time in meetings, and turn discussions into assignments.

• Prioritising simplicity and integration: To ensure a cohesive, productive digital work environment, tools should be easy to use and integrate seamlessly with other workplace productivity and collaboration tools.

• Keep security top of mind: Potential security gaps exist on employee PCs, devices, home networks, and apps, representing a growing threat with the shift to remote work.

Enterprise-grade security enables businesses to identify and protect against fraud, and ensure that private calls and meetings remain private. Companies should also consider implementing end-user security awareness training, acceptable use policies that mitigate user exposure to threats, and new security policies for remote working such as twofactor authentication. n

China template for LGBT

Asia is the new global battleground for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights. The recent study, Pride and Prejudice: The next chapter of progress, by EIU, captures the opinions of 359 full-time employees across seven economies—China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan—via a survey. It reveals advances for LGBT inclusion in Asia’s business community, despite the widespread conservative groupthink (herd) mentality. Even with progress, 40% of Asian executives continue to report that being openly LGBT would hinder their careers.

While companies in the West have played a vocal role in advancing LGBT rights over the past several years, companies in Asia stand at a crossroads. Where just over 60% of respondents in India believe there has been substantial or major progress in diversity and inclusion for LGBT people in their firms, half of the respondents from Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Japan believe little to no progress has been made. These disparities call for a brighter spotlight on how Asian companies can foster LGBT acceptance, given the rising concerns around disclosing one’s sexual orientation/ gender identity in the workplace.

Asia’s two dominant powers, India and China, have positioned themselves as regional leaders on LGBT acceptance in several areas of the study. As their geopolitical influence grows, their corporate views are becoming more aligned with that of their employees, a young, dynamic cohort for whom promoting LGBT rights is a greater priority than for older generation workers. As China and India move towards embracing LGBT diversity and inclusion, they begin to shape a trend to be followed by the rest of Asia. n

Office—the grand reopening

Why proper cups of coffee, quality IT, and mask-to-mask meetings still matter when it comes to office life.

As home working arrangements are becoming normalised and people are enjoying less commuting, with not having to dress to impress and getting to spend more time with their families; there are also irreplaceable benefits of working in an office such as proper coffee in a proper coffee cup, chatting to colleagues and collaborating on projects, IT that works, comfortable ergonomic furniture, admin support, and a highly-productive environment that boosts concentration and minimises distractions.

The COVID-19 outbreak has led to businesses and employees re-evaluating what the workplace means to them. A flexible workspace provider across Asia Pacific and the Middle East, The Executive Centre (TEC), launches the "Welcome Back to The Office" video campaign, where characters find ways to adapt to the new working environment.

The campaign is a take on the work-from-home phenomenon, and while the characters in the videos are fictional, their triumphs and struggles are drawn from real experiences of TEC's 1000+ global team.

Paul Salnikow, Founder and CEO, TEC said, "After an extended period of time working from home, we are inspired to explore how the typical workday has changed and is continuing to change… the future of the workplace hinges on its relationship with the people who truly make it work. As the pandemic has accelerated the shift to flexible workspaces, we are certain that the office, rather than becoming obsolete, will become an increasingly valuable asset, facilitating collaboration and driving business growth." n

Human capital acrobatics

Workforce agility is key says 84% of companies in Singapore according to a survey by Aon. The changing market demands due to COVID-19 are driving organisations to evaluate reskilling their workforce. The firm has released the results of a new global pulse survey focused on how companies are rethinking their human capital strategies in response to the humanitarian and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 crisis has forced companies to evaluate employees beyond their current roles and look closely at employee potential, capability, and most importantly, adaptability to change. Building an agile workforce has emerged as a top priority for HR and business leaders.

Over 400 HR leaders and professionals in Singapore were surveyed from 17 August to 25 August 2020, the survey was called “Accelerating Workforce Agility and Resilience.” 84% of respondents said that an agile workforce, defined as quickly assigning new roles to employees to support changing business needs, is now more important to the success of their business than ever before. However, only 38% currently view their workforces as agile.

Alexander Krasavin, Partner and Regional Commercial Head, Human Capital, APAC & MEA, Aon said, “Creating agile workforces across industries will include data analysis, segmentation of the workforce, and a sustained period of experimentation, until the right mix of technology and human capital can be achieved…Remote working has highlighted the massive shift in working models, bringing into sharper focus the issue of agility. Various sectors are thinking about these things differently—some are using data and questioning how to make remote work better. Others, such as technology companies, have taken a more bottom-up approach.” Companies need to go beyond simply identifying the roles that can or cannot work remotely, but many are still unsure of exactly how their working models need to change. Enhancing remote work arrangements will create new types of productivity measurements, especially around collaboration metrics, that are more suited to the agile workforce of the future. This was echoed by 84% of survey respondents who said that assessing employees for adaptability, collaboration and communications skills is extremely important in the current business climate.

When work is no longer a place you go, talent searches must become more inclusive. When remote work is no longer a benefit but a norm, the talent acquisition process is opening up to a global pool of candidates, making the correlation between remote workforces and diversity clear to HR leaders. Attracting and retaining diverse employees ranked third among the top 10 factors needed to build and maintain an agile workforce, according to the survey. In addition, 87% of respondents felt that an inclusive work culture was important, ahead of factors such as identifying employees with digital skills, introducing new career paths, or developing flexible compensation programmes.

Efforts to create an inclusive workplace, among many others, are believed to improve workforce resilience. Chong observed, “The COVID-19 pandemic has raised important questions, such as should businesses widen the scope of social responsibility by partnering more with the government to pay for some of the externalities? Is resilience more important than efficiency?”. Addressing these questions will create the right kind of resilient and agile workforce—one that makes the future of HR a ‘new better’. n