People are turning to robots to support their career development after the COVID-19 pandemic left them feeling lonely and disconnected from their own lives, according to a new study by Oracle and Workplace Intelligence, an HR research and advisory firm. The study of more than 1,000 Australian employees, managers, HR leaders, and C-level executives found that people have felt stuck in their personal and professional lives but are ready to regain control of their futures. This formed part of a global study, with more than 14,600 people surveyed across 13 countries.
More than a year-and-a- half in and out of lockdown, international boarders closed and the continued uncertainty due to the pandemic has left many workers in emotional turmoil, feeling like their lives and careers are out of control.
Despite struggles over the last year, Australians are eager to make changes in their professional lives.
To retain and grow top talent amidst changing workplace dynamics, employers need to pay attention to employee needs more than ever before and leverage technology to provide better support.
“The past year and a half changed how we work including where we work and, for a lot of people, who we work for. While there have been a lot of challenges for both employees and employers, this has been an opportunity to change the workplace for the better,” said Dan Schawbel, managing partner, Workplace Intelligence. “The results clearly show that investment in skills and career development is now a key differentiator for employers as it plays a significant role in employees feeling like they have control over their personal and professional lives. Businesses that invest in their employees and help them find opportunities will reap the benefits of a productive, engaged workforce.”
“Over the past year we’ve seen massive change in the way organisations across Australia and New Zealand deliver their services. As a result, HR executives are very focused on rightsizing the business around their new operating models, which means restructuring, reskilling and redeploying their workforce,” said Rowan Tonkin, Senior Director HR Transformation JAPAC, Oracle. “Even still, 4 in 5 respondents feel their organisation has a skill gap that needs to close. Many organisations have pools of unstructured employee and skills data, but in order to close this gap need to apply more structure around defining and identifying talent within their organisation.”
Learn more about this global report here: https://www.oracle.com/au/human-capital-management/ai-at-work/
AI @ Work Australia Data Points Infographic (PDF)
Research findings are based on a survey conducted by Savanta, Inc. across the US, the UK, the UAE, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Brazil, India, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Australia between July 27 – August 17, 2021. For this survey, 14,639 C-suite executives, HR leaders, managers and full-time employees were asked general questions about the impact of COVID-19 on the workplace, AI and career development, and AI adoption at the workplace. The study targeted full-time employees who are 22 to 74 years of age. Respondents were recruited through a number of different mechanisms, via different sources to join the panels and participate in market research surveys. All panellists have passed a double opt-in process and complete on average 300 profiling data points prior to taking part in surveys. Respondents are invited to take part via email and are provided with a small monetary incentive for doing so. Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. In this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 0.8 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.
Workplace Intelligence, LLC is an HR research and advisory firm helping leaders adapt to trends, drive performance, and prepare for the future. Our mission is to create more intelligent workplaces using data-based insights. For more information please visit workplaceintelligence.com and read the Workplace Intelligence Insider Newsletter.
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