EMPLOYEES have emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic more empowered than ever.
They have strong opinions about how, when and where they work, and are demanding flexibility, according to Zoom head of Asia-Pacific (APAC) Ricky Kapur.
Quoting the EY Work Reimagined Survey conducted last year, Kapur said over half of employees in APAC would quit their current roles if they are not offered continued flexibility post-pandemic.
“An overwhelming majority of employees want the flexibility to work remotely,” Kapur pointed out in his keynote address at Zoom’s first virtual Work Transformation Summit APAC yesterday (April 27).
“Some are referring to this as the ‘Great Resignation’ and that is what it may be for organisations that get it wrong.”
Qualtrics head of growth and strategy Steve Bennetts concurred: “If you are not set up to deliver a superior and continually improving employee experience, your business is at a distinct disadvantage right now.”
He said people’s needs and expectations have changed dramatically over the past two years, hence to meaningfully respond, organisations need to re-think and re-design the ways they manage their employees.
“The era of doing a once-a-year engagement survey is over – you need to be continuously listening and rapidly acting on feedback,” he observed, adding that investment in tools and capabilities are long-term, strategic investments that deliver long-term value.
“The best investments in employee experience move the dial on employee experience which in turn enhances customer experiences.”
The Zoom Work Transformation Summit APAC included a virtual tour of Zoom’s head office in San Jose. It demonstrated Zoom innovations at work and how meetings can be much more efficient and inclusive with the Smart Gallery, Zoom Rooms compatible devices, and Zoom Whiteboard.
“While many may still see Zoom as a meeting app, it offers so much more,” noted Kapur.
“Zoom has made a quantum leap from being a video conferencing app to an integrated communication platform provider that allows individuals and businesses to seamlessly conduct everything from chat to telephony, web conferencing, video conferencing, webinars, and large-scale events on a single platform.”
Zoom is also accelerating the region’s innovation by helping organisations create and grow their businesses on its platform. In APAC, these organisations include Australian retail platform Brauz; Vietnam’s business communication platform GapoWork; Singapore-headquartered ed-tech platform LingoAce; and Indonesia’s largest cellular operator Telkomsel.
Qualtrics, meanwhile, is a leading global experience management company that is majority owned by enterprise software company SAP. In Malaysia, its customers include property developer Mah Sing Group Bhd which is listed on Bursa Malaysia. – April 28, 2022
