New research from SAP Concur reveals how team building and collaboration is vital in a hybrid world, and how HR leaders need to carefully consider these cultural aspects when implementing WFA policies while at the same time fulfilling important obligations such as duty of care.
‘Working from Anywhere’ policies are sharply rising in value in the workplace. Now a hugely prized perk, WFA is starting to sit alongside other key table stakes for office jobs, such as health insurance and bonuses. Many employees claim they would take a salary cut to be able to WFA or would seek employment with organisations offering better WFA policies if theirs was not working. Valuing WFA so highly largely comes down to employees’ desire for flexibility and job satisfaction – drivers of which not all HR and finance leaders are aware.
Key findings from the survey of 835 HR decision-makers, 835 finance decision-makers and 1,670 employees:
The value in WFA:
53% of employees cite flexible hours as one of their most valued perks when choosing top three benefits at work46% of employees cite WFA as a key perk in the workplace, fourth place and only behind established perks like health insurance (36%) and bonuses (34%) in the rankings; and above other core benefits like pension contributions (26%)3 out of 4 (78%) employees agree that the ability to ‘Work from Anywhere’ would increase their job satisfaction, yet only 58% of HR and finance leaders agree that a WFA policy would have a positive impact on employee well-being and satisfaction.
Barriers to WFA:
The most significant barrier to employees personally ‘Working from Anywhere’ is concerns around it reducing team spirit within their team (57%), meaning HR leaders need to carefully consider team atmosphere related challenges when implementing WFA policiesAlmost half (46%) of employees say that concerns regarding their career progression is one of the most significant barriers to them personally ‘Working from Anywhere’ – the third highest listedWhile 74% of employees state that ‘Working from Anywhere’ abroad is attractive as it would help with their mental and physical health, 63% of HR leaders are actually concerned about their duty of care obligations when it comes to the health and safety implications of their employees working from anywhere abroad.
Adjusted HR processes and technology are required:
Leaders recognise room for improvement and strongly feel that adjusted business processes and better expense management technology are required to allow employees to feasibly work from anywhere. 69% of HR leaders believe they would need to make significant changes to HR processes (e.g. payroll and benefits) within the business to make ‘Working from Anywhere’ feasibleMany HR leaders (50%) agree they rely on too many manual processes and/or procedures, making it challenging to facilitate employees ‘Working from Anywhere’. The wellbeing of the HR department also needs to be considered, with 59% of leaders agreeing that the administration of managing employees who are working from anywhere abroad leads to increased stress and burnout in the HR department
Rob Harrison, Managing Director of SAP Intelligent Spend Solutions (SAP Concur), commented: “Our research reveals that despite employees appreciating the ability to WFA, there are various challenges HR departments are facing. Technological difficulties and manual processes can create friction and decrease productivity. Furthermore, duty of care is made more difficult when one considers that 18 per cent of all employees in our survey have worked from abroad in the last twelve months without disclosing this to their employer.
Balancing the need for flexibility and key obligations like duty of care is an essential but complex task. At SAP Concur we build on a comprehensive partner ecosystem that supports our customers with a broad range of additional services that allow companies to unlock the true potential of WFA, enhancing job satisfaction, and ultimately, ensuring HR leaders can navigate the evolving workplace landscape with confidence.”
SAP Concur’s ‘The Work from Anywhere employee benefit and its implications for business’ report features findings from 835 HR decision-makers, 835 finance decision-makers and 1,670 employees across seven markets. The full report will be available on the SAP website in October.
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