Most businesses believe they will emerge stronger from the pandemic
New research commissioned by Cisco looks at what lessons have been learned as many businesses begin rolling out return to work strategies following the COVID-19 outbreak.
The study interviewed 1,500 managers across 13 countries and one of the key findings is that 74 percent of respondents say their business will in some ways emerge stronger from the crisis.
While the first half of 2020 has been among the most tumultuous times in modern history, nearly three-quarters of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, 'Despite the challenges, our business will emerge stronger in some areas from the current crisis.' This optimism is indicative of the ingenuity and innovation that organizations have shown.
Many initiatives around digital transformation and other forms of modernization scheduled for the medium to long-term, or deferred because of other competing priorities, have now been accelerated.
Almost half (49 percent) of respondents indicate that flexible working hours are here to stay. When it comes to hiring, 50 percent of respondents say increased remote work would lead to a more inclusive and extended talent pool. Businesses are realizing that work can happen anywhere without productivity being lost, and an expanded talent pool will enable stronger and more capable work teams.
"From a business agility and resiliency perspective, it's important that we learn and adapt quickly from this experience," says Aruna Ravichandran, VP of Marketing at Cisco's Collaboration Group. "You never know when you’ll need to pivot, and we’ve seen that technology like Webex is playing a key role."
It remains to be seen whether this mindset shift can withstand the test of time, but participants in the study were optimistic that workplace culture is transforming in the right direction.
Cisco has produced a Workplace Maturity Assessment tool to help businesses gauge the state of their digital transformation and you can read more about the survey results on the Cisco blog.
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