BETA
This is a BETA experience. You may opt-out by clicking here

More From Forbes

Edit Story

What's Next For Sustainability, IT And The Digital Employee Experience?

Forbes Technology Council

Chief Technology Officer at 1E.

The pandemic has greatly shifted the way organizations operate, and, as a result, it has massively impacted their priorities. This is especially true when it comes to the digital employee experience (DEX).

With the shift to remote work as a result of the pandemic, organizations shifted from a handful of offices to many, many offices, with each individual employee suddenly becoming their own “office.” This dispersion has created multiple challenges for organizations, particularly when it comes to IT and employee experience.

This year, it’s important for businesses to ask themselves: How can we work to improve employee experience in the age of hybrid work while also maximizing the value of our IT? Here are two significant IT challenges that companies will be tackling in the coming year.

Sustainability In IT

The IT sector accounts for 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and this could double by 2025. As such, more emphasis should be placed on IT sustainability. For example, more organizations will begin to analyze the carbon footprint of their IT-related energy consumption and consider ways in which to positively impact the environment. By doing so, organizations can also significantly reduce their IT costs.

When work from home became widely mandated across organizations, there was a need for quick solutions to ensure employees were adequately equipped to continue doing their work. In many cases, this resulted in the deployment of tech that could not sustain the workload of a remote environment, causing increased IT friction and demand for new technology.

However, new technology is not always necessary if IT is properly repurposed. Organizations must consistently monitor, measure and reduce IT friction to understand better where certain upgrades or refresh programs are needed. This can help extend the life cycle of devices and enhance the overall digital employee experience.

Optimizing The Employee Experience

The conversation around remote work is as relevant as ever, and we will see more organizations prioritize efforts to drive an optimal employee experience.

This is particularly important when it comes to recruiting and retaining talent. A report from Qualtrics found only 30% of employees say their experience with their company’s technology exceeds their expectations. To improve employee retention, organizations must offer digital experiences similar to those provided by consumer-grade technology.

Optimized digital experiences provide benefits through better performance, more security and better business alignment. Given this, we’ll see continued investment in DEX strategies as leaders reevaluate how to approach hybrid work. A critical step leaders can take is to research and implement automation tools that proactively monitor, analyze and optimize IT environments behind the scenes to ensure a seamless digital experience no matter where an employee is logging on. Furthermore, they should consider how autonomous remediation can resolve issues.

A great digital employee experience doesn’t happen overnight, but it is crucial to have a DEX strategy in place to deal with the challenges faced by a distributed workforce. This year, it will be critical for organizations to take a hard look at how they are supporting the digital employee experience while also examining how to reduce IT costs and consumption for a more sustainable future.


Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?


Follow me on LinkedInCheck out my website