FINANCE SALES & MARKETING HR SOLUTIONS EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

To collect this research , SD Worx surveyed 16,000 businesses in sixteen countries across Europe , including the UK , France , Germany , Italy and Belgium .

The findings revealed that despite digitalisation being a clear business priority for nine in ten ( 89 %) British companies , digital applications are not being successfully integrated into employees ’ everyday tasks . Training for new digital applications is being overlooked by employers , as only a quarter ( 27 %) of British employees feel able to confidently keep up with technology changes .

Brits are not alone when it comes to their lack of confidence when working with digital tools . In fact , this picture is similar across Europe with nearly half ( 48 %) of German employees struggling to keep up with digital tools , followed closely by similar levels in Ireland ( 46 %), Croatia ( 43 %) and Switzerland ( 41 %).

Despite teething problems with integrating technology , there is a growing demand from over half ( 54 %) the Gen Z workforce for better digitalisation across HR processes .

Bridging the digital divide with education

Over half of European companies believe their digital HR systems to be significantly or fully integrated , however , with two-fifths ( 40 %) of employees finding it hard to understand and use new digital approaches , employers have a vital role to play in education if they wish for their systems to be most beneficial to their staff .

To optimise employees ’ digital experiences , many organisations are investing in tools such as on-site training , employee-oriented HR applications and integrations of all systems , to help grow employees ’ confidence when working with digital applications , with more than a third of companies training employees in digital experiences .

Businesses in the UK and Switzerland are ahead of the curve in this race , leading in terms of their investments in HR digitalisation and training ( 68 %), swiftly followed by the Spanish at 66 %.

Rachel Clough , UK Country Lead at SD Worx , said : “ Digitalisation is often motivated by aims to improve productivity and introduce vital automation in a business . However , it ’ s important to remember that , for the first time in history , companies may have more than five separate generations in their workplace .

“ Not every employee is digitally native nor is everyone confident using technology . Digital Transformation is no overnight miracle – it is a long-term commitment that must include people first . Training and education is of paramount importance to ensure successful roll-outs and uptake , and organisations must come together to meet employee needs and ensure staff are properly onboarded from the get-go if they want to truly realise the benefits .” x

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