Nearly two years into remote working, Australia’s businesses are still facing barriers when it comes to meeting the needs of the workforce, with 40% of workers seeing no change in their productivity since working from home, and 14% seeing a decline in their productivity altogether. 

New research from DocuSign, titled The evolution of working from anywhere, finds that despite a majority of businesses embracing a flexible working model since March 2020, 74% of Australian workers admit that working from home still poses its fair share of challenges.

The survey of more than 500 Australian full-time senior business leaders, managers and employees, conducted in partnership with YouGov, finds that across the generations, barriers to successful remote working environments remain.

Millennial and Gen X employees find that they still lack the right technology support for their jobs (31%), compared to Baby Boomers (4%). Meanwhile, 7 in 10 Gen Zers find that they do not have the right tools to collaborate and communicate with their teammates, impacting their ability to learn and grow as the newest members of the workforce. 

In light of these barriers, more than half (52%) of Australia’s workforce, across all generations, feel that they are remaining stagnant or are falling behind when it comes to their workplace productivity.

“Our research shows that in this new work world, organisations need to continuously analyse and act to design the optimal workspace. In today’s workplace culture, employee needs are continually evolving, and as a result, businesses need to invest in innovative solutions to ensure their staff have the right support in their field of work. All the while remembering that in this new era, one size doesn’t fit all,” says Dan Bognar, DocuSign’s Group Vice President and General Manager for the Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) region.

Organisations that are leading the way out of this crisis are the ones accelerating the speed of their digital usage. But it is not just about moving faster. Rather, it is about investing in the right technology that can help support growth, processes, people and ensure the security of your business. The road ahead will be challenging. But there’s also hope because of the opportunities that a digital-first strategy can bring”

Looking ahead, the future looks bright. Since the start of the pandemic, 6 in 10 organisations introduced new tools to improve the workplace experience. In parallel, nearly half (49%) of Australian office workers agree that their business performance has improved since starting to work remotely. 

Technology has gone from being a part of the business to a business enabler. Digital tools such as video technology, collaboration platforms and eSignatures have become imperative to day-to-day operations – helping with onboarding, new clients and management — and the evolution of these tools will only become more critical as remote working culture evolves.