Digital is playing an increasingly important role in the life of companies. This is clear from the latest collaborative barometer between the Observatory of Digital Flows and the CSA Institute for Inetum, which interviewed 1,010 workers and 250 business leaders. According to the results of the third edition of this study, 76% of workers are aware of the concept of digitization and eight out of ten workers think that companies should speed up in this area. Thus, 27% of the managers of ETIs and large companies state that they are going to start this process.
A growing number of business leaders consider themselves “ahead” of their market in terms of digitization, a proportion that rises 8 points and even reaches 76% for midcap and large-cap business leaders alone. On the other hand, this judgment is shared by only half of the workers surveyed. A difference in appreciation that is explained, in particular, by the fact that a quarter of business leaders have not implemented a digitization plan this year, a proportion that also increases 8 points compared to the previous edition of the barometer. However, this ratio is only 3% in companies with more than 250 employees.
Satisfy customer needs first
Managers and workers do not have exactly the same expectations regarding the digitization of their activity. For both the former and the latter, digital solutions make it possible, above all, to satisfy the needs of customers. But then business leaders cite those that promote cybersecurity and finally those aimed at improving efficiency and productivity where employees give priority to digital tools that make them gain autonomy, improve their working conditions and promote collaboration.
Particularly noteworthy is a piece of information from the study by the Observatory of Digital Flows in relation to the current geopolitical and economic context. As many as 92% of workers think that companies should first and foremost strengthen the security of their information systems while cyberattacks have increased significantly since the coronavirus pandemic and the start of the war in Ukraine. In this sense, a quarter of managers feel that the context could lead them to review their priorities, while 27% of medium-sized and large companies consider this context favorable for accelerating their digital plan.
Responsible digitization
This is a dimension to which workers increasingly give more importance in their relationship with the digital. More than a third of them would like to see solutions that allow them to develop energy savings in their company. For them, digitization could respond to a CSR approach through the purchase of low energy consumption equipment or even the optimization of tools to limit impact and consumption.
Almost half of executives believe that they have been able to reduce their environmental footprint thanks to digitization: for mid- and large-cap companies, it is even three-quarters of them. In concrete terms, they confirm this reduction in the organization of work, of products and services, of energy consumption and even of production methods. Among the challenges to be faced in this area, business leaders highlight the training and support of employees in new tools, the review of data processing and storage in accordance with regulations and ethics, or the increase in economic investments. A certain number of them, particularly in large structures, are even thinking of going further with the implementation of the evaluation of responsible practices or a common reference framework for companies.
Digital looking for inclusion?
The study of the Digital Flow Observatory also analyzes the perception of digital in the world of work but also in the educational system. More than a third of the managers believe that it is necessary to publicize the digital professions and make them more accessible to women, half of them also cite the opening of the sector to profiles in recycling. A large majority of workers (85%) believe that young people should be made aware of the professional possibilities in the digital world from an early age.
The sector still seems to suffer from a masculine image since 62% of active men think that digital professions are accessible to women when only half of them think so. However, the group of workers agrees on the dynamism of the sector in terms of jobs (88%), the attractive professional opportunities it offers (83%) and even the ease of young people to move into this field (80% ).
Source: BFM TV
