The Riverbed Digital Employee Experience (DEX) survey explores the expectations of digital natives, hybrid working, the role of IT, and the challenges and strategies for delivering an ideal user experience.
Riverbed, the leader in Unified Observability, announced the results of the Riverbed Global Digital Employee Experience (DEX) Survey 2023, which found that organizations today must adopt high standards for DEX in order to remain competitive and retain talent, especially for younger generation employees who would otherwise consider leaving the company. The survey interviewed 1,800 IT decision makers (ITDMs) and business decision makers (BDMs) from 10 countries and seven sectors, analyzing generational expectations, hybrid working, the evolution of the role of IT, the challenges and strategies for offering an ideal DEX.
Millennials and Gen Z have high expectations when it comes to digital experiences
The Global DEX survey revealed that Millennial and Gen Z employees have the highest expectations for technology and digital experience in the workplace: 91% of decision makers believe they need to provide more advanced digital experiences to meet their needs, and 89% say that new generation employees place greater pressure on IT resources.
If an organization fails to meet the digital experience needs of the next generation of employees, 68% of leaders surveyed said it would push younger employees to consider leaving the company, while 63% said it would have a negative impact on productivity, reputation or business performance. Additionally, 95% of leaders say providing seamless DEX is important (56% say it is critical) to stay competitive.
With digital expectations rising and talent, productivity and competitiveness at risk, nearly all respondents (92%) say investing in DEX is a top priority for the next five years.
"The growing influence of digital natives, the changing way and where people work, and the complexity of IT have placed enormous pressure on IT leaders to meet the digital experience expectations of employees and the organization as a whole. And with more than two-thirds of leaders believing that younger generation employees would consider leaving the company if their digital needs were not met, the CIO is essentially becoming a Chief Talent Officer too," he said Dave Donatelli, Chief Executive Officer of Riverbed. "On top of this challenge, the Riverbed Global Digital Employee Experience survey confirmed that delivering better digital experiences is getting harder, not easier. What's encouraging is that the vast majority of business and IT leaders understand the challenge ahead and are taking proactive steps to invest in technologies like AI and unified observability to help deliver a better digital employee experience."
Barriers to building a seamless DEX
At a time when digital experience is critical to the business, 95% of ITDMs and BDMs cited at least one major barrier or gap to achieving a seamless DEX. Respondents identified budget constraints (36%), IT talent/skills shortages (35%), lack of sufficient observability tools (29%), lack of appropriate SaaS or cloud services (29%), and having too much data (28%) as the top barriers preventing them from delivering a digital experience to employees. Additionally, 87% of leaders surveyed said slow systems and applications and outdated technology have a direct impact on their organization's growth and performance.
IT departments are trying to drive innovation and improve DEX despite being understaffed (37%) or with employees who lack the key skills to do their jobs (41%). To address this issue, 81% have set aside a budget to reskill IT staff, and industry leaders largely believe (86%) that Unified observability with increased automation can help close the skills gap.
Accelerate the digital experience: unified observability is a must for the DEX
In recent years, the push for hybrid work environments and rapid cloud deployment has seen IT leaders take a bigger role in the C-Suite. Leaders expect technology to be a business enabler and recruiting tool to keep new generations raised in the digital age engaged and productive.
In fact, the survey found that 89% of IT and business leaders are planning to accelerate the adoption and implementation of digital experience. Organizations believe that technologies such as AI and unified observability play an important role in realizing the digital experience. 94% of leaders agree that unified observability is important (52% critically) to remain competitive and deliver DEX, and 91% say they need to invest more in unified observability solutions.
Other key findings from the survey
Nearly half (49%) of leaders say a seamless digital experience is the most important factor in keeping their workforce engaged, surpassing traditional benefits like weekly happy hour (25%), free coffee and snacks (14%), and free company products (11%).
Global IT and business leaders surveyed said nearly half (47%) of their employees work hybridly, and 88% plan to invest in technology in the next 12 to 18 months to support hybrid working. Additionally, 96% of respondents believe hybrid working improves their ability to attract and retain talent, ultimately contributing to future competitiveness, and 91% agree that hybrid working will have a positive and lasting impact on society and the world.
IT occupies a more important place in the C-suite: 81% of ITDMs and BDMs recognize the growing importance of IT within the C-suite following the shift to hybrid working models triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. 80% of ITDMs also believe that hybrid working improves their ability to attract and retain talent, ultimately contributing to future competitiveness. 80% of ITDMs surveyed said they currently have a seat at the C-suite table, and 92% of all respondents agreed that IT is more responsible for business innovation today than it was three years ago.
According to the survey, these are the emerging and consolidated technologies that will make a company's fortune: AI (45%), cloud (43%), automation (35%), Digital Experience Management solutions (35%) and application/network acceleration technologies (34%); all fundamental for organizations that want to remain competitive in today's market.
The Riverbed Global Digital Employee Experience Survey 2023 surveyed 1,800 global IT and business decision makers representing companies with annual revenue greater than $250 million in 10 countries. Sectors include finance/insurance, oil and gas, government/public sector, healthcare/pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, retail and professional services. The survey was conducted by Sapio Research in May 2023.
