Tech shortfalls erode company culture in mid-size businesses

Nearly half of European office workers feel their company culture has suffered due to coronavirus restrictions

Ricoh Europe, London, 18 February 2021 – Sub-standard technology experiences during the pandemic have worn down company culture in mid-size businesses, according to new research commissioned by Ricoh Europe.

The research delves into the remote working experience of 632 European office workers at firms with between 250 and 999 employees during the coronavirus pandemic. It reveals that employees are feeling the pressure to be online more while working remotely. Yet they are experiencing difficulties staying motivated and miss the sense of workplace camaraderie they experienced in the office.

Clear communication and healthy working relationships are the bedrock of a supportive company culture. However, 42% of employees report their company culture has suffered as teams started working remotely due to coronavirus restrictions. Poor communication technology is taking its toll on collaboration, too. A third (31%) of employees find it difficult to feel motivated and engaged while remote working due to communication and technological problems, while two-thirds (65%) say they miss working with colleagues face-to-face.

Remote working challenges have also impacted employee stress. Nearly a third (30%) of workers say that have felt pressured by their employers to be online more while remote working. Similarly, 31% feel more stressed when working remotely due to external factors, such as family responsibilities.

Workers expect companies to support their need for a personalised working experience, with 67% trusting their company will be more open to flexible working following the pandemic. Some companies have already started to make the office safe for an eventual return: 77% of workers report their employers have put strategies in place to make returning to the office safe after the pandemic has passed. However, only 53% of employees feel they have been regularly consulted by their employer on their feelings and concerns around creating a safe workplace.

Nicola Downing, COO, Ricoh Europe, comments: “2020 was a year of adjustments for everyone and our collective resilience should be applauded. However, that shouldn’t stop businesses from continuing to refine and improve the working experience. The focus needs to be on bringing people together in better ways, whether they are working at home or in the office. The right technology makes collaboration and connectivity seamless, bridging the social divide. But in the end, few things can replicate the buzz of working in close proximity with your colleagues. That’s why making sure offices are smart and safe is vital. Consulting with employees will also go a long way to creating that all-important positive culture.”

Download our dedicated report for mid-size businesses at Ricoh Insights.

|Om Ricoh|

Ricoh styrker digitale arbeidsplasser ved å bruke innovative teknologier og tjenester som gjør det mulig for enkeltpersoner å jobbe smartere fra hvor som helst.

Med kunnskap og organisatoriske evner opparbeidet gjennom sin 85-årige historie, er Ricoh en ledende leverandør av digitale tjenester, informasjonsadministrasjon og utskriftsløsninger designet for å støtte digital transformasjon og optimalisere forretningsytelsen.

Ricoh Group har hovedkontor i Tokyo og har store virksomheter over hele verden, og produktene og tjenestene deres når nå kunder i omtrent 200 land og regioner. I regnskapsåret som ble avsluttet mars 2022, hadde Ricoh Group et verdensomspennende salg på 1758 milliarder yen (ca. 14,5 milliarder USD).

For mer informasjon, vennligst besøk www.ricoh-europe.com

Mediekontakt:

Ricoh Europe PLC

Jack Gibson

E-post: media@ricoh-europe.com

Hjemmeside: www.ricoh-europe.com

Inspiring a Dispersed Digital Workforce

A good company culture helps to promote employee morale. But in the mid-market, tech shortfalls are impacting the employee experience and risking productivity.
- Learn more
Empowering Europe's Mid-Market

With most talk focused on the small and mighty or large and far reaching, the mid-market can sometimes feel overlooked - yet its potential is enormous.
- Learn more
Small Business Future Growth

Vi ser på den viktige funksjonen digital transformasjon har for å forme moderne arbeidsplasser, slik at ansatte kan jobbe fra hvor som helst, så virksomhetene har en stødig kurs for vekst og suksess.
- Les mer
IDC Whitepaper - Customer Experience

IDC research shows that the adoption of digital platforms will continue to grow steadily over the next five years, and that the companies implementing these platforms within the next two years will lead the market for the next decade.
- Learn more
Future of Work

Undersøker hva som kreves for å skape en bedrift som kan forme sin egen skjebne i tider med endring.
- Les mer
IDC Whitepaper – Data Analytics

This IDC whitepaper explains how implementing an analytics platform, to support companywide initiatives, with data-driven decision making has become business critical.
- Learn more
Workforce United

En ny studie fra Ricoh Europe, utført av Coleman Parkes, ser på om de forskjellige generasjonene på arbeidsplassen har mer ulike eller samsvarende meninger og holdninger.
- Les mer
IDC Whitepaper - Infrastructure

This IDC whitepaper explains how front-end digitisation is not enough on its own for end-to-end digital transformation.
- Learn more
Designed for Tomorrow

En ny studie fra Ricoh Europe, utført av Coleman Parkes, ser på hvordan europeiske bedriftsledere tar kontroll over sin fremtidige suksess.
- Les mer
IDC Whitepaper - Workplace

This IDC whitepaper discusses how a well-executed Future of Work strategy can ensure survival and relevance.
- Learn more
Generation Innovate

En ny studie fra Ricoh Europa, som ble utført av Coleman Parkes, undersøker hvordan SMB-ledere tilnærmer seg innovasjon og behovet for å utvikle seg for å overleve.
- Les mer
The Future of Work: Agile "Team of Teams"

This IDC whitepaper reviews the business importance of teamwork, cross-functional collaboration, and business agility, as well as the fundamental role of technology to enable it and to serve as a catalyst to “change the way work is done.
- Learn more
Future of Print

En ny undersøkelse fra Ricoh Europe, utført av Coleman Parkes, ser på hvordan ny og fremvoksende utskriftsteknologi bidrar til å forme industrier og åpne muligheter for virksomheter på tvers av kontinentet.
- Les mer
Empowering Digital Workplaces: Embracing Flexibility

En ny studie utført av Censuswide, sponset av Ricoh Europe, ser på utfordringene og mulighetene ved det å etablere mer smidige og fleksible virksomheter.
- Les mer
Empowering Digital Workplaces: Adapting To Digital Reality

En av hovedoppgavene bedrifter står overfor i dag, er å utnytte innovative teknologier og tjenester best mulig for å gjøre sine ansatte i stand til å arbeide smartere.
- Les mer
Triple R

Undersøk hver fase av kundereisen – Reach (nå), Respond (svare) og Retain (beholde) – for å vurdere hvordan selskaper kan oppfylle kundenes forventninger.
- Les mer
Middle Child Syndrome

Studien «Middle Child Syndrome», utført av Coleman Parkes Research og sponset av Ricoh Europe, viser at mellomstore bedrifter i Europa potensielt går glipp av 433 milliarder euro (364 millioner pund) hvert år som følge av barrierer som hindrer vekst.
- Les mer
World of Change

95 % av arbeidstakere tror at endringene i arbeidslivet vil være til fordel for deres virksomhet i 2017.
- Les mer