Dive Brief:

• More businesses are looking to reshape the way in which they organize workflow at their organizations, with the number of companies in the U.S. that automate some of their work expected to climb to 74% in three years, up from 65% this year and 51% three years ago, according to the Dynamics of Work study from advisory firm Willis Towers Watson. 
• “The shift to remote work has led to an increase in people, business and operational risks. Unfortunately, many employers believe they are falling short in the critical responsibility of managing these risks,” Tracey Malcolm, global leader, future of work and risk at WTW, said in a release on the findings. 
• The study — which surveyed 720 companies that employ 8.5 million workers globally, including 201 from the United States — was conducted during February and March 2023.

Dive Insight:

Only one-third of companies (33%) report they “have effectively managed the risks associated with the dynamics of work” — like changing work conditions, digitalization and alternative sources of talent — over the past three years, the survey said. 

Meanwhile, 28% are expecting and “are prepared for greater use of alternative talent sources,” the survey said. 

As digitalization takes effect and more jobs are automated in the coming years, some organizations are taking a closer look at their needs for talent. 

Finance employees’ digital talents were found to have surpassed those of their leaders, according to a recent study from Gartner. This skills gap could hamper finance leaders as they look to hang on to workers and push forward digital initiatives, CFO Dive previously reported.

With two-thirds of respondents saying that they have not found an effective way to manage the risks associated with changing work dynamics, business leaders are looking to reimagine both how and where work is getting done, the survey said. 

Thirty-nine percent of business leaders are redesigning the employee experience to “align with new work and career models,” the survey said. Meanwhile, another 15% are planning to “strengthen external communication about changes to potential employees this year.” 

“As employers emerge from the pandemic, their need to reimagine how and where work gets done is at an all-time high,” said Malcolm.