The key question in business today isn’t about getting workers back in the office. It’s “how do we create a legendary digital work experience?” — and that’s impossible without human connection.
As return-to-work programs rolled out in the second half of 2021, executives assumed 50% of their people would be back in the office five days a week. They were wrong. Now only 20% of executives think their people are coming back.
Surprising (to some), native digital work grew rapidly at the exact same time employers tried to get people back in the office. In April 2021, 48% of meetings were digital. In April 2022, 64%.
The future of work is digital
Savvy leaders understand that knowledge workers value choice. Workers want agency in how, when, and where they work. And they have chosen a native digital paradigm. Making the key question in business today not, “how do we get people back to the office?” but, “how do we create a legendary digital work experience?”
The principal downside to digital work is people feeling disconnected from their coworkers and company.
Employee disconnection is now one of the main drivers of voluntary turnover. And now loneliness is costing U.S. companies up to $406 billion a year.
Technology can bolster human connection
The benefits of using technologies like Slack for collaboration and Zoom for communication are immensely powerful. They make time and space irrelevant. The smartest people can team up to produce results without the shackles of the analog world.
The downside is, work can feel transactional for many. People are digital lonely. 77% of people say that building close relationships with colleagues is “the most important factor in determining job satisfaction”.
The next big wave of work software is designed to create real human connection.
Technologies like TikTok and Instagram make it clear that people are attracted to the fun, funny, and playful.
At Airspeed, we’re building the first work app where no work gets done. A new, native digital place where people can hang out, share, have fun, and get to know the people they work with.
If you’d like to create the future of work that actually works for people, join our waitlist now.
