As part of AINS’ survey on “return to office” at government agencies, we pulsed employees about how technology impacts their work experience. Do government employees have the right tools at their disposal? Does technology enhance or hinder their experience? Overwhelmingly, we found that technology (in addition to work-from-anywhere) plays a huge role in employee satisfaction.
A whopping 87% of AINS’ survey respondents say they can get “everything accomplished working remotely,” with a similar 86% rating their current technology (including AINS’ case management software) as making “it easier to do work remotely.” This ease of experience is important to the 75% of respondents who “do not enjoy going to the office” and the 80% who describe their productivity in the office as “lesser than” as compared to working from anywhere.
The notion that government employees are entitled to a modern technology experience, from their home, the café, or on the road, is near and dear to AINS’ own employees. We aspire to help our government customers achieve an exceptional technology experience akin to what they might find in the private sector or in their home lives. The data indicates that government workers are very much clamoring for this experience, as much as we are eager to support it.
The needs of employers and employees, while convergent, vary. While employees want tools that make their workday easier – such as reducing duplicative processes and easing reporting requirements – employers and agencies require reliable, ready-made-for-government programs that automate specific processes, eliminate data errors, and ensure compliance with FedRAMP and other security requirements. It is with both sides of the coin in mind that AINS’ FOIA software aims to speed up processing times by 75%, while our OIG module comes standard with pre-configured reports and templates to guide employees’ data inputs. These and our other tools adhere to FedRAMP standards and were designed for easy configuration and learning to speed up adoption, meeting Congressional and federal standards and keeping employee experience top-of-mind.
While the business of government is unique, the desire of government employees to feel like technology is working for them (versus them working around technology) is largely universal. A PWC survey found that employees are negatively impacted when they do not understand technology or if technology does not perform as intended, including making their lives easier. By extension, Oxford research in Forbes indicates that unhappy employees are 13% less productive than their satisfied counterparts, with a greater chance of leaving their current employers.
In a prior post, we discussed in detail the Great Resignation and its impact on government employers, including the cost of losing institutional knowledge and backfilling. While initial investments in open government case management technology have upfront costs that must be weighed carefully against other priorities and shrinking budgets, the data indicates that investments in automation and other tools pay dividends over the long-term by contributing to employee satisfaction, which in turn drives both productivity and staying power.
This blog represents Part 2 of our research on return-to-work practices and the future of hybrid work. If you would like to learn more, register for our research webinar on August 11, check out our products, schedule a demo today, or register for our user conference here.
