Majority of employees say AI will improve their working lives but see no strategy for implementation

• Over half (54%) of employees believe employers will use new technology to improve working experience
• Majority (81%) expect employers to provide training to adapt to changes in environment
• 69% of office workers believe the best workplaces invest in technologies for upskilling 
• Almost three quarters (74%) believe working terms will be written into contracts including flexible hours and location 
• Only 38% said employers have communicated strategy to integrate technology in the workplace 

Dublin, 5th February 2020 – New research from Ricoh Europe has today revealed that next generation machines will revolutionise the workplace of the future with 54% of employees believing employers will use AI and other technology to improve the working experience. Furthermore, 81% of those surveyed expect their employers to provide them with the necessary tools and training to help them adapt to changes in their environment.

However, the research involving 3,000 European office workers found that less than two thirds (60%) of employees trust their employer to invest in technology to meet the workforce requirements of the future. In addition, only 38% said their employer has communicated its strategy to integrate technology, such as AI and robots, in the workplace.

Interestingly, as technology enables more mobile working conditions, the majority (74%) of those surveyed believe working terms such as flexible hours and location will be written into more contracts in the future.

The research also found that 69% of office workers believe the best workplaces invest in digital technologies for upskilling staff. In positive news for employers – almost three quarters (72%) of respondents claim they want to contribute more to their organisation’s performance.

Gary Hopwood, Managing Director, Ricoh Ireland, said: “The integration of technology in the workplace not only impacts employee productivity, it also enhances how we communicate and collaborate with each other. Our survey indicates that if businesses want to attract, retain and empower their employees, they need to fully embrace the workplace of the future and create a productive, proactive company culture.

“This means taking a holistic approach and ensuring that people are equipped with the tools they need to thrive and enabled to work how they want. Whether it’s implementing new technologies or putting flexible working options in place, once businesses remain mindful of their employees’ needs and strive to meet these requirements, technology can serve as a key facilitator to long-term growth.”

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About the report: The Future of Work report analyses more than 100 sources to bring together best-in-class thinking and use cases on how work will shape employment. It finds that technology will fuel new modes of collaboration between humans, human and machines and machines with other machines (automation). 

About the research: 3,000 office workers were polled between 30 August and 5 September 2019 by Opinium Research LLC. 500 Respondents were sourced from the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands.