HP Inc. (NYSE:HPQ) announced today the second annual surveyHP Work Relationship Index(HP Work Relationship Index, WRI, a comprehensive study that explores the world's relationships with work. The research, that sounded 15.600 respondents from various sectors in 12 countries, reveals that work is not going very well: only 28% of knowledge workers have a healthy relationship with work, an increase of one point compared to last year's results. However, new discoveries highlight two potential solutions to improve the way people relate to work: AI and personalized experiences
The adoption of AI continues to transform the way we work and its use has been growing globally and in Brazil,"affirms Ricardo Kamel, general director of HP Inc in Brazil."Furthermore, customized work experiences are increasingly necessary and business leaders need to invest in emerging technologies and develop their interpersonal skills to meet workers' expectations
Personalized experiences at work can lead to healthier relationships with work
In its second year, the research continued analyzing aspects of people's relationships with work, including the role of work in their lives, your skills, capabilities, tools, workspaces and their expectations regarding leadership. This year, HP's Workplace Relationship Index reveals an important universal need of knowledge workers: personalized work experiences.
At least two-thirds of workers expressed a desire for personalized work experiences, including adapted workspaces, access to preferred technologies and flexible work environments. These experiences are crucial for improving work relationships and have positive implications for both employees and companies
- 64% of knowledge workers say that, if the work were adapted or customized to meet your personal needs and preferences, they would be more invested in the company's growth
- 69% of knowledge workers believe that this would improve their overall well-being
- 68% of knowledge workers stated that this would encourage them to stay longer with their current employers
This desire for personalization is so strong that 87% of knowledge workers would be willing to give up part of their salary for it. On average, workers would be willing to give up to 14% of their salary, with Generation Z workers resigning up to 19%
AI opens new opportunities for knowledge workers to enjoy their work and increase productivity
The use of AI among knowledge workers increased to 66% in 2024, compared to 38% last year. Workers who use AI are seeing the benefits, including a healthier relationship with work
- 73% feel that AI makes their jobs easier, almost 7 in 10 (69%) are personalizing the use of AI to be more productive, indicating that AI can be an ingredient to unlock a more personalized work experience
- 60% say that AI plays a key role in improving work-life balance
- 68% say that AI opens new opportunities for them to take advantage of work
- 73% agree that a better understanding of AI will make it easier to advance in their careers
Furthermore, knowledge workers who use AI are 11 points happier with their work relationship than their colleagues who do not use it. Therefore, there is an urgency to put AI in the hands of workers as soon as possible, because non-AI users have shown an increase in the fear of job replacement by AI, with 37% expressing concern, a 5-point increase compared to last year
Business leaders have low self-confidence; female leaders emerge as a positive highlight
Although on a global scale the index shows little change, the countries that saw an increase in their individual work relationship index showed a slight improvement in the six main factors of a healthy work relationship – most notably in the factors of Leadership and Achievement. This year's index revealed that confidence in senior leadership remains a critical factor in a healthy working relationship, but there is a disconnect between the recognition of the importance of human skills (for example, mindfulness, self-awareness, communication, creative thinking, resilience, empathy, emotional intelligence) and the leaders' confidence in delivering them
- Although more than 90% of leaders recognize the benefits of empathy, only 44% feel confident in their socio-emotional skills
- Only 28% of workers feel consistent empathy from their leaders, despite 78% valuing this highly
However, this year's research revealed a positive point: female leaders. On average, female business leaders are 10 points more confident in their technical skills (specific knowledge, computation, presentation etc.) and, notably, 13 points more confident in human skills than male leaders. Furthermore, the confidence of female business leaders in both skills has increased in the last year (up 10 points in human skills, plus 4 points in technical skills, while trust among male business leaders remained stagnant in human skills and decreased in technical skills (down 3 points)
For more information about the HP Work Relationship Index, visit thewebsite do WRIand to access the full report, please visit theHP Newsroom.
Methodology
HP commissioned a surveyon-line to Edelman Data & Intelligence (DXI), that collected data between May 10 and June 21, 2024, in 12 countries: USA, France, India, United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Australia, Japan, Mexico, Brazil, Canada and Indonesia. The HP surveyed 15,6 thousand respondents in total – 12 thousand knowledge workers (one thousand in each country); 2,4 thousand IT decision-makers (200 in each country); and 1,2 thousand business leaders (one hundred in each country)
