HP Inc. (NYSE:HPQ) released its second annual survey today HP Work Relationship Index (HP Work Relationship Index, WRI), a comprehensive study exploring the world's relationships with work. The survey, which surveyed 15,600 respondents from various sectors in 12 countries, reveals that work is not working very well: only 28% of knowledge workers have a healthy relationship with work, an increase of one point compared to the results of last year. However, new findings 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 grown globally and in Brazil,”, says Ricardo Kamel, general director of HP Inc in Brazil.“In addition, personalized work experiences are increasingly needed and business leaders need to invest in emerging technologies and develop their interpersonal skills to meet the expectations of” workers.
Personalized experiences at work can lead to healthier relationships with work
In its second year, the research continued to analyze aspects of people's relationships with work, including the role of work in their lives, their skills, capabilities, tools, workspaces, and their expectations regarding leadership.This year, the HP Work 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 businesses:
- 64% of knowledge workers say that if the work were tailored or customized to meet their personal needs and preferences, they would be more invested in growing the company.
- 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 up to 14% of their salary, with Generation Z workers resigning until 19%.
AI opens up new opportunities for knowledge workers to enjoy work and increase productivity
AI use among knowledge workers has increased to 66% in 2024, compared to 38% last year.Workers using AI are seeing the benefits, including a healthier relationship with work:
- 73% feel AI makes their jobs easier, and nearly 7 in 10 (69%) are customizing the use of AI to be more productive, indicating that AI can be an ingredient to unlock a more personalized work experience.
- 60% states that AI plays a key role in improving work-life balance.
- 68% say AI opens up new opportunities for them to take advantage of the work.
- 73% agree that a better understanding of AI will make it easier to advance their careers.
In addition, knowledge workers who use AI are 11 points happier with their relationship to work than their non-working colleagues.There is therefore an urgency to put AI in the hands of workers as soon as possible, as non-AI users have shown an increase in fear of replacing jobs with AI, with 37% expressing concern, a 5-point increase from last year.
Business leaders have low self-confidence; female leaders come out as positive standouts
Although on a global scale the index highlights little change, countries that have seen an increase in their individual work relationship index have shown a slight improvement in the six main factors of a healthy relationship with work (for example, mindfulness, self-awareness, communication, creative thinking, resilience, empathy, emotional intelligence) and the confidence of leaders in delivering them:
- While more than 90% of leaders recognize the benefits of empathy, only 44% feel confident about their socio-emotional abilities.
- Only 28% of workers feel consistent empathy from their leaders, although 78% greatly value this.
However, this year's survey revealed a positive point: female leaders.On average, female business leaders are 10 points more confident in their technical skills (specific knowledge, computing, presentation, etc.) and notably 13 points more confident in human skills than male leaders.In addition, the confidence of female business leaders in both skills has grown in the last year (plus 10 points in human skills, plus 4 points in technical skills), while confidence among male business leaders has remained stagnant in human skills and decreased in technical skills (minus 3 points).
For more information about the HP Work Relationship Index, visit the WRI website and to access the full report, please visit the HP Newsroom.
Methodology
HP ordered a survey online edelman Data & Intelligence (DXI), which collected data between May 10 and June 21, 2024 in 12 countries: USA, France, India, UK, Germany, Spain, Australia, Japan, Mexico, Brazil, Canada and Indonesia. 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).