How APAC leaders and employees view hybrid work models and Gen AI

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Is the hybrid work model most preferred for leaders and employees? Are employees comfortable with generative AI? Let's see what respondents across the region have to share.

While hybrid becomes the dominant work model, how to leverage technology like AI to keep employee engagement and experience has become a key consideration for APAC organisations, according to the latest survey conducted by Zoom in conjunction with ReworkedINSIGHTS.

The study surveyed more than 600 IT and C-suite leaders and nearly 1,900 knowledge workers across the globe, including 604 in APAC.

The results found that the majority of organisations in APAC are embracing flexible working arrangements, with 84% of organisations adopting either a hybrid (58%) or remote (26%) working model.

Scheduled hybrid (27%) and flextime hybrid (19%) have emerged as the most common workplace models in the region, with another 13% of organisations adopting other kinds of hybrid workplace models organised around roles, locations, and outcomes.

In fact, 97% of APAC leaders said they have made their workplaces more flexible in the past two years.

More than four-fifths (87%) of leaders in APAC considered increasing productivity the biggest consideration when determining the best working style for their company, the highest figure compared to 86% in North America (NA) and 81% in Western Europe.

This has been proven by employees, who feel most productive in hybrid settings, with 83% in the region agreeing they get more work done in a hybrid/remote setting than in-office/onsite.

Leaders, however, seem to have other concerns. The study showed that six in 10 in the region report a decline in employee engagement attributed to hybrid models. As such, 77% of leaders in APAC said it is likely that their organisation will change its workplace model in the next two years. Globally, this figure sits at 75%.

How to leverage the right technology to keep the workforce connected across locations has therefore become a key to enhancing employee engagement and productivity.

APAC organisations recorded the highest use of meeting transcripts/summarisation (53% in APAC, 40% in NA, and 38% in Western Europe), and chatbots (59% in APAC, 52% in NA, and 58% in Western Europe).

More than four in five (85%) APAC leaders believe that generative AI has made their workforce more productive. Additionally, 69% of employees in the region strongly or slightly agreed that “generative AI makes it easier to do my job.” Meanwhile, they have other opinions and concerns.

A majority of employees (81%) agreed that the tools and technology their organisation currently uses for remote work needs improving, highest among the other regions surveyed (NA: 79%; Western Europe: 65%).

In terms of generative AI adoption, they still have to face significant barriers as follows:

• 70% believe that generative AI has a high learning curve.
• 63% are not yet comfortable with generative AI.
• 55% are concerned that generative AI will negatively impact their job/position.

Ricky Kapur, head of Asia Pacific, Zoom, commented: “Leaders today are faced with a new challenge of finding the best-fit hybrid model while keeping up with the evolving expectations of a multi-generational workforce and the impact of rapidly advancing technologies like AI.”