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Businesses accelerate agility in ‘new normal’ 

November 13, 2020
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  2. Businesses accelerate agility in ‘new normal’ 

“This workforce agility gap — between what employees and teams can handle today versus what will be required of them in the near future — is significant and represents a major challenge for companies looking to reshape their business and human capital strategies.” 

— Pete Bentley, chief commercial officer for Aon’s Human Capital business 

As firms and companies across the globe quickly responded to the coronavirus pandemic with remote working, a new survey from Aon highlights the steps companies are taking to become more resilient. The “Accelerating Workforce Agility and Resilience” survey, conducted in August, reveals the following trends: 

  • Workforce agility is important — but tough: While 84% of respondents said agility (quickly moving employees into new roles/areas) is critical, only 39% said their workforces are actually agile or extremely agile. 
  • Diversity and inclusion are key: The ability to attract and retain diverse employees ranks near the top of business’s lists as a factor for improving agility. Only technology and communications tools were ranked higher by respondents. 
  • Focusing on remote working is paramount: The tools and programs for robust working arrangements must be expanded and extended by a majority of companies to remain competitive. More than 70% are actively investing in tools to support remote collaboration. 
  • Companies are bending and flexing in new ways: Companies are facing barriers to getting effective work from employees, such as parenting challenges, so they are taking action to support working parents, modifying time-off policies, and implementing new HR policies to accommodate. 

We’re hearing these are challenges facing CPAs, too! We have places you can chat with your peers about how your firm is adapting to the new environment. Watch vscpa.com/roundtables for our upcoming virtual opportunities to learn and connect with other members, or send out a question on Connect, the VSCPA online community. Read more on the survey here.