"The way we work" is a global preoccupation. Are we doing a good job? Are we driving results? Is our work meaningful?

Good employee experiences are a luxury in times of economic hardship. Adequate pay, work-life balance and benefits like healthcare go further to create positive employee experiences than perks like office pizza parties or casual Fridays.

But good employee experiences result in better business outcomes. Higher employee satisfaction drives revenue. The smart thing for businesses to do is to invest in employee experience (EX). And according to a new Zendesk report, IT leaders understand this need but have different ideas about how to solve for it.

According to a global survey we conducted of 1,200 IT leaders, employee experience is mission-critical, with 86% of surveyed leaders agreeing that employee experience has a "very positive impact" on ROI.

If there’s one thing we can take away from the shift to hybrid working models, it’s that the way we work is always evolving. Expectations have changed. Legacy systems are no longer optimised for current conditions. To combat silos and poor communication between teams, many companies are reinvesting in tools and software, leading to better employee experiences.

In this report

Here are five takeaways from our research—be sure to check out the full report:

1. When it comes to EX, there’s an ownership problem

Almost half of the IT leaders we surveyed admit that "no one really owns” the employee experience, indicating a lack of clear responsibility or strategic focus in this area. A lack of visibility into operations can result in oversights, like disparate systems performing similar functions that could otherwise be consolidated.

2. Silos aren’t going anywhere, but the right tools can help

Getting to the root cause of workplace silos, like competition between teams and a lack of communication, is the first step in clearing hurdles. Most can relate to the feeling of navigating esoteric portals and email chains to get the answers they need. To foster better communication, tools that easily connect employees to services from HR and IT should be accessible and readily available.

3. IT leaders play a huge role in getting EX buy-in

IT leaders understand the role they play in improving employee experience. In fact, the ones we surveyed see plenty of areas for improvement: 86% of them agree that their teams are integral to building up EX across their organisation, while 85% see value in implementing a single solution that meets the needs of multiple departments. IT leaders will have expert insights into the complicated ecosystem of their business systems and integrations and the impact of introducing new tools or processes.

4. Improving EX is possible despite setbacks

While some research suggests employee satisfaction is likely to drop in 2024, businesses that take action now can ensure positive experiences that result in better outcomes. These actions can include digging deep to understand employee needs, investing in modern tools that automate routine tasks, and choosing the right tools with the right features based on specific criteria.

5. AI has the potential to drastically enhance EX

IT leaders see significant potential in AI to enhance the EX, with 85% percent agreeing that deploying or evolving AI is a high priority over the next year. For example, AI can be used in EX tools to manage high volumes of requests—especially when trained on IT- and HR-related queries—without adding headcount. AI tools can help employees solve issues on their own, eliminating complicated webs of intranets and portals between them and their solutions.

To get more details on how IT leaders can enhance the employee experience by eliminating silos, download the full report below for free. If you're interested in learning about Zendesk AI for EX, go here.