CEOs speed up digital push and downsize offices, KPMG survey shows

Companies around the world have moved more of their operations online, plan to reduce office space and have made recruiting and retaining staff their top priority since the coronavirus pandemic struck, a survey showed on Tuesday.

A survey from accounting firm KPMG showed 80% of business leaders had accelerated their digital expansion plans during the lockdown as they adjusted to staff working remotely and dealing with customers online.

There was uncertainty about the eventual scale of the shift away from shared workspaces in favour of working from home but 69% were planning to cut their office space in the short term.

“Maybe some kind of hybrid finds its way into the new everyday reality,” Bill Thomas, KPMG International’s global chairman and chief executive said.

Seventy-three percent said the shift to working from home had increased the pool of job candidates.

That could lead to teams that are more spread out globally and interact more online.

“There’s a comfort level with this that people have never had before,” Thomas said.

via Reuters