Research by PwC revealed that despite the restrictions caused by the pandemic, many companies have increased the productivity and performance of their workforce. However, the survey indicates that cultural and leadership obstacles have emerged that prevent the creation of solid strategies to consolidate this improvement.

Remote and hybrid work has provided a short-term boost to productivity. Thus, 57% of respondents acknowledged that their organization had better performance during the last 12 months, and only 4% said that their company's performance was significantly worse in said period.

However, improvements in productivity and performance may have come at the cost of long-term employee trust. In fact, only 31% of business and HR leaders surveyed strongly believe their organization is building high levels of trust between employees and their direct supervisors. This may be partly due to burnout: almost three-quarters of respondents (74%) are not completely sure that employees can handle the workload so that they can make the most of their personal time.

Digitalisation will continue to be a top concern for leaders and there is currently a gap between the prominent role technology will play in workforce strategy and understanding of the risks. Survey results indicated that the three most significant workforce challenges are:

1) Identify the risks of replacing human labor with technology

2) Identify the skills that workers will need in the future due to technology

3) Communicate clearly about the effect of automation and AI on future skills needs

Additionally, according to respondents, the three most important factors impeding progress are cost pressures, leadership ability, and organizational culture.

"It is time for leaders to create an environment that supports sustainable productivity. People are an integral part of the technology equation: leaders must engage and listen to their people and be responsive to address employee burnout and people's desire to work for organizations that live up to their purpose, values ​​and culture. This is critical to retaining and motivating employees"said Damián Vázquez, Partner at PwC Argentina in charge of Managing Consulting.