The world of work is changing everywhere – especially in the public sector. The current crisis is placing exceptional levels of pressure and demand on services. And beyond this, the pressure to introduce a remote working model requires a complete overhaul of existing solutions. Streamlining mission critical processes, enabling access from a variety of locations that current systems were never designed to support, and providing a secure platform for service delivery to citizens and your people alike.
A new “ETHIC” for the public sector
To overcome the challenges inherent in the current climate, public sector organizations at the local and national level are embracing a new model for service delivery: the ETHIC model.
E: Efficient – with budget pressures continuing to grow in the medium term at least, organizations will be expected to do more with less, and the drive toward efficiency will remain a top priority.
T: Trusted – technologically and interpersonally. Remote working makes trust essential, and the public sector has been affected perhaps more than any other in this arena, especially when it comes to increased cyber-security risks.
H: Highly responsive – improving customer services is a priority for 61.5% of European government officials, according to IDC. This means reimagining processes for greater personalization and faster responses.
I: Inclusive – with direct interactions becoming rarer, staff need the tools to feel included and involved in remote decision making.
C: Convenient – convenience of delivery frameworks features high on agendas, with channel innovation being a priority for over half of European public sector organizations.
This “ETHIC” is driven by the need to deliver value – to both customers and citizens – and is underscored by the three realities facing us as we embrace the future of work: changes to the workspace, the workforce, and work culture in the public sector.
We’ve all experienced a sharp change in the workspace in recent months. Although many roles in the public sector can’t be taken offsite, we’re still seeing a mass migration to remote and hybrid working models. (In fact, around a third of public sector organizations say that more than half their staff have predominantly worked from home for at least part of 2020.) This is a big shift – especially in Europe, where organizations are much less likely to have a dedicated workplace transformation budget, or to support flexible working models.
Work culture is also transforming – a necessity when the places and infrastructure that form the foundation of our working relationships are inaccessible. Monitoring and acting on employee engagement metrics is becoming more important than ever, with nearly half of all organizations saying that employee inertia is their principal barrier to change. This means the entire public sector must pay close attention to the tools it provides to its people – as they’re central to their engagement and their ability to do the job.
The workforce is not only transforming itself, but of key importance to the changes occurring throughout the rest of the organization. Employee upskilling and reskilling are obvious priorities, but so is leveraging emerging technology like AI to allow more efficient use of time and refocus resources to areas of new priority. These changes mean that organizations must possess ERP systems capable of both leveraging the data needed for AI to function efficiently, and of supporting the streamlined processes that everyone must rely on as circumstances continue to evolve.
Preparing your organization for the three fundamental transformations of your working model and to embrace your new work ETHIC will mean adopting a whole new approach. One that will mean fully embracing technology to drive efficiency and predictability, building a secure foundation for citizen value.
To discover how to prepare your organization for the future of work in the public sector – and discover how Unit4 can help you to do it – watch our webinar on the subject, created in partnership with IDC.
