Once the pandemic subsides, will companies be going back to normal with everyone going into the office full time? That’s not necessarily the case, according to Amy Wright (pictured), managing partner of talent and transformation at IBM.

Most enterprises will likely adopt a hybrid type of model for work. “We’re never going to be everybody back in the office again; that’s not who we will be moving forward,” she said.

Wright spoke with Dave Vellante, host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio, during the recent IBM Think event. They discussed digital transformation and how companies should handle this new remote outlook. (* Disclosure below.)

How will things change?

Much like we see with consumers today, personalized experience will be crucial for workers, according to Wright, who added that how we experience personalization when making a purchase online will now bleed into work.

“Now it’s not only personalization, which tech enables quite dramatically,” she said. “The experience is broader to look at a holistic relationship between the employer and the employee that’s less transactional.”

IBM recently conducted a study that looked at consumers and employees and their highest priority areas for expectations that they have for their employers. Three areas the study measured that were of highest priority to respondents included career and skill advancement opportunities with speed, a work-life balance and the flexibility that it can offer, and ethics and values, according to Wright.

The study found that nearly 75% of employers thought they were meeting those needs. By comparison, less than half of employees felt their employers were meeting these needs. In fact, one in four employees said they would change employers this year.

“There’s a lot of work to be done,” Wright said. “It’s important because it’s required for the digital transformation, and it’s so much broader than what we used to think.”

The key to improving that experience doesn’t just fall on the employers, however. It requires all parties to make the work experience a good one for everyone, from leaders and managers to employees.

“Every employee is actually now responsible for the experience of their teammates,” Wright said. “If it’s not inclusive, every employee has the responsibility to speak up.”

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of IBM Think. (* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for IBM Think. Neither IBM, the sponsor for theCUBE’s event coverage, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE