18-Feb-2010
Research paints post-GFC picture and points to new way of working
A global research project has painted a lukewarm picture of GFC workplace recovery and revealed new
pressures on the knowledge worker in 2010.
The research from Delphi Group and Australian-based Panviva revealed that sentiment is low for a near-
term (6-12 months) job-based recovery with many respondents indicating strategic plans are in place for
a long-term jobless growth over the next five years.
The research, which spanned across 15 industries and more than 1000 mid-large companies, also
revealed affected hiring plans, with 65% of companies planning for reductions in staff or replacement
hiring and only 15% indicating hiring had been unaffected.
With companies operating on reduced workforces, an impact is being felt by knowledge workers with the
research revealing 53% of respondents felt they were doing the work of three of more people.
The impact on day-to-day activity can also be seen - 60% of workers have at least six separate windows
open on their desktop at any one time and 39% spend at least 25% of their day searching for information
they require to do their jobs.
CEO David Frenkel of Panviva, which specialises in Business Process Guidance, said the research is
pointing to a longer term shift in how we work.
“There is a need to do more with less – companies are learning how to operate with significantly reduced
work forces requiring new approaches and tools for knowledge work,” said Mr Frenkel.
There is a need for solutions that help understaffed workforces better deal with the basic obstacles of
search times, the complexity of desktop and enterprise technologies and the stress of change and
uncertainty, he said.
“Solutions will have to have situation awareness – a true understanding of the environment the
knowledge worker is operating in including all of the applications, information sources and different
contexts.
“Knowledge Management and Business Process Management has had to grow up to accommodate for
these changes – and that’s what Business Process Guidance is all about - navigation systems that power
users across multiple applications and information sources in real time in complex environments so that
they can find exactly what they are looking for.
“Other technologies will need to follow suit and mature accordingly.”
Media contact: Sarah O’Brien
E: Sarah.obrien@squareonepr.com.au
M: 0408 401 502
NEWS 
