“Digital technologies have fundamentally altered nearly every aspect of business operations today,” says Alan Stukalsky, chief digital officer of Randstad North America. “Yet, as our study illustrates, business leaders are struggling with how to unleash the power and promise that a technology-enabled workforce offers. The simple truth is companies must be willing to adapt and scale traditional business models, in order to effectively compete for talent and drive operational growth.”

Employee respondents identified the following as factors that would greatly influence their decision to join a company: the company's use of the latest digital tools (80%); an innovative culture (72%); and the company's reputation as a digital leader (62%).

Having a “digitally-savvy” leadership team also matters to workers: 72% agree a company's executive digital leadership greatly influences their willingness to join an organization, though only 37% of employees completely/strongly agree their employers have a digital leader in place.

What does it take to be a digital leader in the eyes of workers? A majority (76%) of employee respondents say it means having the ability to keep people connected and engaged, and an equal percentage say it means having a commitment to drive “a culture of innovation, learning and continuous improvement.” Three quarters say it means being agile and having digital-savviness in their use of digital tools to drive business success, 72% say digital leaders have exceptional knowledge and skills related to collaboration and team-building, and 63% say such leaders are adept at risk-taking.

The report also found that nearly all (90%) employees want to acquire new digital skills in order to further their careers, but respondents were largely dissatisfied with the digital tools and learning technologies offered by their current employers:

• only 13% say their employer has fully embraced technologies like automation, artificial intelligence and collaboration tools
• one-third of workers don't feel that their employers offer ample opportunities to acquire digital skills with training and on-the-job learning
• fifty-eight percent of workers say their employers use the latest digital tools and platforms — but don't provide the necessary training
• fifty-six percent of workers feel they lack the skills required today to be digitally savvy
• fifty percent don't believe they will learn new digital skills fast enough to succeed in their careers.

To help organizations determine where they land on the spectrum of digital transformation, Randstad on Tuesday launched a proprietary quiz for business leaders “to assess their digital progress and uncover customized recommendations to further their digital transformation.”