15 digital workplace statistics you need to know for 2023

The digital workplace continues to evolve and play a major role in employee experience and organisational life; over the past few years it has moved forward enormously.  There are various statistics which reflect and demonstrate just how far the digital workplace has come, but also show that there is still a lot of work to do.

These statistics are useful in helping organisations think about where they are in their own digital workplace journey, as well as conversation starters to talk to business stakeholders. They can also be a useful reference point in any business case.

In this post we’re going to explore fifteen key digital workplace statistics for 2023 that you need to know. These are all from authoritative sources, can be used in a presentation or business case, and cover different aspects of the digital workplace from technology adoption to employee engagement to intranet team size!

1. The digital workplace is very important for over 70% of organisations

Over the years, the digital workplace has been growing in importance and priority for organisations. According to the annual State of the Digital Workplace Report from SMG, 72% regard the digital workplace as an “extremely important” or “very important” priority. Only 8% regard it as “slightly important” or “not important”.

2. Only 26% of organisations regard their digital workplace as mature

Even though the digital workplace is regarded as a priority by the majority of organisations, many feel that there is room for improvement and evolution. According to the same SMG survey, only 26% regard their digital workplace as “mature” with a further 45% regarding it as “about mid-way”.

3. Only 21% of employees are engaged at work

Employee engagement continues to be an important dynamic in the workplace, but surveys continue to show that only a minority of employees feel genuine engaged. According to the authoritative 2022 State of the Workplace Report from Gallup, only 21% of employees are engaged.

4. Companies with strong employee experience are 25% more profitable

Having a strong employee experience drives a range of strategic benefits. Research led by Kristine Dery at MIT has shown companies with strong employee experience (top quartile) are 25% more profitable than those with a weak employee experience (lowest quartile). Similarly, they are also like to have twice the level of innovation and double the customer satisfaction (NPS scores).

5. The average team size of an award-winning intranet is 17

The intranet is still a major channel within the wider digital workplace. Each year the Nielsen Norman Group runs a competition to determine the top ten intranets of the year, and they also run some interesting statistics. Although relating to generally larger enterprises, according to Nielsen Norman the average intranet team size is 17 FTE, based on winners between 2015 and 2022.

6. Larger companies deploy an average of 187 apps

A major issue impacting employee experience is the sheer number of different apps that are in use within any one organisation and in practice many efforts to improve employee experience try to simplify the app landscape. According to Otka’s annual “Business at Work” report, in 2021 on average a company with more than 2,000 employees had 187 apps across the enterprise.

7. 67% of employees say their digital experience outside work is better than inside work

An ongoing theme in the digital workplace is the superiority of the technology experience in the consumer space compared to that of work. A 2022 survey of IT decision-makers and knowledge workers in the US and UK found that 67% of them had a better digital experience outside work than inside work. Only 8% said their digital workplace experience was better than their experience as consumers.

8. Employees who feel cared for by an employer are 3.7 times more likely to recommend working there

Supporting wellbeing has been rising on the agenda for HR and is increasingly seen as a component of employee experience. This appears to have an impact on employee perceptions of their employer; a LinkedIn Learning report using information from the Glint engagement tool suggests that an employee who feels “cared about at work” is 3.7 times more likely to recommend working for that company.

9. Social tools can increase the productivity of knowledge workers by up to 25%

The value of social and collaboration tools in raising the productivity of knowledge workers is now widely accepted. One of the most (over) quoted statistics in the digital workplace space is from a McKinsey Global Institute article from way back in 2012 that suggests using social technologies to improve collaboration and communication can raise productivity between 20% and 25%.

10. Employee onboarding increases employee retention by over 80%

Teams focusing on employee experience frequently look to improve the employee onboarding experience for new hires. This makes good business sense as research from Brandon Hall (from back in 2015) suggests that a good onboarding programme can increase employee retention by as much as 82%.

11. 58% of executives report improvements to individual productivity from hybrid work

The scaling up of remote and hybrid work is still contentious in some organisations, with some senior executives demanding a return to the office. However, omany people report increased productivity from hybrid work. A McKinsey survey of executives found that 58% reported an increase in individual productivity, with 49% also reporting an increase in team productivity from remote work brought on by the pandemic.

12. There are 270,000 million Microsoft Teams users

Over the past few years Microsoft Teams has seen a meteoric rise in usage, with the pandemic also acting as a catalyst for the platform’s dramatic growth. Microsoft now continues to expand and is a major component of many digital workplaces. According to useful statistics website Statista, in 2022 Teams reached an estimated 270,000 million users, almost double the number in 2021.

13. The value of the digital workplace market is set to surpass $75 bn by 2027

As the digital workplace has grown in importance, the related technology solutions and services that enable the digital workplace have also evolved. In fact analyst firm Market Research Future (MFPR) estimates that the digital workplace “market” will be worth $USD 76.6 billion by 2027, representing a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 21.8% from 2021 to 2027.

14. 50% of organisations have embedded AI in least one function, more than doubling over 5 years

AI is steadily growing in influence within organisations and across the digital workplace. According to McKinsey’s annual State of AI report released in late 2022, 50% of all organisations have adopted AI in at least one function, a level which was only 20% in 2017.

15. 39% of organisations who are leveraging AI are using it for Robotic Process Automation

The same McKinsey survey asked organisations who have adopted AI in products or processes within one function how they are using it. The most popular answer has proved to be Robotic Process Automation (RPA) mentioned by 39% of respondents. This tallies with our experience at Content Formula that many organisations are using the AI of the Power Platform to automate simple and repetitive tasks, releasing time for employees to carry out more valuable activities.

Helping your digital workplace journey

We hope you found these digital workplace statistics helpful! If you’re starting out on your own digital workplace journey, planning your roadmap for the new year, making a business case for investment, or want help with a particular digital workplace project, we’re here to help!

You might be working with Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint or Microsoft Viva, or are looking to integrate other technologies. We have decades of experience working with intranets, collaboration and the wider digital workplace and have a range of services running from strategy formation to technical development to adoption and change management support.

Discuss any aspect of your digital workplace by getting in touch.