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C-Level leaders and employees have doubts about resiliency post-pandemic.

ServiceNow, the leading digital workflow company, has released its Work Survey covering the effects of COVID-19 on businesses.

Executives and employees surveyed in 11 countries across multiple industries agree: technology enabled them to pivot to new ways working faster than thought possible, and digital transformation will accelerate innovation.

“The world’s dramatic pivot to working digitally is showing everyone what the future of work looks like,” said ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott. “Digital workflows are the way business gets done in the 21st century. There’s no going back. Digital transformation will accelerate. New ways of working will become the norm. We are on the cusp of an unprecedented wave of workflow and workplace innovation.”

Related: Nobody knows what ServiceNow does, or what it can do for you

Returning to the new normal poses challenges

At least half of executives and employees think transitioning to the new normal will be even more challenging than the initial shock of COVID-19, according to ServiceNow.

Moreover, most businesses are at a digital disadvantage, with 91% of executives admitting they still have offline workflows, including document approvals, security incident reports, and technology support requests.

Companies have made progress, but months into working from home, 60% of executives and 59% of employees say their companies still do not have a fully integrated system to manage digital workflows.

Confidence is low that companies could rapidly transform again if needed

The survey found that 87% of employees say new systems put in place as a result of COVID-19 created new and better ways of working. However, organizations developed these systems on the fly, and they are vulnerable to the next major disruption, according to the survey.

Most executives and employees say their key business functions would not be able to adapt within 30 days in the event of another disruption. The only department that captured a majority of confidence for executives and employees was IT, with 61% of executives and 66% of employees thinking IT could adapt within a month. 

Customer service, HR, finance, and sales and marketing didn’t make the cut, revealing more opportunities for innovation across the enterprise.

Tip: ServiceNow launches Paris, faster response to transformation and IoT