On the occasion of the National Smart Working Day, the Foundation for Digital Sustainability presented its latest report, “Smart Working: the digital challenge”, highlighting the point of view of Italians on this topic. The analysis compares the opinions of citizens of large centers with those of smaller municipalities to highlight how much the urban context affects the perception of the role of hybrid work models in relation to the dynamics of digital sustainability. Below are the main highlights.
A Hybrid Future
The research clearly indicates that the future of work will be characterized by a hybrid approach, combining remote work and in-person work. This vision is shared by 79% of residents in large Italian cities and 70% of those living in small towns.
Environmental and Social Impacts
One of the most relevant aspects that emerged from the research is the positive impact of smart working on the environment in the perception of Italians. By reducing daily travel, remote working significantly contributes – according to those interviewed – to reducing CO2 emissions. This benefit is recognized by 81% of the inhabitants of large cities and 76% of residents in small towns. Smart working is not only an advantage for the environment, but also for personal well-being. A better work-life balance was highlighted as a key benefit, with 79% of big city dwellers and 74% of small town residents agreeing.
Gender Equality and Inclusion
Remote working also has an impact on gender equality. 21% of residents in large cities see smart working as a tool to promote gender equality, a percentage that drops to 13% in small towns. This gap could be due to greater career opportunities and more structured power dynamics in large cities, which make smart working a more effective means of reducing the disadvantages often faced by women.
Productivity and Isolation
Regarding productivity, both in small (75%) and large centers (74%), there is significant acceptance of remote working as a tool to improve productivity, especially among the most digitalized citizens. However, there is no shortage of challenges: the perception of social and corporate isolation is a shared concern. 55% of workers in small towns and 47% of those in large cities believe that remote working reduces interactions with colleagues, generating a sense of isolation which represents the other side of the coin of hybrid work.
The Digital Skills Challenge
Despite the benefits of smart working, research highlights a significant disparity in the adoption of digital tools between large and small centres. In large urban centres, 31% of people say they do not know the collaboration tools, even the most used ones; percentage that rises to 45% in small towns. This indicates the need for greater investment in training and digital literacy to bridge the technology gap and ensure that all workers can benefit from smart working.
Conclusions
Digital transformation and smart working offer enormous opportunities for the future of work, but require a balanced and inclusive approach. Investing in digital training, promoting inclusion policies and supporting hybrid working models will be fundamental to maximizing the environmental, social and economic benefits of smart working. “A true cultural revolution that undermines traditional habits and approaches by providing workers with flexibility and autonomy in choosing the spaces, times and tools to use, in the face of greater responsibility for results.” – stated Stefano Epifani, President of the Foundation for Digital Sustainability. “In this new context, technology plays an extremely important role. Smart Working and Digital Transformation in fact enable each other because if on the one hand Smart Working needs technologies to materialize, on the other it is itself an important lever towards the revolution of meaning that digital technology brings with it. And yet, technology and smart working must not become tools of potential ghettoisation, but resources for the worker and for the company”.