Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in Hong Kong have made their mark in providing their staff with the right tools to succeed in today’s digital, fast paced and modern workplace.

That was the key finding from Microsoft’s New World of Work SMB Study, which canvassed responses from 200 Hong Kong professionals.

Showing how SMBs are meeting employees’ expectations in being more productive, collaborative and innovative, the New World of Work Index generated insights on the current work needs of professionals in APAC and the gaps that exist in enabling them to thrive.

Respondents were asked to rate themselves among three key principles. These included if they are supported by the right people in their offices, are empowered with the right technology and have the right tools to work remotely.

The report found Hong Kong garnered a score of 37 in the index.

While slightly below the APAC average (40), Hong Kong’s score ahead of all other mature markets in the region, including Australia (36), Singapore (35), New Zealand (23) and Taiwan (21).

“Over the last decade, globalisation and technology innovations have brought the world closer and fundamentally changed the way people live and work,” said Horace Chow, general manager of Microsoft Hong Kong.

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“SMBs make up over 90% of business in Asia, and 98% of total business enterprises in Hong Kong – they contribute significantly to economic growth.”

Indeed, the survey found the traditional notion of work is changing Hong Kong SMBs, especially with 69% of local employees stating they consider themselves as mobile workers.

Employees stated they were expected to do business within the speed of light, with 72% of local respondents saying that they are required to respond to internal stakeholders within four hours .

More than six out of 10 (61%) of professionals also revealed they are required to respond to external customers within four hours.

A majority (78%) also said that they are still required to be contactable outside of work today in order to complete their work effectively.

The report added local SMBs are also making decent progress on adopting sustainable practices, with 83% of respondents saying their organisations are increasingly moving towards becoming paperless, above the regional average of 73%.

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