After a wild few years, we're all ready for a bit of certainty — but that doesn't look like it's coming any time soon. Big questions remain about what will happen about the economy and the job market. That has sent employers scrambling to figure out how to navigate this next phase of hiring, managing, and engaging their workforce without overextending resources.

We've already started to see headlines about job offers being rescinded. Some employers are using the potential shift away from a candidates' market to insist that employees come back into the office even if those employees have indicated a preference for staying remote.

This power dynamic is all part of the cycle — but businesses that thrive through this next stage will be those that step out of the cycle and make smart investments to shore up long-term competitive advantage. Why? Because investing in employees will always be smart business. And right now, investing in employees means giving people the resources — and ability — to optimize performance. For many companies, that means letting people choose where to work. For pretty much every company, that means delivering the digital tools necessary to facilitate seamless, secure, user-friendly access and connectivity.

In a just-released Digital Employee Experience (DEX) study from Ivanti, 10,000 IT professionals, executives and end users were surveyed, and the results paint a clear picture: Employees want strong technology at their disposal in order to be happy. And they need strong technology at their disposal in order to be productive.

According to the study:

■ 49% of employees are frustrated by the tech and tools their organization provides.

■ 64% believe the way they interact with technology directly impacts morale.

■ 26% of employees are considering quitting their jobs because they lack suitable tech.

■ 42% have spent their own money on better tech to work more productively.

■ 65% believe they would be more productive if they had better technology at their disposal.

This is not the time to turn away from strategies that enable the Everywhere Workplace. It's the time to lean into them.

Happy, engaged, productive employees with positive digital experiences are incredibly valuable in any job market. They're who deliver the strongest ROI, lowest turnover, and best business outcomes.

Of course, you might be able to save a few bucks up front on salary and resources — and then have an endless stream of IT helpdesk tickets and high turnover due to poor user experience. Just because the job market shifts to favor employers doesn't mean it's smart business to navigate constant turnover and onboarding, only to bring in a new round of people who will be equally frustrated and unable to deliver optimal performance.

Secure, user-friendly tools are more than common sense and more than a "nice-to-have."

This applies regardless of whether your company is remote, hybrid, or in the office. Location aside, tech is critical to the future of work. Secure, user-friendly tools are more than common sense and more than a "nice-to-have." They're an absolute imperative in the modern workplace. Companies that are slow to embrace technology, digital transformation, and advancements in the digital employee experience will find this out the hard way.

Why are so many companies struggling with this transition?

For one thing, there's often a disconnect between the priorities of the C-suite and the needs of employees. Right now, IT is feeling the brunt of that disconnect. Their job is to facilitate efficient operations and seamless access without compromising security. With the wrong tools at their disposal, this job is next to impossible. It falls to business leaders to make the investment in tools that advance organizational objectives on as many fronts as possible. Security, innovation, profitability, efficiency — it all matters when it comes to surviving this next phase. IT will thank you, the rest of your employees will thank you, and your bottom line will thank you.

The right tools supplant outdated strategies like spreadsheet tracking, mandatory "chair time," and reliance on passwords. The right tools create an employee-friendly experience focused on the most efficient path to ideal outcomes. Again, that holds true in any economic climate or job market. Even if you've found yourself stumbling through trial and error over the last few years (an understandable scenario, to be sure), this is something you can get right.