Perhaps we can update Groucho Marx for the new era - "I signed an agreement in my pyjamas" - “What was the agreement doing wearing your pyjamas?” Boom tish!
The reality is DocuSign research finds instead of slowing things down Australians made more agreements than ever before in 2020. These agreements look completely different from the old school pen-and-paper.
20% of Australians said a new job or promotion is the most important agreement they signed in the last year, including 33% of those under 35. 49% of respondents signed an employment contract in the last year, despite rising unemployment levels.
28% said they signed an agreement while wearing pyjamas in bed, 27% in activewear while working out, and 24% in Ugg boots, thongs, underwear or their birthday suit. 53% say they can’t imagine signing an agreement any other way now.
The research finds traditional imagery of an "agreement" - two men shaking hands in a boardroom - is outdated. DocuSign has partnered with stock photography website Unsplash to launch an image gallery reflecting the changing face of agreements in Australia.
Guided by insights from the research, the new gallery ‘Reimagining the Photography of Agreements,’ depicts how modern agreements are made in both personal and professional lives, where they’re made and the people making them.
The gallery showcases people e-signing contracts on their phones and laptops in different locations, including the kitchen, a cafe or the home office. The gallery also features people from various ethnic backgrounds, ages, genders and sexual orientations, to reflect the diverse communities of Australia, as these are the people behind modern agreements.
“The survey results point to the fact that in our digital era, not only are people making agreements from anywhere, they’re doing so in their pyjamas or jeans, which was once unimaginable,” said Scott Olrich, Chief Operating Officer, DocuSign.
“While there’s no doubt the events of 2020 have escalated change in the way we make agreements, it’s also important to consider agreements are made by people of all genders, races and ages, from many different locations. Our research shows that more than 50 per cent of people in the older generation visualise an electronic device rather than a paper and pen when they think about making an agreement, and this is just one example. With this in mind, we’re excited to launch our new gallery with Unsplash to better reflect the diversity of modern agreements.”
In keeping with the theme of being new and modern, this is the first time Unsplash has partnered with an organisation in Australia.
Stephanie Liverani, Co-founder and Chief Partnerships Officer, Unsplash agrees that it’s little wonder Australians are no longer visualising agreements as activities exclusive to offices or pen and paper.
“As soon as we heard about the prospect of launching a gallery with DocuSign on the subject of modern, diverse agreements, we wanted to be involved. In addition to setting a new norm of agreements, this project gives us an opportunity to showcase the value of photography alongside a topic that resonates with people all over the world.”
And yes, even Boomers are on-board with 52% more likely to visualise an electronic device than a paper and pen when thinking about an agreement.
