Is workplace technology failing employees?

The trickbot virus has infected millions of computers worldwide – Copyright AFP Yuichi YAMAZAKI

Key findings, drawn from a recent survey, reveal how workplace technology is failing employees and why leadership is rethinking the office experience. This reveals how employees are ditching company technology, with 89 percent of those polled using personal devices or apps for work because company-provided tools are not effective.

Moreover, the survey suggests that poor technology is hurting work-life balance. Here, 76 percent of workers feel pressured to be “always on,” and 60 percent say tech issues slow them down.

The report indicates fit-for-purpose workplace structures and technology – emphasizing flexibility vs. control – are what employers and employees need. The report comes from Diversified, a technology solutions provider.

The focus is with how companies are underinvesting in workforce technologies such as videoconferencing tools, collaboration platforms, and advanced production and broadcast solutions.

The Diversified Technology Maturity Survey of more than 1,600 U.S. employees also found, in relation to the large proportion of workers who use their own devices or apps for work how this is creating cyber and compliance risks.

With globally dispersed teams relying on collaboration tools, technologies and broadcast events, 77 percent of survey respondents said they work for companies offering hybrid work options. The vast majority (92 percent) split their work weeks between the office and remote locations.

A strong majority said workplace flexibility is critical, with 86 percent considering it when job hunting, and 49 percent willing to sacrifice pay for hybrid work. Even more (69 percent) business leaders would do the same.

The survey also uncovered a desire to reinvent workspaces to boost creativity, security, productivity and retention. Notably, 73 percent of CEOs seek ways to repurpose office space, while 83 percent of leaders are interested in adding public-use areas.

The human impact

Since the arrival of generative AI, most workplace technology conversations have focused on productivity. But workplace technology is also deeply connected to the human experience.

Sixty percent of survey respondents said technology integration issues adversely affect their work-life balance, 76 percent feel that they must be online at all times and 24 percent of those working late said it’s because their technology causes delays.

“The culture of work is changing, and workplace technology is a big driver of this change,” Jason Kornweiss, senior vice president of advisory services for Diversified. Tells Digital Journal in a statement. “Now, workplace structures must be fit-for-purpose and workplace technology needs to power experience, satisfaction and productivity – regardless of where people work.”