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wouldn’t have to use it. This rises to 42%
for those under the age of 35, further
suggesting that young workers may
struggle with day-to-day office technology.
This hints at a much wider issue.
Younger staff may not be getting the
training they need when they enter
the world of work. Professor Dr Sascha
Stowasser, Director of the German Institute
for Applied Work Sciences, believes offices
need to provide further training to all staff.
“Employees are confronted with a large
number of new technologies, particularly in
the age of digitisation. But further training
and life-long learning can do away with
the fear of using the new technologies,”
he said.
Stuart Sykes, Managing Director,
Sharp UK added: “Having cutting-edge
technology in the workplace is pointless
if people don’t feel confident enough to
use it, so it’s vital that businesses invest in
training and support for their staff.”
The survey results reinforce the fact
that shiny new technology is not always
an answer in and of itself. Ensuring
workers’ ability to engage with technology
should be an equally pressing concern
if businesses are serious about boosting
development and output.
This concern is pressing in an
increasingly digital environment, says
Sykes. “Digitisation today has started
to have a real visible impact on the way
people want to work, and their technology
preferences. For example, the use of
smartphones in addition to laptops and
traditional office programs has created a
far more complex ecosystem of digital tools
and digital sources of information.”
When tasked with using unfamiliar
technology, there is a danger that workers
will simply resort to using systems that
they are well versed in. Younger employees
in particular are used to the immediacy and
ease-of-use of smartphones and tablets,
which means that more and more people
are choosing to use their own devices
in the workplace. In fact, 41% of those
surveyed said they preferred this option
because it was easier.
While workers may prefer using their
personal devices, if this is not explicitly
sanctioned and planned for by employers,
the benefits – if any – are short-term.
Navigating a plethora of different devices
can waste valuable time, especially as
colleagues attempt to collaborate across
software and platforms that were never
designed to complement one another.
This can create a disconnect between
individuals, which may alter the dynamics
of the wider environment. Not to
mention the security risks associated with
downloading sensitive workplace data to
unencrypted personal devices.
The research found that a quarter of
respondents (24%) admitted to storing
work information in the public cloud even
though they are not permitted to do so.
Just under a quarter (23%) of workers
use public file sharing services for work
information even though they’re not
allowed to, and 31% take work home to
complete despite being told otherwise.
When individuals flout office
procedures and rules in this way, the
overall efficiency of the wider team suffers.
Of even more concern, however, is the
fact that employees may be inadvertently
violating several data protection laws. With
the new GDPR regulations looming on the
horizon, this should be a bigger concern
now than ever before.
The buck does not stop purely with
digital information either. Just under
two-thirds of workers (59%) reported
that colleagues leave printed pages in the
printer tray, heightening the chances of
documents being seen by the wrong pair
of eyes.
Behaviour that places company data
security at risk is even more worrying
when 1 in 12 people (8%) admit to having
access to confidential information that
they shouldn’t have. All of this begs the
question, do businesses really understand
which solutions do or do not work for their
employees? Far from being a one size fits
all solution, should businesses take a more
bespoke approach, implementing solutions
with specific users in mind?
Professor Dr. Sascha Stowasser believes
that people’s expectations surrounding
technology are changing: “People no
longer use a device if the basic principles
of usability are not fulfilled. For a device
to be usable it needs to be easy to learn,
intuitive, have a low error rate and it needs
to satisfy a need.”
“Conversely, if a device is difficult to
use, unintuitive, error-prone or doesn’t
satisfy a need, then people will not use
it. This leads to demotivation and less
productivity. Therefore, companies need
to think about these principles with every
new IT purchase they make. If technology is
not used extensively and in a manner that
is meaningful, then it obviously requires a
change.”
Stuart Sykes agrees that companies
need to do more to ensure they are taking
user needs into account: “At Sharp we not
only look at how devices can help with
the needs of businesses, but also how
our devices can become more intuitive
and open to a wider range of users. New
technologies should support the people
who use them on a day-to-day basis, not
prevent them from working productively.”
To learn more about the research,
and how to unlock a more productive
workplace with expert tips from P
rofessor Dr Sascha Stowasser, visit:
Research
found that
a quarter of
respondents
(24%)
admitted to
storing work
information
in the public
cloud even
though they
are not
permitted to
do so
