Business competition is intense, and there’s an explosion of technology to help companies stay ahead. Making it all work depends on the ability of employees to cope and adapt to the changes. That’s a tall order for any company with a diverse age range of employees.
It helps to have a supportive vendor partner you can trust to give users quick answers to technology issues. For many small businesses without an information technology department or responsive vendor the business productivity can drag—too many of those days is never good for the bottom line.
Employee concerns include:
Cellphone value in the workplace is no longer a question—yet employers and employees know phones can kill productivity. A recent CareerBuilder survey shows that according to employers, the biggest technology related productivity problems are:
Another issue for both workers and management is use of mobile devices outside the office—but for different reasons. For management, mobile devices can create cyber security vulnerabilities. For employees, the virtual office-in-the-pocket means there’s no end-of-day to go home and get away from work. Now emails, phone calls, messages and documents can all be accessed and handled from remote locations at any time of day.
Most employees expect changes in technology. Younger employees, especially millennials, welcome it the most. Resistance is a normal reaction to change. Fear of the unknown causes many employees to worry about losing their jobs if they’re unable to make quick adjustments.
Business leaders can help avoid the stress by:
Change is inevitable. So is resistance. Plan for both! Embrace new technology as an opportunity for greater productivity, efficiency and growth. If you are looking at business consultants, make sure to pick a team player responsive to your employees and business needs.
Workers will appreciate the perks that come from a company that thrives and they’ll take pride in being participants in your success!