Employees who are unhappy about their workplace technology are more likely to quit.
A report from IT research firm Enterprise Strategy Group examined how technology affects the work professionals do. What it does to their work/life balance. What kind of business technology employees want employers to provide.
Here is the primary takeaway: If employees aren’t satisfied with the technology they’re using in their day-to-day work, two-thirds of them will consider finding a different job.
With that in mind, here are three things for business leaders to consider on how to keep their employees happy (at least when it comes to business technology):
- Be careful of communication overload
- Set clear standards for BYOD and company-issued devices
- Listen, and respond to employees’ technology desires
Be Careful of Communication Overload
43% of employees say that they have a hard time keeping up with the sheer amount of communication they’re expected to maintain at work, especially email. That includes:
- Email,
- Text messages,
- Phone calls, and
- Instant messaging.
The happiest employees are ones that receive 50 or fewer work-related communications per day. Here are few ways to reduce communication overload for your employees:
- Create email groups and automatically sort, so multiple employees can manage an email inbox easily
- Utilize your business phone system auto attendant to direct calls efficiently
- Have a text messaging policy for customers and employees
- Only use one platform for instant messaging so there is less to manage
Set Clear Standards for BYOD and Company-Issued Devices
We still recommend keeping business and personal devices separate. However, 54% of employees “expect to be able to use the same smartphone, laptop, or tablet for both business and personal tasks.”
With that expectation comes a security puzzle: How do organizations protect sensitive business data while still respecting employee privacy?
Organizations need to set very clear standards for both personally owned and company-issued devices. Make sure employees know what kind of device management will be in place, what is acceptable use, and what they can expect to happen if a device is lost or stolen.
Listen, and Respond to Employees’ Technology Desires
This is an easy one – listen to your employees. Your employees probably have a long wishlist for workplace technology, and some may be very easy to implement. Here are a few examples:
- A simplified password or log-in process
- More technology training
- Allow more remote work
- Newer devices – PCs, or mobile devices
To accommodate this workplace wishlist, you simply need to:
- Talk with your Technology Partner to simplify account log-ins
- Schedule training with your technology team
- Utilize your remote working capabilities – business phones and remote desktops
- Invest in your future by keeping your technology updated
Poll your employees to find out what kind of business technology changes they want. With two-thirds of employees likely to at least consider quitting if their technology needs aren’t met it’s worth figuring out what they want before good talent walks out the door for a preventable reason.