Many businesses continue to supply their employees with inadequate technology, a new study commissioned by Lenovo and Intel has found.
The research, which surveyed IT decision-makers and workplace laptop users from across various markets, found that half of the respondents reporting that their PC devices were out of date or insufficient, and just 33% said that they were extremely satisfied with the laptop provided by their place of work. Similarly, 46% claimed that software malfunctions occurred frequently.
The research points to a disconnect between IT decision-makers and end-users being the chief cause of employee frustrations.
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Although it is generally agreed that technology has a significant impact on employee engagement, many IT departments are more concerned with the longevity of their investments, rather than the impact on employee experience. Improving technology refresh cycles is one way of ensuring that business technology does not become a source of frustration for employees.
Sensible spending
Rather than putting more pressure on already stretched IT budgets, the survey suggests that realigning investments could prove effective. Instead of exploring new, emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, many workplaces could be improved by focusing on everyday devices and collaboration tools.
“Our new study findings further affirm our belief in the strategic importance of technology as critical investments, and not as simple transaction costs,” explained Christian Teismann, president of Lenovo’s commercial PC and smart devices business.
“The right deployment of technologies delivering returns can far exceed the initial expense of new business models and opportunities. Given employees are a company’s greatest asset, the study further maps out opportunities to uplift the return on technology investment by focusing on PC devices and collaboration tools, while better involving employees in purchase decisions. In today’s new remote and hybrid work set-up, these steps are pivotal for companies in yielding opportunities that go far beyond the initial spend on their technology.”
Technology clearly has an enormous impact on satisfaction, engagement and productivity for employees, but many businesses clearly have more to do. Involving staff in investment decisions could be one way of ensuring that IT departments create a happy work environment for their employees, whether they are based at home or in the office.
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