Office workers frustrated by outdated and slow technology – Overbury survey
Some 50% of works say the technology they use in the office is slow and outdated.
This is according to a new survey commissioned by national fit out and refurbishment specialist Overbury, based in Manchester.
However, more than half of those surveyed did believe technology made their job easier with only one in ten seeing it as a distraction, the OnePulse survey found.
Only 8% of those who responded saw technology as being a gimmick with over a quarter saying that they simply couldn’t live without it. WiFi was highlighted as a bugbear with a fifth stating that the connectivity was either poor or non-existent.
Speaking about the results, Peter Knight, managing director at Overbury, said: “The statistics from this survey are really interesting. On the one hand most see technology as being a valuable resource in the workplace, but on the other, employees are frustrated about the standard of both the IT equipment and the service provided by their employers.
“Many still feel that the technology in their office is simply not up to scratch. So, what should employers do?
“They need to listen to their employees to understand what type of technology they need in place to carry out their role successfully.
“Investing in the right technology should help increase employee job satisfaction, boost productivity, help to reduce staff turnover and ultimately make your business more profitable.”
Overbury has recently completed a new workspace for international travel agency, Travel Counsellors at Peel’s Venus building at Trafford Park. The brief was to create a design that would help encourage greater staff collaboration, increase productivity and retain and attract the very best staff.
The finished space includes two floors of open plan office space with central breakout areas and the technology to enable agile working, as well as a recording studio for the Travel Counsellors internal and external webcasts and a striking IT server room that is visible through a coloured glass pane.
Rob Snelson, chief technology officer at Travel Counsellors, said: “The use of technology has to be evolutionary rather than revolutionary in order to ensure it can be adopted by everyone across the company.
“As a global business with more than 350 staff supporting a further 1,600 self-employed franchisees, Travel Counsellors uses the latest tools and technology to enable consistent and high quality connectivity, ensuring each person has what they need to work smarter wherever they are located.
“Our culture of idea generation and innovation is ultimately supported and enhanced by this level of technology – it breaks down barriers such as time zones and allows for an all-inclusive and truly collaborative working environment.”
