A new study by Unisys Corporation found that today’s employees are so keen on technology that they would consider leaving their place of employment if they aren’t empowered with the most updated technology.
The study attempted to gauge employee perspectives on the importance of deploying current and future digital capabilities in the workplace and queried more than 12,000 members of the workforce in the UK and 11 other countries around the world.
Based on the level of updated technology made available to their employees, companies were categorized as either technology leaders or laggards. More than half (56%) of the new digital workforce said they were frustrated with their laggard employees, while only 9% of workers at companies considered technology leaders expressed similar frustration.
The study found a direct correlation between the threat of attrition, as workers at technology laggards (14%) were willing to quit, while only 2% of employees at technology leaders saying they were likely to look for new opportunities. Still, less than a third of all workers surveyed in the UK (26%) identified their organizations as technology leaders. The global average of workplaces falling into the leader category was 32%, with the UK ranked 11 out of the 12 countries surveyed.
“The data show a clear new paradigm in today’s UK digital workplace: more than one-third of those who work for technology laggards feel like outdated devices are limiting their productivity, with more than half frustrated and many with one eye on the door as a result,” Mickey Davis, global vice president of managed workplace services, Unisys, said in a press release. “Equipping devices with the right applications and productivity tools is critically important to access and engagement.”
Devices, though, are a bone of contention for workers at laggard organizations, with 35% of these workers reporting that they could be more productive but for their outdated devices. Because their companies do not provide them with the technology they need, 39% of employees said they download apps and websites not supported by their organization’s IT group.
“With a substantial number of businesses behind the technological curve, it puts them and the economy at risk from a talent retention standpoint and brings down their overall efficiency and productivity,” Davis said. "This not only costs resources but also has a negative impact on their relationship with the employer, with many considering new jobs because of their frustration."