One of the best ways to keep your workers content is by keeping your company at the cutting edge of technology: That's a key finding of Dell and Intel's newly released 2014 Global Evolving Workforce Study, an update of Dell's 2011 study of the same name.
"As the research shows, now more than ever, the office isn’t defined by a desk within an employer’s walls," said Steve Lalla, Dell VP and general manager of Cloud Client Computing.
"With constant connectivity blurring the lines between professional and personal lives and devices, it’s essential that employees have seamless access to data when at the office, at home and on the road so they can stay productive," Lalla said.
How important is having access to the latest technology to your workforce? According to the Dell study:
►One out of four workers say they are influenced by the technology provided to them at work and would consider taking a new position if provided better technology that helps them be more productive.
►In particular, employees in management roles as well as those who work in emerging markets demand the best technology and consider that a key factor to weigh when making decisions about staying with their current employer or moving to a new one.
►Seventy‐six percent of employees say technology has had an influence on the way they work in the past year.
►Forty‐six percent say technology has increased their productivity and enabled them to communicate faster. On the other hand, some feel the technology they have holds them back from being productive and has hindered their career growth.
►Less than half of employees report that their company's IT department considers employees' opinions when selecting technology. However, workers in emerging markets feel they have more influence over the choices that IT makes.
►Employees are generally optimistic about the future of technology, believing that it will keep evolving and providing benefits to the workforce, but that it will not fundamentally change the way they work. Moreover, they believe that in the future, voice recognition will be used instead of the keyboard (92%); tablets will fully replace laptops (87%); all computers will use hand gestures (87%); and keyboards and mice will become obsolete (88%).
►Employees believe that technological advancements won’t replace the need for humans in the workplace: Only 34% of respondents think their job will be fully automated in their lifetime.
Dell and Intel commissioned TNS to conduct the 2014 Global Evolving Workforce Study. More than 4,700 workers in 12 countries were surveyed. The full results of the study are available at www.dell.com/evolvingworkforce.
