Put people at the centre of changes to technology in the workplace, finds PwC report

Organisations want to achieve better results from their technology investments. Recent findings indicate that the solution to this quest may lie in involving your people more in the process of implementing technology. Findings from PwC’s Global Tech at Work 2018 study indicate that leaders and staff are not on the same page with respect to technology at work. While leaders are under the impression that they are choosing technology with their workforce in mind, results indicate that this is not always the case. In fact, although 90% of C-suite executives say that they consider people’s requirements when choosing to implement new technology, only 53% of staff agree.

The survey took place amongst 12,287 full-time employed adults from across different countries. The results were collected from all generations, ranging from C-suite titles to administrative roles, and from a widespread of industries including consumer markets, health industries, financial services, manufacturing, and technology and media.

How do people feel about technology at work?

Responses from employees who participated in the study indicate that current tools in the workplace limit their progress. In fact, 73% of people surveyed say they are aware of systems that would aid them in producing work of higher quality. This result contrasts with the 92% of C-suite executives that say they are satisfied with the technology experience their company offers. Such opposing results highlight the valuable insight that could be obtained from employees. By understanding employee needs and wants from the technology used in their jobs, companies can enhance their overall people experience.

Changing work environments is also increasing people’s expectations of technology with only 60% of employees saying they were satisfied with the mobile options offered at their workplace. Other results also highlight that employees want to be given the opportunity to provide more input into the decisions leaders make on technology. Furthermore, today’s workforce is keen to learn about technology and ready to invest time in training to improve their digital skills. However, results indicate that despite employees’ eagerness to learn, only 50% of staff are satisfied with the learning resources available and only 46% say technological skills are valued at their workplace. This highlights an area for potential growth and improvement amongst leaders of organisations.

Despite the fast-paced developments in automation and artificial intelligence (AI), respondents are not willing to allow machines to replace human relationships in the workplace. 40%-45% of employees still prefer face-to-face interactions in activities such as performance reviews and other HR activities. Having said that, the same percentage of respondents prefer these same tasks to be partly/fully digitalised. This indicates that although 56% fear that technology is replacing human interaction in the workplace, digitalising certain tasks could make processes more efficient and enhance people’s experience at work.

Motivating the advancement of digital skills

Respondents are motivated by two distinct incentives when analysing their willingness to adopt new technologies: improved efficiency and rewards that improve their status. This distinction was found to be true across all generations and functions within companies. This shatters common assumptions that younger generations are the most willing to adopt digital processes. The study depicts three segments amongst workers. The first segment, making up 34% of respondents, is motivated to use technology to improve their efficiency at work. This segment is found to be most likely to accept digitalised processes and invest more time for training. The second segment (37%) includes employees that are more willing to adopt new technology if it will result in advances in their career. This group is more likely to be hesitant about how technological advancements can help them progress in their career. Employees within this segment need to feel that technological skills are valued in the company in order to be motivated to invest time into developing their digital skills. The remaining segment, making up 29% of respondents, is comfortable with its daily routines and may require more effort to be motivated to improve on digital skills as respondents are reluctant to embrace technological changes. In order to motivate this segment, employees must understand how technology can differentiate them from other colleagues and understand how their role contributes to the company’s overall purpose.

Igniting interest amongst your people

An individual’s work experience is today highly influenced by technology and it has therefore become hard to see these two aspects separately without any overlap. A collaborative environment in which humans and technology can work cohesively can be achieved by understanding what motivates employees to adopt new technology in their work. Understanding such attitudes and behaviours towards technology will result in more effective communication and processes. Although today’s workforce is found to take a positive stance towards technological advancements, there is an evident distinction between the attitudes of leaders and employees. Survey results highlight that while 88% of C-suite agreed that AI is making the world a better place, only 48% of staff agreed. Understanding this gap is the first step leaders can take to minimise worries staff have on technology advancements.

Further steps include taking the time to understand jobs from the perspective of employees. By identifying daily routines and tasks of employees and gaining feedback, leaders can better understand how technology can improve an employee’s work experience. This insight is a major force in shaping the culture and behaviour changes required in any effective technology transformation. Such changes require a shift in the mind-set of employees and leaders in that continuous learning needs to be adopted, through the implementation of initiatives such as real-time coaching and feedback, as people must understand the urgency of up-skilling to keep up with changing job requirements. It is also vital to include people from varying levels and departments in decisions on technology tools. Giving employees a voice encourages employee buy-in and increases interest in technology at work while also allowing leaders to make more people-focussed technology decisions.

Claudine Attard, Senior Manager, People and Organisation Advisory, PwC Malta, says:

“Our PwC people-centric change approach, is focussed on the need to put people at the centre of any change within an organisation. The results of this survey further emphasise how this also applies with technology transformations. Understanding your people’s pain points and views on how technology can support them to be more productive and enhance their employee experience is key. Putting people at the centre of technology decisions ensures smooth transitions to more productive, efficient and effective ways of working. This will not only impact the employee experience, but can have a ripple on delivering a superior customer experience.”

Michel Ganado, Consulting Partner, PwC Malta, comments:
“As a result of digital disruption, organisations are finding themselves constrained to continue investing in technological advancements to remain competitive. Leaders need to ensure that they are making the desired return on the technology investments they are making, and achieve the required adoption levels. This is why it is essential that they understand their people’s needs and involve them more in the process. It is also important to look at the impact on their people and on how they can support them better through upskilling initiatives.”

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