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The Tech Effect: Is it Your Job? Or How You’re Doing It?

March 9, 2016 No Comments

Featured article by Leif Hartwig, CEO of Bolste

As the founder of a B2B tech startup, I wanted my company to operate with a stronger understanding of the effect technology has on how professionals feel about their jobs. To this end, we commissioned YouGov PLC to conduct a study, the 2016 Industry and Productivity Report, to surface the most up-to-date data.

The study confirmed sentiments that we’re hearing from business people all over the country: Many workers are unsatisfied with their current employment, and it is largely everyday challenges that are dragging them down.

Some of the findings show that common challenges include too many emails and unnecessary meetings. Sound familiar?

Email Overload

We all know that email changed the game for business years ago. But over time, our inboxes became bogged down as they absorbed all communications – the good, the spam and the funny.

When many of us log into our email in the morning, we might see dozens of unread messages. It’s difficult to tell which ones are priorities. Many of these emails are unnecessary and hijack our to-do list, distracting us from the important work. Things get lost. Deadlines get missed. And ultimately everyone – bosses, employees and clients – become frustrated.

This growing challenge with email is one of the main reasons I founded my company, to evolve businesses beyond the constant inbox diving.

Meeting Mania

“Check-in” meetings are another common complaint that the research showed to be a daily obstacle. The reason many of these meetings are put on the calendar in the first place is to make sure everyone is on the same page, privy to the latest information.

What ends up happening though is many us don’t actually engage in the meeting as we are either already up-to-speed or simply not affected by what’s being discussed. That’s why many of us do other work in meetings and generally agree that most are a waste time.

A Better Way to Operate

The solution to overwhelming emails and all of those regularly scheduled meetings is better communication. When we are able to determine the status of a project, share an update, or ask questions outside formal meetings, there’s less need for emailing or gathering together in a meeting room or dialing into yet another “status” call. With easy communication, we are able to stay focused and power ahead.

Leading the Way

It might sound simple: The fewer distractions, the more productive we are. The hurdle is breaking old habits.

Making those first bold steps toward a behavioral shift is no small thing. So while the answer may be obvious, implementing changes takes initiative and leadership from those in charge. A side conversation just doesn’t cut it.

Real improvement requires clear direction from the top, so everyone feels encouraged (and mandated) to communicate better – from overhauling the meeting calendar to adopting new technology.

Examining How Workers Feel

Over a quarter of workers surveyed say they are dissatisfied or indifferent about their jobs, and one in nine plan to change jobs in 2016. Extrapolating that figure across the nation, this amounts to millions of people who are thinking of jumping ship. And until they do, their negative attitudes fuel the flames of inefficiency.

The report reveals employees’ feelings across a number of industries. Depending on your type of work, you may experience these everyday struggles more than others. The public sector has the highest number of people who are “extremely unhappy, unmotivated, bored and stifled” by their job. Those in education, however, had the highest number of “extremely happy” results in the survey.

Regardless of these extremes at either ends of the job satisfaction spectrum, the study makes it plain to see that the majority of people across all industries are still only “somewhat happy.”

While the report doesn’t prescribe the exact solution, its results allow us surmise that to enable workers to feel better about their current jobs, it needs to be easier to get work done. Avoiding cumbersome emails and countless status meetings appears to be a big part of the answer.

Setting Up for Success

Deciding which solutions to choose is another challenge. There are thousands of apps and software options available, many of which only focus on one function, like file sharing. When companies add more and more of these single-solution apps to their toolbox in the hopes of lightening the load, they end up with the same problem: too much time spent trying to get work done, now juggling apps. In short, simpler is better.

The report sheds light on a stark reality: Companies need to evolve how they collaborate to retain talent. Helping employees improve quality of work-life will go a long way in this effort. With improved employee satisfaction, the more work gets accomplished, and the happier everyone becomes.

We hope this report serves to open people’s eyes to the growing need for businesses to modernize and simplify how they operate.

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