For God. For Country. Get New Computers Already!

very old computer

New technology for commercial and industrial use is released every day, but at work you’re still using a MacBook from 2011 (if you’re lucky?). Every time you open a new document or load a page on the Internet you come face to face with the spinny, rainbow wheel of death. You are overcome with acute rage and, instead of throwing your computer out the window, you ask your boss one simple question. Why does our technology suck?

There are many answers to the question, because it changes for every business; however, the majority of companies state their hesitance to invest in new technology is because they are not sure if productivity or revenue (a.k.a. the big bucks $) will rise. The cost of new technology is easy to keep track of, but most businesses want to be able to project their change in revenue as a result of upgrading their technology. Although it is possible to measure the change in revenue over time, the results would not matter because you will have already purchased the new technology! So, what really matters here? Well that’s for companies to decide! Our very own J. Colin Petersen was asked, how can leaders measure employee productivity? and here’s what he had to say.

The first step is to develop key performance indicators (or KPI’s). These might be “numbers of 5-star ratings” or “new client files opened” over a given week, month or quarter. Only you can decide what stats are truly important.” Via IT Security Central

Priorities change for different companies; however, there is one particular aspect that applies to ALL companies, human morale. Maybe all of your computers have an old version of Windows, but if the employees at your company are constantly wanting to throw their computers out the closest window, productivity is already depleting before your very eyes! In addition, if there aren’t helpful tools and processes for employees to utilize at work, they lose confidence in the work they would be capable of accomplishing. Out of frustration from dealing with her suckytechnology and equally-frustrated coworkers, Janet from human relations (HR) just threw her computer out the window.

old computerWhat now? Well, you should probably apologize to Janet and buy some new computers for the office. Maybe you could even replace that copy machine from 2005. Heck, even if it’s from 2013 it’s probably time to let it go. Now it’s go time! So what if no one knows how to evenwork the new computers or copier machine…? That is a temporary problem.

Empowering employees is more than telling them you are aware of their existence and their “voice is heard”. Empowering employees is what should be done for better productivity, because the more confident someone is about their work, the better it will be! With the entrance of new, unfamiliar technology, allowing employees to create their own processes to make mundane tasks fun or decrease the time it takes to accomplish something will help boost productivity.

So, are we telling you to go buy the most expensive new tech released every month? No, unless you are a business that reviews new technology, then it might be in your best interest to do so! If you are looking to increase productivity, catch input from your employees and coworkers! I’m sure no one will hesitate to tell you if they hate their computer or the office copy machine.

Updating technology in the office is a tricky situation for most businesses, because they fear the payout will be as sucky as their technology. However, there are so many more factors at play in regards to measuring productivity. Decide what your company priorities are, because then you will see where new technology can benefit you, then create a work environment that empowers workers and allows for new, innovative ideas to run wild. This is what has promise to boost productivity levels to where you want them to be! No more rainbow wheel of death, because the only spinning allowed is the wheels in your head!

 

References

https://www.itproportal.com/features/technology-innovation-and-the-battle-for-better-productivity/

https://www.zdnet.com/article/does-the-digital-workplace-affect-our-general-well-being-a-new-study-says-yes/

https://www.zdnet.com/article/can-shiny-objects-syndrome-plug-technologys-productivity-paradox/