16 Ways to Use Technology to Boost Workplace Productivity
Putting together a productive and collaborative team is a daunting task. So, augmenting your team’s overall performance should always be a continuous process. And you must be aware that low productivity negatively affects organizations regarding employee engagement, revenue, and work quality.
However, all’s not lost. Companies and businesses can improve their productivity in several ways, and one of those ways is the use of the latest technology.
In today’s increasingly digitized world, studies revealed that 40% of workers left an organization because the company lacked access to cutting-edge digital tools. Since you have known how to identify and keep top talent in your organization, you wouldn’t want them to leave your company.
It is fair to believe that daily encounter with some form of technology has made life easier. Technology has made a groundbreaking impact in every area of life, including the workplace.
Regardless of the company or work environment, technology is undoubtedly one of the major contributors to productivity. It becomes necessary to look deeply into the ways it is capable of increasing productivity in the workplace.
Although there are countless ways technology increases workplace productivity, this article will look at sixteen (16) of them and show you some software you can use.
Read along to know how you can use technology to increase workplace productivity.
1. Makes Work Faster And Seamless
“Get it done before the deadline” may sound like every employer’s favourite work line, but it is the hallmark of productivity.
Since work done faster before any given deadline leaves more room for other tasks, productivity can be said to have taken place. And as it is known, technology is a proven way to get those tasks done seamlessly without setbacks.
An employee’s use of simple technology like Wi-Fi gives them complete control over the network and massive data that enables them to access vital information in seconds, leaving room for many other tasks to be accomplished.
2. Enables Solid Workplace Collaboration
Efficient workplace collaboration, which improves team performance, problem-solving ability, communication, and innovation skill of workers, is essential in creating a productive workflow.
Technology allows for efficient workplace collaboration by creating a seamless avenue for workers to come together and complete a project, develop ideas, and solve problems.
Technologies such as Zoom, WebEx, Skype, Slack, and its likes enables employees to schedule meetings, share screen, transfer vital files, send business messages, and boost productivity.
With technologies in the workplace enabling collaboration amongst employees, business operations become optimized, and the potential for success propels.
3. Streamlines Daily Small Tasks
The introduction of technology in the workplace sees that simple 2 to 5 minutes tasks are eliminated, and hours of working time are put to productive use.
Sometimes, an employee’s 5-minutes walk to another office could be what they need to complete another task.
To put it, some little tasks in the workplace require some seconds or minutes. These tasks, when looked at, could seem not capable of consuming time.
One way to streamline these seemingly insignificant tasks is by utilizing managed IT support. This can help alleviate the burden of time-consuming tasks and allow employees to focus on more important aspects of their jobs.
But say these 2-minute simple tasks are added and piled up, they become hours of working time.
For instance, many IT businesses use an IT Asset management software to track assets that are vital to the day-to-day operations of their business.
With a seamless platform managing minor administrative tasks, employees will have more time and focus on delivering top-notch service to their clients.
Another example is integrating an intuitive work management software for an auto mechanic workshop. Aside from streamlining the work, it also lowers overhead costs and boosts productivity in the long run.
4. Technology Enables Productivity By Enabling Seamless Project Management
A large work environment makes it difficult to monitor all the employees involved in different projects.
And as this is the case, it becomes necessary for firms to invest in project management technologies.
Training and development are important to any team and help avoid problems associated with project management like miscommunication, unrealistic goal setting, and deadlines.
Improper management of a project negates productivity. With the availability of the right technology, projects become accomplished through efficient collaboration and communication, better scheduling of tasks, and better budgeting.
Project Management technology in the workplace tears apart the communication barrier between employees and allows for the transfer of updates, thereby creating alignment.
The right software also allows for better scheduling of workers to tasks and efficient budget plans.
5. Enables An Environment For Remote Working
The covid-19 pandemic left a lot of lessons to be learned by businesses. With the shutdown of operations all over the world, the majority of office workers switched to remote working.
This unprecedented turn of events in the business world leaves room for questions on whether remote work facilitates productivity. It has been proven that remote workers are more productive than their office counterparts.
As remote working equates to the likelihood of higher productivity, the right technology in the workplace can allow workers to be more productive even when working from home.
6. Improves Employees Workplace Engagement
The continuous emphasis on employee engagement by employers is not without reason.
At first, worker engagement and workplace productivity can be said to be two independent terminologies, but the latter depends on the former.
Worker engagement is essential for productivity, and technology is a known tool for bolstering worker engagement.
The availability of technology that simplifies daily tasks quickens the completion of tasks and permits easy access to information or files can level up the engagement rate of employees in the workplace.
This is a result of the convenience and comfort that accompanies the use of technology.
Therefore, the use of technology in the workplace triggers employee engagement, which directly impacts work output.
7. Assist In The Process of Hiring and Recruitment
The drivers of productivity in any work environment are the workers. No business can stand the test of time without productive employees in it.
This makes it harder for employers burdened with finding the right candidate for a role.
Technology makes this easy. For example, Background Check technology verifies a candidate’s credential, and Virtual tech assist the interview process.
Technology creates an avenue for job seekers to connect with firms in need of their services, and it allows employers to scan job boards and professional network sites in search of the right candidates.
With technology like ATS Integration that tracks and screens applicants in the hiring process, it can be implied that the employer’s task of finding productive workers becomes less challenging.
Great HR strategies plus appropriate workplace technology would make your entire hiring process seamless and lasting.
8. Help in Coordination
The different units in a workplace are tasked with unique roles based on their expertise. Communication keeps them together as the employees in the different units perform their jobs to achieve a goal.
The act of coordination, which involves organizing people to facilitate work, produces productivity. But for coordination to exist, there has to be communication. It is the technology that provides this means of communication.
As workers adopt the easier way of communicating with other workers in another unit, time gets saved for other tasks to be done, thereby encouraging productivity.
9. Keeps Lines of Communication Open
As it is said, “Good communication is the bridge between clarity and confusion.” A business, whether small or big, is capable of moving up its chart through the effective communication of facts and ideas.
Statistics conducted by the expert market have revealed how open and effective communication can increase business productivity by 25%. So, effective communication in the workplace improves understanding of business operations and reduces the intensity of conflicts and misunderstandings.
As communication enables productivity, technology, on the other hand, keeps the line of communication open for productivity to take place.
10. Connects Dispersed Workforce
As businesses continue to buy into the idea of remote work, employees are left to find means to overcome their biggest problem, loneliness.
The feeling of loneliness is known to have an effect on the performance of workers and their productivity. Hence, it becomes important to eliminate loneliness.
Technology provides a means for a dispersed workforce to connect and engage with one another.
In engaging with one another, ideas can be shared, and vital work information can be passed across, thereby increasing employee productivity.
11. Enables More Strategic Planning and Time Management
Strategic planning means a lot of different things to different companies. To some, it means analyzing strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities and finding ways to make the best of them. For some other firms, the process becomes complicated.
Whatever it is, the fact remains that the process of strategic planning is a fragile process. Any overlooked fact or overstated fact in the process of strategic planning can shake a business’s productivity level.
But in this world where technology is changing the story of everything, strategic business planning becomes easier and time-saving.
With the right technology to monitor key metrics and business indicators, businesses can gain better insight into their performances, thereby allowing them to make strategic plans that increase productivity.
12. Facilitates Continuous Learning
Digital learning as the new normal has broken the limits of learning. Technology has made learning easy, whether you are an artist, a copywriter, or working in the professional sector.
This advantage that comes with technology benefits employees in the never-ending work cycle with no opportunity to further their education.
With digital learning technology in the workplace, employees can stay competitive in their field of work. For example, librarians can also get digital skills from the comfort of their libraries.
As networking sites, social media platforms, and virtual resources provide access to insightful information, employees become updated on the latest trends and systems peculiar to their line of work, thereby enhancing productivity.
13. Simplifies Tracking and Monitoring Process
Keeping track of employees’ activities and performance is a daunting necessity and a productive activity for businesses.
But with the appropriate technology, businesses can better monitor and keep track of the movement of products, employees, and equipment.
Although there are downsides to employee monitoring, such as a lack of trust between managers and workers.
However, tracking and monitoring technologies do best in boosting the productivity of workers and maintaining accountability.
With the knowledge of monitoring technology, employees become conscious of their environment. This consciousness triggers them to perform better in their work endeavours.
14. Improve Customer Service
The customer service unit is the backbone of any organization, hence its massive attention.
The ability to meet consumers’ needs quickly and efficiently is one of the key drivers of productivity. In a way, technology makes it possible to meet these needs.
The presence of technology in a work environment allows customer service rep to automate their responses to customers.
It provides a unified and seamless customer experience, accesses consumers’ buying habits, and enable the increase in the speed of customer interaction with customer services reps.
The process in which technology streamlines operations in the customer service unit by reducing staff processes and costs is productive in nature.
15. Improve Level of Efficiency
Technology takes productivity to a whole new level by its increased efficiency in the workplace.
Computers, work machines, and productivity software carry out high-level tasks with zero mistakes.
With technology assisting in performing tasks, the number of goals workers achieve increases over time, with the production cost decreasing as well.
Thus, employees are thus left with the job of working smarter rather than harder.
16. Bolster Innovation and Creativity
As creativity is the driver of productivity in the workplace, it is the technology that begets creativity.
You need to be able to establish (and track) productivity metrics, upgrade office computers cost-effectively and strive to create a collaborative work environment.
Employees are most likely to put in more effort and be productive in an environment that makes it easier for them to do so.
Simply put, repetitive daily tasks and a lack of avenues to share and develop ideas can take a toll on workers and stifle their potential.
But with the introduction of technology that simplifies tasks and provides a communication platform to share ideas, employees are left with ample time to be innovative and creative.
Therefore, in summary, technology enhances workplace creativity and innovation, which triggers workers’ productivity.
Examples of workplace software
1. Employee engagement software
It is vital to recognize and appreciate employees & staff that go above and beyond by using employee engagement software.
The software doesn’t limit recognition only from the management; co-workers can also use it to thank their colleagues for facilitating their jobs or assisting them with a project.
The use of employee engagement software gives you the qualities of a good team player and also creates a culture of teamwork.
Such software encourages employees to function at their best. You can use it to reward employees through gift cards or other incentives.
Some well-known and popular employee engagement platforms are 15Five, Kudos, ClearCompany, Spinify, MangoApps, etc.
2. Communication Software
Effective communication is important to make your team 20 times more productive.
Even then, some organizations sit on the fence about investing their efforts and time into software that enhances team communication.
Businesses have suffered huge losses due to miscommunication between team members. Fortunately, you can access advanced technology and solutions for teams of all sizes.
Video conferencing apps, team messengers, and similar apps are available to improve internal communication and productivity dramatically. Tribe, Tetra, Zoom, Chanty, and Slack are a few communication platforms businesses can consider using.
3. Project or task management software
Have you ever experienced project delays while searching for a crucial document? Had your PC or laptop crashed with all the necessary files? Did you urgently need some assets sent but had a team member stuck in traffic?
Unfortunately, these problems are all too common and can result in project setbacks and delays.
Using enterprise monitor, having all your assets, projects, and milestones easily accessible and in sync can significantly increase team performance. In addition, it can be the competitive advantage you need to stand apart from your competitors.
So, it shouldn’t be surprising that more than half of enterprises run their workloads in the cloud today. It doesn’t matter what industry your business belongs to or the size of your company.
Hoping to improve productivity and collaboration between team members that make businesses successful? Utilize project management tools, such as Asana, Wrike, and Basecamp.
4. Time Tracking
You can’t improve team productivity if you cannot measure it. Making use of time tracking tools like Toggle and TimeBoy will help you to understand the following –
- The most productive hours of your employees
- The time wasted during work hours and the causes of distractions
Then, you can make the most use of your time and find ways to motivate your team.
5. Snipping Software
In workplaces, screenshots have several uses. Its uses have increased manifold since the outbreak of the coronavirus. As people work from home, screenshots make it easy to provide work instructions and make remote work fuss-free.
You can use screenshots to notify your team regarding website issues or explain what a team member should do on a specific project.
There are myriad ways to take a screenshot, like a screen capture software. While PC users can stick to the pre-installed snipping tool, Mac users can use Command + Shift + 4 keyboard tricks to take a screenshot.
However, sometimes, this isn’t enough, and you need snipping tools. These tools help users boost the work started by a Mac keyboard shortcut or Windows PC app.
Besides screenshotting functionality, these tools come equipped with editing tools that allow users to modify screenshots and take them to the next level.
If you are using a Mac, setapp can be a snipping tool. If you’re a Windows user, you can click Start > type Snipping Tool > press Enter. Alternatively, you can use third-party snipping tools like Greenshot, Snagit, and FastStone Capture.
The benefits of using snipping tools are:
- You can add notes to make sure your screenshot’s message is as clear as possible. Collaboration and communication between colleagues improve using markup features like texts, arrows, lines, and more.
- You can create GIFs, so the screenshot becomes a clear set of instructions.
- Capture an entire window and share it with colleagues.
- You can also record videos or edit images to make the screenshot as easily understandable as possible.
Conclusion
The presence of technology in the workplace is a two-edged sword. It can increase a business’s productivity level depending on how well you use it. Nevertheless, there is no denying that the pros overshadow its cons.
From the above-listed ways technology contributes to productivity; it is clear how deeply connected technology is to the modern workplace. Hence, technology and productivity are related.
So, have you integrated technology into your workplace? If not, join the bandwagon and seamlessly improve your team’s productivity. You can drop your thoughts in the comment section!
