Technology really is the lifeblood of day-to-day work for the majority of people now. Whether it’s HR staff utilising tools like iTrent payroll or it’s teachers teaching their classes online using Google Classroom, technology has long been a big part of our working lives but thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic it’s now essential.
Technology is amazing for myriad reasons; it can bring people together, speed up processes with automation, give us access to unlimited information and more. However, just by the nature of design and the complexity of these systems, sometimes technology can go against us.
In this article, we explore the technological issues that may be hindering your employee’s productivity and offer some advice on how to solve them.
Software Going Out of Date
It seems like every day you come across a computer update that’s needed, the new edition of an app that needs installing or older software being phased out for new. Although it feels much easier at the time to click the fated “remind me later button” or ignore email reminders, at some point this procrastination will catch up with you and your team. Updates, reboots and reinstalls are all necessary and oftentimes can lead to an improvement in the technology you are using.
What’s more, ignore these update requests for long enough and you may find your software going out of date. Outdated software can really throw a spanner in the works and cause errors for your team. Where your technology used to work smoothly, you may now find glitches, system crashes and faults in the usual process. Be sure to always keep on top of software and system updates where you can and where these fall more down to the user, ensure that you encourage your team to stay on top of them as well. This could mean sending out reminders when updates are needed, letting staff turn their computers off early to give them time to update before the end of the day or offering staff the option for IT to log into their system to check for updates periodically.
READ MORE: Ways that technology can create a better workplace experience
Faulty Servers
Working remotely has meant that having access to company servers can be even more important in getting a job done quickly and efficiently. This is why having faulty servers that often go down or aren’t up to the task can be a massive hindrance to even the simplest of practices. For a team that relies on accessing the server, having to do so remotely is hard enough and when that server isn’t powerful enough for the job at hand it can cause ample delays and irritations during the day.
You should consider the servers you use in your business the foundations of your technological systems. Making sure servers are strong enough to take on anything they need to means that you are not constantly having to deal with server issues or continuously finding yourself having to upgrade your server for slightly more power.
Lack of Training
One thing that can cause a real hindrance to your team’s productivity is lack of training. As with all new processes, when bringing new technology (whether it’s machines, systems or software) into the company you should be sure to co-ordinate thorough training. It can be tempting to overlook this, especially if you have a team who is incredibly technology competent already, however, by ensuring that everyone has an extensive knowledge you can make sure best working practices and protocols are taking place.
This training should not just take place on the introduction to the technology though, and it should be regularly added to whenever necessary. For example, if the software has an update, make sure to go through any changes that could affect your team with them. It can be tempting to assume everyone in the 21st century is highly tec-savvy, however, by assuming just the opposite you can ensure thorough training is provided and staff have the knowledge behind them you expect.
READ MORE: How to help employees who struggle with technology
Technology issues that may be hindering your team
• Software Going Out of Date
• Faulty Servers
• Lack of Training
The problems that arise with these issues may only seem small, but when they occur time-after-time the overall effect may be a team that isn’t able to work to their full potential due to the limitations that the technology they are using has added.
Getting your head around technology in business can be a challenge, and, for HR and payroll technology, Phase 3 is able to give your business bespoke advice and recommendations to find the system that fits your business best.
For more tips and advice, make sure to visit our blog.
This blog has been written by Mike Westwood, Lead Consultant at Phase 3.
