The technology people use today doesn’t stop when they are in their workplace, as a matter of fact, they might be more loyal to it than what a company might be providing. According to a new report from NexPlane, 38% of employees don’t want management dictating the tech they use for work.
The report, titled, “The Fight to Collaborate: A Growing Rift Between IT and Teams. How Loyalty to Tech is Creating Walls Between IT and Employees and Threatening Workplace Productivity” is a very insightful report about the environment in which companies operate in today.
Addressing this particular issue is especially important for today’s businesses, no matter their size, because the way we all work has been upended with digital technology.
NextPlane says brand loyalty to tech is seeping into the workplace. And as the ability to communicate and collaborate becomes the lifeblood of today’s workforce, getting on the same page when it comes to the technology everyone uses is critically important.
In the press release, Farzin Shahidi, CEO of NextPlane, addressed the need to be on the same page or find a common ground when it comes to the technology teams are using. Shahidi said, “IT and business professionals are struggling to find common ground when it comes to the technology used at work.”
He adds, “Legions of teams and workers are introducing their preferred tools, such as team collaboration tools like Slack and Workplace, despite corporate IT policy. This increasing lack of compliance threatens not only the productivity of employees that may be working across different platforms but the control that IT requires to manage all of a company’s technology securely and efficiently.”
The data for the report comes from a NextPlane survey which was carried out in August 2018. The online survey took part with the participation of 750 business professionals across industries and positions.
The breakdown of the respondents is as follows: 34% operations/accounting/finance/HR, 27% sales and marketing, and 17% product management and development. The top three industries represented were healthcare and pharmaceuticals at 15%, retail/consumer durables at 13%, and education 10%.
The Battle Over Choosing Business Technology
Almost half or 46% of professionals said they or their team have introduced new technology into the workplace. And more than half or 53% have pushed back on IT or management when they tried to dictate the technology they use.
If half of your workforce feels that strongly about the technology they use, it is time to reassess the IT solutions you have in place. Because if you don’t, issues of compatibility and security will eventually disrupt operations, productivity and your bottom line.
How Much Control Does IT Have?
Overall, IT has the majority of the control when it comes to the technology employees must use. But with more people working remotely, the control may not be as all-encompassing as IT would like it to be.
Fifty-four percent of the respondent said IT had the final say on all the programs and tech devices they use. While only 10% said they have a full say in the technology they use, 46% also stated IT made an exception for their team to use the tech of their choice.
This type of flexibility is key for businesses looking to keep their workforce happy and productive. At the end of the day, if everyone is on the same page with the tech everyone uses, the issues for making it work can be addressed up front.
Continued Tension
NextPlane says the tension created with the tug-of-war between employees and IT has resulted in mixed success for both sides. It also goes on to say, the tension shows no sign of stopping.
So, what are the options as the workplace/force continues to evolve? According to Shahidi, there is not a one-size-fits-all option.
He goes on to say, “…Federation is one possible solution that can allow companies to deploy a comprehensive and open collaboration strategy that allows multiple collaboration tools to be used within the same organization.”
With more than 100 vendors providing collaboration solutions, the report concludes by saying, federation is the way to go. “This creates an opportunity for teams and individuals to be able to collaborate however they want, and for IT to maintain security and control on IT systems – a virtual win-win.”
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