Top Tech Tools for Businesses: How to Use Technology To Empower Your Employees
The omnipresence of technology in today’s working world certainly changes the way in which employees imagine their creative responsibilities at the office. More empowered than ever before, workers are able to have immediate access to programs that work well for their respective jobs, and implementing these enhanced technologies can lead to increases in job happiness and satisfaction. At the same time, managers have to be aware of the inefficiencies produced when multiple platforms are used simultaneously by their team members, and to anticipate what technology recommendations might make the biggest impact for their team considering budget and education opportunities.
Technology in the Workplace: The DIY Movement Enters a New Age
Only one decade ago, all computer technology at the office needed to be controlled, operated, and maintained by highly-trained information technology specialists. Technology literacy was simply not a widespread phenomenon at that time. The change that has taken place in the last ten years has been exponential: the information and applications that are available for the general public make it easy for even unspecialized workers to successfully integrate complicated technology into their office work. No longer needing constant supervision or assistance of IT specialists, workers feel empowered to solve problems and anticipate glitches on their own, and surely this is a huge achievement for modern workplaces today.
At the same time, the do-it-yourself spirit within the office can lead to some issues of prioritizing and efficiency. Of course, having employees understand the technological needs of their customers is fantastic for company morale as well as for promotion of employee independence. Employees are more motivated to succeed when their technological creativity is put to use in the office. Yet if all employees use their own programs which do not allow for cross-platform collaboration, or if they spend company time learning and implementing new computer techniques, their technological ingenuity may be creating more issues in the long run. Companies, therefore, should find opportunities for workers to stimulate their technological creativity within applications and platforms that work well throughout departments and across projects.
Important Technological Resources for Your Company
The first more empowering steps of introducing new technology at the office is to promote technology that will enhance interaction between team members. For example, consider using business dashboards that help business professionals stay on the same page. These dashboards aim to give a comprehensive snapshot of a company’s current operations, using statistics, input and output measures, and efficiency ratings all on the same page. What sets these dashboards apart from other options is that they organize quantitative and qualitative data into easily digestible visual representations, such as charts, images, and graphs, which helps employees stay informed while making speedy decisions for their clients.
Another great next step for your company to take is to invest in uniform smartphones and tablets for employees to use. When all of an office’s employees are connected to one another using the same operating system and the same versions of computer applications, they will work far more efficiently – producing work of higher quality work as well as wasting less time converting files for their co-workers. Other enhanced technologies to incorporate within everyday office work include productivity platforms, which are designed to monitor client interaction and document the techniques that have proven most effective for generating profit.
Offering Technology Education to Stimulate Employee Growth
One tried-and-true maxim that continues to resonate today is that “a worker is only as good as his tools.” However, having the right tools for the job is only half of the battle: be sure that when equipping your employees with enhanced technologies, providing training opportunities that teach users how to effectively implement these new products into their work routine is critical. Otherwise, some of your employees may feel that they’ve been left behind, and may have to waste company time catching up to their coworkers in the future. Capturing the creative technological input of your employees is also critical – be sure to encourage employees to provide feedback and suggestions regarding workplace technology. As they are an incredible resource that can provide honest information about the usefulness of the products incorporated within your office, employees should be included in the process of selecting and implementing new technological innovations for your company.
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