Apogee Corporation is a managed workplace services (MWS) provider and surveyed over 200 chief information security officers (CIOs) and 200 employees across SMB organisations and the public sector about workplace technology, employee performance and collaboration.
The research found 21 per cent of employees say that a lack of team connection and collaboration opportunities when working from home is hindering their productivity. What’s more, 46 per cent of employees said access to the right technology is key to feeling connected across hybrid work environments.
Over half (56 per cent) of survey respondents said their technology is unreliable or completely non-existent when working from home. Almost one-in-three (28 per cent) employees also said they are unable to do their job properly as a direct consequence of poor digital collaboration with technology.
As a result, over three-quarters (79 per cent) of employees don’t feel optimistic about the future of work – with almost half (46 per cent) saying that a lack of access to the right technology is fuelling this negativity. Most CIOs share this outlook, with just 5 per cent claiming they are optimistic about the future of work.
Julian Broster, VP, strategic business development, Apogee, added, “Home distractions are something of a red herring when it comes to employee unproductivity, as workers really are lacking the technology and collaborative digital tools to support them as they navigate the new hybrid workplace.
“If employers fail to understand and prioritise this growing demand, they risk disengaged staff and poor business performance.
“Budget constraints should not be a barrier; there are cost-effective collaborative solutions that CIOs can now tap into to better enable staff to connect with each other and the wider organisation.”