In a world increasingly shaped by technology, the workplace is undergoing profound transformations, impacting the happiness of employees. According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2023 Report nearly 90% of UK employees are disengaged from their jobs.
Keeping your employees happy is a good move not just for company culture but for the bottom line. A study by MIT and Harvard revealed happy employees are 31% more productive, 55% more creative, and get sick less often. The same things that bring people happiness in their lives apply to work. This is a sense of belongingness, social connections and purpose.
One of the most overlooked factors impacting happiness in modern company culture is technology. Technology and remote working are creating barriers to this sense of connection. There are five key negative impacts of technology on employee happiness, and there are ways to navigate each.
1. Digital Overload
The average office worker uses 11 applications and experiences technology fatigue diminishing cognitive performance. The stress of perpetual low-value communications from emails and instant messaging platforms hampers productivity and performance. Constantly feeling compelled to respond promptly across all our applications at any given hour diverts our focus from engaging in profound and creative work. The workforce is becoming overwhelmed rather than engaged.
How can we overcome this?
Create clear communication guidelines. Setting boundaries reduces the stress of feeling as if every communication requires an instant response. Include expectations for response times for team and customer communications. Outline which apps or channels should be used for what type of communications. For example, urgent communications should be a phone call, and non-urgent matters will be dealt with and responded to within 24 hours.
2. Depersonalisation
Indeed Inc. found that job dissatisfaction was highest amongst remote workers with increased feelings of loneliness and disconnection. Digital communications are one-dimensional and can be easily misread, creating distance and anxiety. Most KPIs in place ignore the human factor of performance completely. AI is also frequently used to calculate the profitability or productivity of a person’s work in automated reports.
How can we overcome this?
Great leaders build a sense of community and shared purpose. With a human-centric approach, teams need recognition as individuals rather than the machines they operate. Prioritise face-to-face feedback and communications even if that’s via a Zoom meeting. Consider their performance as an individual with attitudes and influence rather than only the numbers. Create the time for management training and rapport building for your team to develop the interpersonal skills needed to get the best from others.
3. Job Insecurity
The advancement of AI brings with it fears of job redundancy, and rightly so. Many core skills have been replaced by tech already. Workers will understandably be anxious that their jobs are at risk of replacement. The divide will grow between employees who need the skills to understand and harness technology and those that capitalise on it. Erik Brynjolfsson, of Stanford Institute for Human-Centred AI, said ‘workers who don’t use AI will be replaced by those who do’.
How can we overcome this?
Emphasise job security and the elements that make your products or services truly great. Any company can copy your methods, but they cannot copy your people. Invest continuously in upskilling your team so nobody is left behind and a skills gap isn’t created. Not just practical skills need developing but the creative skills to use tech to solve existing problems and to help the business and the world evolve.
4. Conflicts Over Resistance To Change
Resistance to change among employees creates a divide within workplaces. On one side, there are forward-thinking team members eager to embrace and implement new technologies, seeing them as opportunities for growth and efficiency. On the other side are those who cling to traditional methods. This divide not only hinders collaboration but also jeopardises the overall well-being of the organisation. Companies that fail to bridge this gap or refuse to evolve will soon be replaced and overtaken by those who do.
How can we overcome this?
Resistance to change is a result of limiting beliefs that need to be conquered if a business is to remain competitive. Coaching and training for leaders cultivates a culture of constant, iterative improvement to be able to effectively instigate and manage change. Involve the team, allowing them to voice their concerns. They need to understand the benefits of the new technologies and actively contribute to the transition. This leads to a sense of ownership and empowerment, resulting in a culture of innovation.
5. Compromised Work-Life Balance
30% of men and 21% of women report spending more than two extra hours working per day. However, only 11% of managers are worried about burnout. In the digital age, we’re always reachable, working longer hours to make up for distracted time and lack of commute, leading to burnout. We all know someone who has a story about being contacted by a boss whilst on holiday or at the weekend!
How can we overcome this?
Have clear start, break, and finish times. Provide work laptops and phones to separate the personal and professional. Write explicit expectations on out-of-hours work, and provide opportunities for employees to be open about their workloads and stress levels. Lead by example in protecting your own free time, for others to follow suit. Celebrate people’s achievements and milestones, not just the revenue they brought in last month.
The unspoken killer of employee happiness – technology – can be effectively addressed through a holistic and human-centric approach. I work with leaders and teams, creating happier workplaces. Together, we identify and remove stressors, improve communication and establish clear boundaries. The beliefs we hold about technology and the way that we use it are not fixed. We can shape them to get the most out of ourselves, our people, and our lives.
“One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man.” – Elbert Hubbard (Author)
