It's no secret that we're in a digital era. And with this era taking such a large role in the modern office, employees are expected to play nicely with the technology that comes along with it.

Ultimately, employees are excited about the progression and evolution of the workplace with a PwC study showing that 71% are open to the development of technology in their offices and 34% looking forward to exploring and experimenting with technology.

But the decision on which technology to implement is huge, and one that often boils down to whatever the “newest” and “coolest” tech is.

Investment in technology is designed to make your employees’ lives easier and streamline administrative tasks. It should allow them to free up time to work on jobs that directly impact revenue. But employees say loading them up with needless technology and extended training periods for little to no payoff can be grating. While 90% of c-suite executives claim their company chooses their technology investments based on their employees’ needs, only 53% of their employees agree.

In the corporate desire to keep up with the Joneses, employers are unknowingly burdening their workers when they think they’re doing the opposite. If employees are struggling to juggle their workloads and suddenly they’re forced to learn a whole host of new tech, employee satisfaction and work quality can suffer. Paying attention to not only your employees’ needs, but also their daily responsibilities, is intrinsic in integrating technology seamlessly.

Before major tech investments are made, employers should be discovering what their employees actually want and need in order to do their jobs better or more efficiently. In fact, 73% of workers have said they know of systems that would help them produce higher-quality work. With technology ever-changing and its impact on workers ever-expanding, now is as good of a time as ever for employers to be sure the technology they're giving their employees actually improves their work product.

One Hire Thought

As companies look to expand their technological footprint, employers can’t underestimate the importance of employee feedback and insight.

Without understanding what’s needed from a boots-on-the-ground perspective, investing in technology can result in wasted money and no-to-low improvement in work quality. Those businesses that take the time to do their research and make educated choices for their technology will reap the rewards of a stronger, happier and ultimately faster workforce.