A survey compiled by US tech giants Slack has revealed that less than a quarter of UK companies are investing in tech to increase their productivity.
The State of Work report was based on global responses received from over 18,000 desk-based workers. 2,000 of this number were polled in the UK, where only 21 percent of companies were found to be investing in technology.
The report’s authors described the position of many companies as being one that is rooted in ‘old ways of working’ and ‘antiquated approaches’ to increasing productivity.
Responding to the report, a spokesperson for The Workers Union said: ‘We should not be surprised that there is a technology gap at work. The current climate makes spending on big investment projects less likely – particularly where there’s a deep conviction that business as usual is enough to keep going. But the companies that invest in new systems, new approaches and new thinking are the companies that are likely to flourish as more and more technology comes on stream. They are also the companies that will find themselves best-placed to attract workers.’
In a response that should send a tremor through HR departments and boardrooms alike, UK employees said that they spend 30 percent of their time on tasks that make little contribution to company goals but are done so that they ‘appear productive.’
At the same time, the report highlighted the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to speed up routine tasks and increase efficiency – particularly where tasks require a high degree of repetition. When compared with non-adopters, UK workers who regularly used AI were 51 percent more likely to say it increased their productivity levels.
The Workers Union Says…
This organisation has longed argued that politicians and companies need to be more ambitious in creating tech roadmaps for the country. A major investment in skills and technology at work is the way to encourage innovation and keep the UK at the forefront of international competition.
The working people of this country deserve as much. They have the skills and talent to incorporate cutting-edge solutions into the way they work and realise its benefits in exciting, disruptive ways. All it needs is for execs to show the ambition and leadership required to steer out of the slow lane and hit the tech superhighway.
