Why do 56% of employees find workplace technology stressful?

Society adapts well to technology that assists our everyday lives, especially in the workplace. Yet a recent statistic reveals that more than half of employees find it a source of workload stress. When seeking solutions to boost productivity at work, are managers giving sufficient consideration to user-friendliness for their teams?

Large HR software platforms are designed to "do it all"; payroll, leave management, employee record-keeping, and applicant tracking are excellent examples. With extensive features often comes a clunky user experience that requires extensive onboarding and training, making it resource-intensive. Simple tasks, such as requesting time off, can be time-consuming and stressful when a complex process is involved, communication is not transparent to all parties, or confusing jargon is used throughout the interface. These simple things are easily overlooked when a platform tries to offer too much.

Dealing with complex systems often leads people to avoid or abandon the technology, making it even more expensive to maintain and reverse the productivity benefits it was intended to provide. The frustration of dealing with overly complicated systems can lead to stress, higher absenteeism, decreased morale, and, in severe cases, high turnover rates, particularly when people feel their roles may become obsolete.

So, what can businesses do to ensure that technology decreases workplace stress?

• Pick your software with everyone in mind. User experience is as important as the key features offered by a software system. Is the interface neat and intuitive? Will any staff member feel comfortable using it, regardless of their level of experience or comfort with technology?
  
• Will staff require training to use it, and if so, how much? Is the software intuitive enough that staff will learn the system easily? Determine if extensive training by a team member will be necessary to onboard your team. Alternatively, suppose staff can use the knowledge base provided by the platform to answer any questions. In that case, it may be a simple roll-out. 
  
• Does it integrate with other tools in your business? Many excellent software products are designed to integrate with the other tools in your business, allowing you to create your own software stack.
  
• What do current customers say? Software review sites like Capterra and G2 can provide valuable insights into real user experiences from both new and legacy customers across various types of businesses with diverse needs.

Bringing new technology into your business has the power to yield significant returns and help people feel more productive in their work. However, it can also decrease morale if the systems are too complex or threaten people's roles. The technology we introduce should make people feel more valued for their contributions at work and enhance their work-life balance.

While we readily adopt technology to simplify our everyday lives, workplaces tend to experience mixed results in terms of uptake and user satisfaction. Often, larger multi-solution tools, particularly in areas like HR, are overwhelming even from the training stage, and the complexity discourages employees from using them to their full potential.

Prioritising user-centric software that integrates with other solutions is a great and effective way to minimise workload stress. If you want to try a new system, consider asking employees from various departments to form a panel and provide feedback. This will provide a clearer picture of what onboarding will look like across the entire business, ensuring that different needs are accounted for. Always consider the time and resources required to train your team; great systems are built with every user in mind, not just the administrator or purchaser. Finally, get real-world review sites like Capterra and G2 to see how existing users find the experience. This holistic approach will help ensure that the technology you bring into your business makes everyone's jobs less stressful.