Workplace Tech Talk: 6 ways technology increases productivity in the workplace

There’s no denying technology has made our lives a lot easier, especially when it comes to the workplace. Gone are the days of punch cards, badge scanners, and physical file storage. Workplaces are now full of high tech video conferencing equipment, collaboration tools, and sleek smart screens. These upgrades are much more important to the employee experience than you might think. According to our At Work workplace trends report, 36% of employees cite slow technology as a major deal breaker to returning to the office. That’s because no one likes having to wait for their apps to load, conduct a meeting with a lagging slide deck, or run around the office looking for an open seat. With the right technology in place, employees can be more productive. They don’t have to worry about mundane tasks that can be automated by a computer, and they’ll have more time to do the meaningful work that they enjoy.  In this post, we’ll look at six ways technology increases productivity in the workplace.

1. Automates workflows

Technology can automate the workflow of almost any function in a business, such as finance, marketing, operations, and workplace management. Technology can turn inefficient, tedious tasks into a seamless and automated process. This frees up time for your team and allows them to be more productive. For example, without technology, workplace managers have to worry about signing in visitors with a pen and paper and then keeping a record of that sign-in. A visitor management system can make front desks more streamlined and efficient. The system will digitize standard paperwork into one easy flow that makes checking in visitors that much quicker and easier. Workplace managers can have a much more productive day if they’re not worried about tedious front desk tasks.  

2. Enables communication

With many people working on a project, it can be difficult to keep track of all of the requests, strategies, timelines, and feedback without a centralized source of communication. If you’re spending more effort coordinating a project than executing it, that’s not a productive use of your time. That’s where technology comes in. Tools like email and Slack are excellent ways to help teams stay informed on a project and contribute ideas. Email is useful for keeping a paper trail and sharing documents, while Slack is great to get a quick answer from a teammate.Project management tools like Asana, Monday, or Trello are great for keeping a project on track with a timeline. The tools allow a project lead to assign tasks with due dates and provide all of the details of the project. When technology enables better communication between employees, they are much more likely to stay on top of their workload, be productive, and even finish tasks early.

3. Enables strategic planning and time management

Much of an employee’s time is spent organizing their calendar for the week. How much time should they spend on a strategy document? How much time should they spend in meetings to discuss a project status? Proper time management is an important way to ensure employees get the most out of their workday.Technology like Google Calendar integrates with many different productivity apps. Employees can plan out their meetings for the week. They can even schedule in blocks of focus time for heads-down, productive work. This technology allows them to share their schedule with their coworkers and ensure they have enough time to get everything done.  

4. Streamlines meetings

We’ve all been in a meeting that should’ve been an email. These meetings can feel like a waste of time and productivity if there’s no meeting room booked or no agenda to guide the conversation. Technology can be useful for streamlining the logistics of meetings. For example, a meeting room booking system can help your employees quickly scan and book available meeting rooms. They won’t waste time running around the office looking for a free room or awkwardly hovering outside a room waiting for it to clear out. Plus, your room booking system can reserve a room for recurring meetings. Another way technology has increased the efficiency of meetings is by helping people share documents easier. Video conferencing tools and screen mirroring allows employees to share their screens while participants discuss and take notes. When these tools are in place, it helps employees spend less time setting up the meeting, and more time contributing to the meeting. Better run meetings lead to more productive teams.

5. Offers more time for concentration

Since technology can reduce tasks for employees, they will have time to concentrate more and for longer periods of uninterrupted time. While there are some unavoidable tasks that might interrupt the workday, technology that has an all-in-one capability can help streamline those tasks. For example, when employees are planning their workweek, they need to schedule a day in the office, book a desk, book a meeting room, and invite an upcoming visitor. With a workplace platform that houses all of these functions, employees can hit all of these tasks in one go. That allows them to spend less time fussing between tools and more time getting themselves set up for a productive day at work.

6. Allows for continuous education

Part of a productive employee experience is continuous learning and growth. Technology is a great way to enable employees to be students for life. There are hundreds of online courses, certifications, and bootcamps that can help employees upskill. Plus, technology powers onsite learning from one another. Employees can shadow each other’s work projects, ask each other questions, or read historical documents to learn existing processes. This kind of continuous learning increases the productivity of employees by arming them with new skills. It also increases workplace efficiency by growing stronger cross-functional bonds.

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Workplace technology can help streamline complex workflows and processes. It takes the mundane tasks off the shoulders of workplace leaders and employees so they can spend more time on doing the work that matters. Plus, it allows employees to have more time to be productive during the workday.Technology like digital calendars, room booking software, or visitor management systems are just a few of the many solutions for increasing productivity and improving the workplace experience for everyone.