Inadequate Tech and IT Support Hurt Productivity

Even though a majority of employees are happy at work, many are approaching the burnout stage, according to a recent survey from Staples Advantage, the business-to-business division of Staples. The resulting "2015 Workplace Index: A Comprehensive Study of Workplace Trends" reveals that the IT department factors greatly into the equation here, as most professionals said that poorly performing technology, along with insufficient IT support, hurts productivity. And employees are much more likely to consider themselves "happy" if they have access to mobile phones, custom apps and other in-demand tech tools. "Technology plays a key role in improving the competitiveness and productivity of modern business," according to the report. "Much has been written about the operational and commercial benefits of investing in IT and technology, but the impact that poor/inadequate technology can have on staff morale is often overlooked. … Not only does inadequate technology place companies at a competitive disadvantage, it also demotivates staff and contributes to inefficient working and higher staff churn." In addition to technology, findings cover a wide range of workplace productivity and happiness influencers—including office politics and a glut of meetings—and breaks down opposing perspectives of employees and managers, as well as the views of Gen Y, Gen X and Baby Boomers. We've included a sampling of those results as well. More than 2,600 staff-level employees, managers and business decision-makers in the United States and Canada took part in the research, which was conducted by Redshift Research.