Issues With Collaboration Tools Cause Frustration

With a significant share of professionals spending a quarter of their work week collaborating, the majority run into frequent, tech-related difficulties in attempting to connect and communicate with co-workers, according to a recent survey from Softchoice. The resulting report, "Collaboration Unleashed: Empowering Individuals to Work Together from Anywhere," indicates that most employees need to collaborate with people in different locations, and they expect their employer to provide the tech tools required to make that happen. These employees want to take advantage of apps that promise the latest in instant messaging, videoconferencing, teleconferencing and other collaborative capabilities. But the tech-related problems, which include quality and connectivity issues, continue to get in the way. "Bringing together individuals with varying disciplines, perspectives and experience generates fresh thinking and innovative results," according to the report. "It benefits the business when employees learn from one another by bringing their collective knowledge to bear on a single goal. Collaboration technology, when applied right, enhances the productivity of the group, and creates better connectivity among collaborators regardless of geography. … Before deciding on a technology solution, organizations must first understand how employees work and interact—and how technology can remove barriers to collaboration and support them in achieving their business goals." The report also includes findings about automation trends, and we've included some of those here. An estimated 1,000 North American office workers who use computers and/or mobile devices for most of their workday took part in the research.