Back1 in 5 workers consider themselves digital tech experts post covid-19: Gartner
An increased reliance on digital collaboration tools and the lack of in-person IT support while working remotely have altered many workers’ relationship with technology
PremiumBENGALURU : About one in five workers consider themselves to be digital technology experts since the covid-19 outbreak, while over a half consider themselves proficient, according to a new survey by research firm Gartner, Inc.
An increased reliance on digital collaboration tools and the lack of in-person IT support while working remotely altered many workers’ relationship with technology.
“Workers seized on the crisis to improve their mastery of a wide range of technologies and applications in the space of a few months," said Whit Andrews, distinguished research vice president at Gartner. “Today’s workplace is vastly different from 2019, and CIOs must prepare their technology stacks, office spaces, IT teams and mindsets to embrace the new future of the digital workplace."
The Gartner survey found that digital workers increased their reliance on portable devices during 2020. Workers reported an 11% increase in the proportion of their work time spent on laptops, smartphones or tablets. The proportion of their time spent on desktops declined by 8%.
The survey also showed a rise in the number of workers using personal technology for work purposes. Over half of respondents reported that they use applications or web services that they personally obtained—most of which are employer-sanctioned—for collaborating with other workers. The same proportion (55%) are using personally owned devices for their work at least some of the time.
“When organizations were forced to go remote in early 2020, workers started to rely on their own devices or programs they discovered themselves to make up for their employers’ technology shortcomings," said Andrews. “In 2021, organizations can embrace this trend by expanding the choice of devices and software that workers can use with little or no friction."
According to the Gartner survey, among employees whose work-from-home time increased since January 2020, 36% reported an increase in productivity, while 35% reported no change. Flexibility in working hours was the most cited factor enabling greater productivity, selected by 43% of respondents.
A quarter of workers surveyed did report that their productivity fell. Connectivity issues and technology changes were among the top reasons cited for decreased productivity.
“Digital proficiency becomes even more essential for productivity when working remotely," said Andrews. “CIOs should extend worker-to-worker lateral mentoring and training to ensure that no employee is left behind as technology mastery becomes the expectation."
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