Mismatched technology may be driving down productivity

A new poll from Apogee Corporation claims that current workplace environments are failing to cater to different personality types, leading to significant collaboration challenges, reduced productivity and potentially driving away ‘talent’. The survey of 1,001 UK employees in mid-sized businesses suggests that 79 percent of workers struggle with meeting technology when collaborating with colleagues. This is particularly detrimental to extroverts, with 84 percent reporting a drop in productivity while working remotely.

The issue isn’t limited to remote work.  80 percent of workers face challenges using office equipment, and a significant portion (86 percent) of introverts see no improvement in productivity while in the office. The research claims to highlight the crucial role technology plays in enabling different personalities to thrive.  Nearly a third (30 percent) of introverts find remote tools empower them to communicate more confidently, with 43 percent reporting feeling freer to express ideas remotely compared to just 28 percent of extroverts.

However, current remote meeting technology seems to be hindering collaboration, not enhancing it. The main complaints include a poorer experience compared to in-person interactions (22 percent), a lack of engagement from others (21 percent), and poor audio quality (19 percent).

These struggles have a real-world impact. Over a quarter (27 percent) of employees simply can’t collaborate effectively, and this is affecting their career aspirations.  Nearly a quarter (23 percent) of extroverts say their inability to collaborate effectively has prompted them to search for new jobs, while 22 percent feel it’s hindering their career progression.

The findings suggest that remote meeting technology fails to meet extroverts’ need for interaction and engagement, highlighting a critical gap as 31 percent of them define success at work by collaboration.

The mismatch in tools also impacts daily tasks.  Both introverts (43 percent) and extroverts (38 percent) struggle to agree they have the right tools to meet their targets, with a quarter of all workers (25 percent) feeling similarly about collaboration tools.

The survey also explored employee attitudes towards AI. Twice as many extroverts (32 percent) expressed excitement about its potential compared to introverts (16 percent). This suggests organisations need to carefully consider how they deploy emerging technologies in the workplace, the report concludes.