Quarter of people think different attitudes to tech can drive workplace tensions

According to a new poll from Capterra, just over a quarter of UK employees feel that a variety of preferences for technology can cause tensions in the workplace, especially between different generations. The survey also suggests there is a need for more collaboration and open communication when choosing workplace software.

Capterra conducted the  survey of 2,760 participants from seven countries, from which the findings of 405 UK employees were analysed. The survey found that despite 26 percent of UK workers feeling that technology creates friction and generational divides, there is a shared preference for user-friendly (68 percent) and remote-work-friendly (48 percent) tools, as well as faster, more powerful devices (59 percent).

Among the participants who believe a divide exists, they point to different levels of familiarity with technology (80 percent) and resistance to change (66 percent) as the main causes. Acknowledging these challenges and providing the necessary training and support will help to make software adoption more inclusive.

In addition, while 87 percent of all the UK employees said they are satisfied with the technology they use at work, 27 percent feel overwhelmed by the number of tools required in their jobs. Of this group, 42 percent were identified as Boomers, while only 26 percent were Gen Z, indicating a clear generational gap.

According to the report, technology overload could not only lead workers to feel overwhelmed but can also create inefficiencies in resource allocation. According to the survey, 60 percent of UK employees said their company provides them with over 5 different technologies at work but 20 percent said they only used half of them or less.

To mitigate these risks, businesses should involve all employees in the tech adoption process from the start. Currently, only 49 percent said their technology preferences are considered when their companies adopt new technology, which could leave the other 51 percent feeling frustrated and disengaged.

Despite more than a quarter of respondents feeling overwhelmed by the amount of technology their companies require them to be familiar with, it doesn’t deter them from supporting new deployments.

The vast majority (92 percent) of all UK respondents emphasised the importance of continuous adoption of emerging technology for productivity. To be specific, 49 percent said that automation and fast bandwidth technology such as 5G improved their work quality or productivity the most—even more so than AI (33 percent) despite its recent breakthroughs.