Workplace technology lags behind personal technology on innovation.
This is according to a study released by Dell yesterday: Dell and Intel Future Workforce Study, which identifies the global technology trends shaping the modern workplace in Europe and SA.
The study, conducted by research firm Penn Schoen Berland, polled 3 801 full-time employees from small, medium and large businesses in 10 countries, including 300 in South Africa.
Almost half of employees in these regions believe their current employer is not effectively making use of the latest technology advances, says the report.
Of those polled in the UK, Germany, France and SA, many do not believe that they will be working in a smart office within the next five years and perceived their current workplace technology as lagging behind personal devices on innovation.
The respondents from SA say although work tech is satisfactory and useful, it not cutting-edge, says Dell.
The report says South Africans are generally satisfied (85%) with the technology they use at work and agree (83%) that it makes their jobs easier.
But only a few say their work innovates faster than other companies, or that the tech they use at work is more advanced than at home, it adds.
Similarly, the vast majority of South Africans say their work tech makes their jobs easier. Nevertheless, there is room to grow satisfaction: fewer than a third of South Africans are very satisfied with the technology at their jobs, adds the study.
Technology has already had a huge impact on how we interact in the workplace, with many employees - most notably 67% of millennials in SA - believing that face-to-face meetings will become obsolete, explains Dell.
Innovative technologies, such as the Internet of things and virtual reality (VR), could also become vital to the workplace of the near future, affecting how we collaborate and work more efficiently, it adds.
The study says 83% of South Africans - in particular, remote employees and millennials (18-34 years olds) - are open to the idea of using augmented reality/VR in the workspace.
Moreover, one in three of South Africans say poor technology in the workspace would make them likely to quit their job, says the study. Nearly eight in 10 say technology influences their decision
to take or decline a new position, it adds.
"Today's workforce has a growing expectation that their employers integrate the latest technologies seamlessly and securely into their working lives, said Chris Buchanan, client solutions director at Dell SA.
"Employees have seen first-hand the ways new technologies can help them do their jobs better, and are hungry to use the latest advancements to be more productive."
While this may seem daunting to many employers, it's a business-critical opportunity for companies to be at the forefront of the future workplace and enable the future workforce, says Buchanan.
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