UK employees held back by lack of tech investment

A Google-commissioned survey of 3,600 workers from across Europe has shown the majority are unhappy with their company's tech policies.

The study, carried out by Deloitte, showed 54 per cent of UK employees believe access to better collaboration tools would improve productivity, but only 32 per cent currently used online collaborative tools in their workplace.

There is also a high level of dissatisfaction among workers about the technology provided to them, with only 18 per cent of respondents claiming to be happy with the devices they have and just 5 per cent with the digital collaboration services made available to them.

According to the report, companies that fail to invest in these tools could put employees at a disadvantage and, by extension, themselves. Workers are 17 percentage points more satisfied with their workplace culture when they have collaboration tools and 22 percentage points more likely to believe their employer cared about their morale.

Furthermore, denying employees access to collaboration tools will not stop them from using such technology, the research shows. Of those who had requested collaboration tools but been denied, half had started using them anyway.

Commenting on the results, Roger De'Ath, Google Enterprise manager UK, said: "This report clearly shows the positive impact that technology has on employee morale, innovation and productivity.

"Businesses that want to realise the full potential of their employees should look at the benefits that technology can bring to collaboration and innovation. Technology is not just about saving costs but about transforming the workplace," he added.

Will Gosling, a partner with Deloitte Human Capital, said: "Over 60 per cent of people in the UK use digital collaboration tools in their personal lives, so it's unsurprising they want to make use of them to improve productivity and happiness at work.

"What is surprising is how few British organisations are providing those tools or creating a workplace culture that promotes collaboration and innovation."