Why are employees reluctant to use more productivity tools at work?
With the advent, evolution, and maturing of the internet over the last few decades, the way we work has vastly changed from its original state. Where everything used to be done on paper and in person, the rise of software has allowed us to boost our productivity by using tools such as messaging apps, shared document drives, and emails.
In the last several years, tools like Clariti have taken that productivity-boosting software to the next level by consolidating that functionality into heavy-duty applications that can handle all pieces of that technology puzzle, not just one. In the pandemic era, these tools have become even more important as remote work — and the ability to communicate effectively throughout it — has become even more important. Still, some employees are resistant to trying out these new, powerful tools. Why is that?
Fear of the unknown
At a very basic level, many people are reluctant to use new, less industry-standard tools (even though they may be extremely helpful) because they are comfortable and settled in the way they do things now, particularly if those ways of doing business have not changed for a long time. Particularly from an organizational and communication standpoint, it can be difficult to persuade people to take a leap of faith and try new ways of working, uprooting and abolishing their old ways of working in the process. Employees are often concerned that new ways of working will “ruin” old productivity standards and effectiveness.
Lack of technology skills
The unfortunate fact of the matter is that not every employee of a company will feel fully comfortable using new software. Many employees, particularly employees who did not grow up with the internet or computers still might feel uncomfortable with them at a more basic level. They may resist productivity software simply because they see it as one more difficult internet-based tool they may struggle to use. While this is a fallacy, given that productivity tools like Clariti are meant to simplify and centralize the working experience.
Inertia
Even if fear or lack of technology experience don’t come into play, sometimes employees may be reluctant to use new productivity tools simply because of inertia. Shifting to a new way of working can sometimes — unfortunately — take a lot of time and energy, and many people cannot easily see the value and benefits of putting in that effort. After all, employees’ reason, if emails (for example) can be effectively handled in their current app, what’s the point of changing to something else, if it’ll take a lot of work to do so? They may be reluctant to choose pain now for ease of use later.
Adopt Messaging 2.0 tools
Messaging 1.0 apps like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and clones based on chats & ‘channels’ fall woefully short in addressing the needs of users who are not technically savvy. These apps are chat-focused, needing employees to use a plethora of other apps for email, to-do etc., This increases their anxiety and resistance to use new technology.
Clariti introduces a new genre of Messaging apps to transition users from a largely email-only world to one with email, chat, and calls, and much more. Right from its introduction Clariti supported multiple communication apps including email, chat, calls, documents and to dos, and automatically connected related communications in threads. Clariti went a step further and introduced TopicFolders on the Web that look and feel like Desktop Folders but do so much more. Unlike Desktop Folders that can only store files, TopicFolders hold emails, chats, documents, to-dos, and calls. Continue working with emails, chatting with coworkers, sharing documents and whatever else you do at work. Clariti works behind the scenes to keep all your work organized by topic in a TopicFolder. Automatically. Without the hassle.
Overall, although there are many reasons employees may resist change and be afraid of productivity software, the pros of productivity software outweigh the cons. However, as you work towards your productivity strategy, you should make sure to not alienate your employees and address their concerns during your transition. No matter what, you should make sure to effectively communicate the value of the changes being made by switching to productivity software to streamline the way you work. Equally important, adopt tools like Clariti that make the transition from older email-only paradigm to new multi-mode communication tools on the web.
