According to a new study from Sungard AS, Irish employees are unwilling to put up with what are seen as unmet digital working expectations.
The survey of more than 2,100 respondents across Ireland, the UK, France, Sweden and the US, found that the vast majority of Irish workers (82%) considered having access to the latest digital tools as crucial, while more than a third (36%) admitted they would be embarrassed to work in an organisation that did not provide them.
Many of these workers have voted with their feet, as the survey reports that more than a fifth (21%) of employees have left a position because they did not have access to the latest digital tools they felt they were necessary in order to remain competitive within their industry. While this is a significant proportion, the US was even higher where nearly a third (32%) left jobs for the same reason. This is noteworthy for businesses, as almost two thirds of Irish workers (61%) said believe they would find greater career opportunities at more digitally-led organisations.
Investment in digital tools is only half the battle, according to Sungard, as organisations must also invest in employee skills to ensure they can exploit the digital tools provided. While employees recognise the need for digital tools, the technology is having the reverse effect if not implemented properly by the business. A quarter of respondents believe new digital tools are making their jobs more stressful, while 20% claim it has made their role more difficult. Worryingly, 24% say they do not understand how to use the new digital tools their employer has provided.
When compared with the rest of the world, employees in both Ireland and the US were the most confident when it came to the implementation of digital tools, with 42% in both regions feeling they are able to make the most of the digital tools available. The UK is the most pessimistic with just 24% sharing this sentiment. However, while Ireland may be more confident, issues remain on the road to digital transformation.
Not having the right training, a lack of technical skills and not having enough time to dedicate towards making a success of it were named as the top three challenges hindering digital transformation, affecting 52%, 48% and 30% of Irish employees respectively, said the survey.
Meanwhile, 43% of workers complained they were not being given the training needed to get the most from the digital tools provided by their organisation, with 25% stating that the training received was not good enough.
“Ireland has long been viewed as a hub for technology, especially as it serves as a gateway to Europe for many multi-national organisations,” said Carmel Owens, general manager, Sungard Availability Services Ireland. “It is therefore great to see that digital transformation is a priority for an overwhelming majority of Irish businesses. However, in the rush to embrace digital tools, the IT department is running the risk of leaving staff disaffected; either due to a lack of proper training, or time to fully adopt these new working practices.
“Ireland’s organisations need to work hard to keep hold of top talent – especially with the growing skills gap plaguing businesses across the globe. One fifth of Irish employees have already left organisations, signalling a potential staff retention crisis that needs to be rectified immediately,” said Owens.
The research was carried out by Vanson and Bourne on behalf of Sungard among IT decision makers and general workers, in companies with a minimum of 250 employees, across five countries.
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