PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
How to encourage technology adoption and minimise tech resistance in your workplace Any business owner can tell you that integrating new technology into a business can do wonders for everything from efficiency to profitability. But what they rarely mention is that with every new addition comes the potential for tech resistance. Encouraging technology adoption can be a tricky prospect in any workplace, and businesses within the trades, services, and construction sectors are not exempt from these pressures. However, increased reliance on digital automation has firmly shifted this focus to individual tech-savviness, and as a business owner, you now need to expect a certain level of proficiency from your employees. This is unlikely to change either, as modern industrial workplaces continue to be fragmented by technology and more employees begin to operate without direct contact with home base. So why then are employees often so quick to resist adopting new technology when the benefits of doing so far outweigh the work that goes into upgrading their knowledge?
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In the first article of this two-part series, we’ll examine tech resistance by discussing which factors lead to employee refusal, who is most likely to be affected, and what’s holding them back. Read on to find out why your workers are dragging their feet and refusing to adopt new tech.
Understanding the factors that lead to technology resistance. Employee age isn’t everything when it comes to tech resistance. A common myth (likely stemming from later generations having been exposed to more advanced technology from a young age) is that older workers are far more likely to exhibit tech resistance than younger members of a team. Within the trades, services, and construction industries you’ll find that while this can sometimes be the case, it’s often not what’s going on beneath the surface.
The longer your employees have had to grow comfortable with existing systems, the harder it will be for them to adopt new technology without immediately exhibiting some degree of resistance. While it is true that this can sometimes align neatly with age, don’t make the mistake of confusing one for the other. Instead, take a closer look at your employees and you’ll no doubt find that even younger team members can be very tech resistant at times. The age of your employees should never dictate their capacity to take up and become proficient with new technology.
‘Lack of urgency’ – What it is and why it affects technology uptake.
A problem you’re likely to experience when encouraging technology adoption is employees failing to see the importance of learning new systems and then Instead, ask yourself, ‘is the problem resisting change as a result. how old my employee is, or simply how set in their ways they’ve become?’
L I F E S T Y L E T R A D I E .C O M . A U
