- Over a fifth claim technology helps them achieve better work-life balance
- Almost half say technology has changed their role or career in the past year
- HR professionals lead the pack in embracing technology
As UK companies prepare for recovery, employees are ready to embrace technology, believing it helps them achieve a better work-life balance and work more effectively.
This is according to a survey of more than 2500 UK employees carried out by market research company Opinion Matters on behalf of ADP®, a leading global provider of Human Capital Management (HCM) solutions. The research examines employee attitudes about work and the findings are published in the ADP report The Workforce View in 2013.
Technology continues to transform working life, with 45% of employees saying it has changed their role or career in the past year. Contrary to fears about technology blurring the lines between work and home life, many employees welcome the ability technology gives them to manage their working life, with 21% asserting it helps them achieve a better work-life balance. One in ten say technology helps them do their job better, enabling them to work more flexibly.
Employees aged 35 – 44 years are marginally more likely to see technology allowing them to balance work and home (23%), while employees in the youngest group (aged 16 – 24 years) are least likely to view technology as helping. While older workers are more positive about the role of technology in working life, the research reveals intergenerational tension around IT, with some older workers believing their younger peers expect to get promoted more quickly because they are tech-savvy.
Looking geographically at the data, employees in London and the North East are most likely to say technology aids their work-life balance (26% and 23% respectively), while employees in Northern Ireland are least inclined to praise its impact (16%).
HR-related industries are the most enthusiastic about embracing technology, with employees in Recruitment (38%) and HR (32%) positive about the impact of technology on working life. In contrast, only 15% of workers in Legal roles, 20% in Admin and 20% in Customer Services cite technology as helping them achieve a better work-life balance. While almost a third (31%) of IT workers are positive about technology, these employees are more than twice as likely than the general workforce to feel technology blurs the lines between work and home.
Parallel research conducted for ADP by Opinion Matters among 205 UK Human Resources Directors (HRDs) and published in The Workforce View in 2013 explores the impact of technology on the HRD role. 63% of HRDs say technology has changed how they communicate with the workforce, citing better collaboration as the chief benefit, followed closely by two-way communication.
Maria Black, MD ADP UK, said: “Human Resources professionals recognise how technology can unlock talent and help employees work more effectively. As part of the strategic conversation about people and performance across the C-suite, there is a clear opportunity for HRDs to work with their colleagues in the IT department to drive further improvement.”
For more information on “The Workforce View in 2013” research, please visit
http://www.adp-es.co.uk/workforceview2013