Piece: How Technology Is Shaping Modern Workplace

Dell has unveiled findings from the Dell and Intel Future Workforce Study, which identifies the global technology trends shaping the modern workplace. The results show that most employees believe their current employer is not effectively making use of the latest technology advances.

The 2016 Future Workforce Study, conducted by research firm PSB, polled nearly 4,000 full-time employees from small, medium and large businesses in 10 countries. Of those polled, many do not believe that they will be working in a smart office within the next five years and perceived their current workplace technology as lagging behind personal devices on innovation. With the research showing that the influx of new technology is having a significant impact on what workers expect from their employer, workplaces which don’t enact these new advances may be left behind.

Technology has already had a huge impact on how we interact in the workplace, with many employees believing that face-to-face meetings will become obsolete. Innovative technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and virtual reality (VR), could also become vital to the workplace of the near future, affecting how we collaborate and work more efficiently.

Commenting on the trends, Country Manager of Dell Nigeria, Akin Banuso noted that "Today’s workforce has a growing expectation that their employers integrate the latest technologies seamlessly and securely into their working lives." He further noted that employees have seen first-hand the ways new technologies can help them do their jobs better, and are hungry to use the latest advancements to be more productive.

While this may seem daunting to many employers, it’s a business-critical opportunity for companies to be at the forefront of the future workplace and enable the future workforce.