A large number of workers in the UK say they are struggling to adapt to digital changes in their workplaces, as the advent of technology changes the working practices of many companies.
A poll of 14,500 working professionals by recruiting company Hays, called ‘What Workers Want’, revealed that last year (2019), two in five employees did not have the correct qualifications for their roles, and businesses were unprepared for staff having to potentially work from home or rely on automation to continue working.
As the coronavirus forces many to take their work outside of their offices, it is more important that staff have the correct tools to be able to do their jobs effectively.
The data revealed that that more than half of employers across all sectors have a workforce that lacks digital skills. Despite more than a third of Generation Z, 32% of men and 21% of women, believing that they are technology ‘experts’, 41% of employees and 30% of employers say providing support with training and upskilling is the most important way for a business to prepare for automation.
Employers are still struggling to adopt strategies that incorporates technological change, such as automation. Currently, only 9% of employers feel they would experience no challenges when trying to implement automation within their organisation.
One in five workers feel the technological change is happening too fast, with more than a third (37%) stating there needs to be more training. This is despite around half (55%) of businesses introducing internal training and improving employee communications.
However, the majority (90%) of British workers believe that technology will change their workplace and everyday lives for the better and that digital change could be positive.
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A spokesperson from Hays said: “A culture that embraces digital change and innovation is an integral factor that workers want from their current employers, with one in two believing advances in digital technology will allow people to add greater human value to organisations in the future.
“In 2020, technological advances in the form of automation are steadily being adopted across many levels in numerous sectors including marketing, finance and supply chain, and UK workers are more enthusiastic about using digital technology at work than in their personal lives.
“Today, 73% of employees have an open mindset towards digital transformation in the workplace, but less than half are satisfied with the pace of their organisations’ technological change.”