It's happened to all of us - just before you've saved a report you've done all afternoon, your computer crashes, or your printer gets stuck while printing a big proposal. The result is anger, frustration, helplessness and a hint of nausea. These are absolutely the worst feelings an employee can have at work, and the more often they feel these, the more likely you are to lose top talent. Cost is often a big reason business owners don't upgrade or advance technology, but the truth is, fast computers, high-speed internet, accessible data backups, and secure electronic files aren't luxuries.
They are a vital tool for getting the most out of and retaining your greatest asset and your most limited resource—the most talented employees. According to Mercer's 2018 Global Talent Trends study, "As [employees] support technology, they want industry mailing list to support them—through state-of-the-art platforms that enable people to connect, collaborate and innovate together." Employees want to use critical thinking and creativity at work. Great employees get frustrated with redundant tasks and activities that can be easily automated. They want to work on challenging projects that allow them to develop critical thinking and creativity in the workplace.
While the debate on how automation and artificial intelligence will affect jobs continues, the reality is that technology and automation have revolutionized jobs. Humans no longer have to do mindless, repetitive, and unfulfilling work; employers can use technology to maximize their employees’ unique skills, talents, and creativity. However, when technology doesn't work for those most talented employees, they begin to feel dissatisfied with redundancy and inefficiency, and start looking elsewhere for opportunities to better leverage their unique skills and talents.