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Designing professional development for Millennials and Gen Zers

For Millennials and Gen Z, today’s professional development needs work

  • min read
    • The generations we call Millennials (born 1981 to 1996) and Gen Z (born 1997 to 2012) now make up most of the global workforce. But despite their numbers, today's workplace may not meet their needs, because they're quitting jobs and hopping between positions in growing numbers. Those businesses that examine how they're retaining, developing and supporting these employees will have a chance to get ahead of their competition. There are signs information overload and mental fatigue are making us all gravitate to short-form content, but Millennials and Gen Z express this preference more strongly – they seem to learn, think and communicate differently from their predecessors. If companies want to boost their performance, organizational resilience and enterprise capabilities, they should redesign their professional development programs to engage these audiences better. Where professional learning is going wrong As a futurist keynote speaker and workshop presenter, I train thousands of professionals on how to adapt to industry change and emerging technologies. I need to bring audiences up to speed and inspire enthusiasm within minutes. But I find IT learning and professional development methods are still tied up in rigorous training programs and demanding certifications that take weeks or months to unpack. In the age of Zoom fatigue, things are going in the wrong direction. I've seen a steady increase in the average length of training I'm asked to give, from under an hour to 90−180 minutes. "Today's IT and security pros need to get up to speed on a rising array of breaking trends, technologies and topics in less time than ever," David Thomas, executive director of online programming at University of Denver, told me. "At the same time, they're pulled in more directions and their concentration is becoming more divided." Microlearning as an addition to traditional learning Experts suggest offering a broader range of learning approaches and educational solutions can help fill the gaps around extensive teaching and training programs. Microlearning especially is gaining ground. This rapid-fire approach to learning means breaking content into shorter, more approachable chunks. It helps promote interest in new topics and gets learners up to speed faster. In a 2018 paper, researchers Ján Skalka and Martin Drlík reported that microlearning, in tandem with more comprehensive training methods like coursework and certification programs, helps offset the impact of decreasing attention. It gives a speedy onramp for tech-related topics, reducing the learning curve, driving interest and boosting learning. Tatyana Shumaylova, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Kaspersky says get-to-the-point, bite-sized learning is central to their cyber education program Automated Security Awareness Platform (ASAP). "We understand that maximum engagement is key to learning, so we put that at the heart of our educational approach. For Millennials and Gen Z in particular, the 'old ways' are ineffective, so we trimmed the fat, banished waffle and keep our modules sharp, interactive and impactful." Greater loyalty to businesses that value learning Researchers at Florida International University found leaders and employees admit there's an issue with maintaining attention spans. They also found young audiences can maintain intense focus but are easily distracted. The research found these younger professionals are "most engaged when working on projects that are rewarding and impactful" and when they're doing "meaningful work and being challenged." These generations also actively look for jobs with more development opportunities and are more loyal if they receive continuing education. Companies must adapt development and training programs to short attention spans to engage and retain them. A Millennial herself, Taylor Tresatti, head of industry research for BIZDEV: The International Association for Business Development and Strategic Partnerships, told me she'd found learning and experiential opportunities promised but not delivered many times in her career. So she changed job roles and positions to get them: "As an employee, you have to gain working knowledge of new tools, technologies and trends quickly, without active training or certification from your employer. It would be super helpful to have access to faster and easier ways to master new skills." Investing in tech-rich learning experiences In their 2020 paper Educational experiences with Generation Z, three researchers said younger generations motivate companies to "accelerate and improve the teaching and learning process." This means investing in more technology-powered resources for new ways of teaching and learning, and finding more effective ways to capture and hold audiences' attention. Chris Zimmerman, senior analyst with trend forecasters FutureProof Strategies, told me, "There's a time and place for traditional learning methods and deeper dives. But your first goal in an increasingly frenetic business world should be to pique audience interest. That means looking for ways to present learning material that breaks through daily clutter better. It also means finding better ways to package and present material that bestows working knowledge faster." How to make learning more engaging I recently developed a new training method called POP FUTURE – you can download the instruction manual and guide for free. It's a faster, friendlier way to present learning content, putting future trends, new technologies and emerging business topics in a more intuitive and welcoming context that audiences of more backgrounds and skill levels can understand. My methods include reducing training manuals, workplace guides and reports to quick-hit videos, animated explainers or brief charts, illustrations and infographics. Effective teaching can also include games, exercises and simulations based on real-world challenges, like role-playing strategies for addressing network hacks or data breaches. I also recommend using animated GIFs, eye-catching explainers and graphs, and other social media-friendly content to make simple, understandable visual representations of complex subjects. Developing tomorrow's leaders Millennials and Gen Zers are quick learners, hungry for insight. In a world of shrinking employment tenures, they weigh learning and development opportunities highly when considering jobs. When unforeseen challenges emerge, these audiences won't have the time for traditional learning programs or in-depth curriculums. Supplementing your learning and development regimen with more short-form and microlearning-based content will give your workforce access to more approachable, on-demand learning and speak to more knowledge-hungry employees.
financial times report cybersecurity skills

Why successful companies invest in cybersecurity skills

  • min read
    • Arming your cybersecurity team with the right skills and experience is a crucial first step in facing down threats. In partnership with Longitude, a Financial Times company, Kaspersky surveyed 750 leaders at enterprises around the world about their approach to cybersecurity. The research found a small group of companies strongly believe their cybersecurity training programs can keep pace with the ever-changing threat landscape. Dubbed the Skills Leaders, these businesses have better security outcomes. About three-quarters (74 percent) say they're prepared for employees accidentally creating a cybersecurity threat – such as falling for a phishing scheme – compared with only half (49 percent) of the rest. This is good news, because cybersecurity skills are in short supply. In 2021, Microsoft announced the US is facing a cybersecurity skills crisis, citing that more than one in 20 of all open jobs in the country require cybersecurity skills. In the same year, research by Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) and industry analyst firm Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) found 95 percent of cybersecurity employees globally believe the skills gap has not improved in recent years. Our research found one-third (34 percent) believe this shortage will get worse in the next two years. But the Skills Leaders are a small group — just eight percent of the research sample. How can more organizations follow their lead? Three ways to upskill your workforce in cybersecurity 1. Train everyone, not just IT It's not just the cybersecurity team that should be on constant alert for threats. Employee-wide updates and reminders help make security part of company culture. "People need to keep their software up to date, understand how to encrypt their internet traffic and not use public Wi-Fi," says Shawnee Delaney, CEO of US-based insider threat specialist Vaillance Group. "These are general cyber hygiene practices, and they're critical. Reducing human error is crucial. Technology researchers Gartner predicts that by the end of 2025, more than 99 percent of cloud breaches will arise from preventable user misconfigurations or mistakes. One way to reduce these errors is to introduce cybersecurity 'tests' to see how employees respond to threats and increase training for those who fail them. This is what Ricardo Lafosse, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Kraft Heinz, does. "It's probably one of our best ways to see whether a malicious actor could mislead our employees and get into our organization using phishing techniques," he says. 2. Update your coaching techniques Training must also move with the times to keep up with the evolving threat landscape. The Skills Leaders identified in the research seem to understand this. They're more likely to be forward-thinking with their training. About two-thirds (67 percent) say it will be very important to carry out immersive cybersecurity training (gamification and simulations to recreate real attacks) in the next two years, compared with less than half (49 percent) of the rest. "Cybersecurity training is often perceived as a formality, but one-off training is not enough," says Evgeniya Naumova, Executive Vice President of Corporate Business at Kaspersky. "Behavioral change won't appear with the wave of a magic wand. It takes commitment and practice for acquired skills to become habit. Continuous learning is especially important for enterprises to prepare teams for the evolving threat landscape." Staying up to date also means being able to change strategy fast. To combat new threats as effectively as possible, Kraft Heinz's Lafosse prioritizes agility and flexibility in his cybersecurity team. 3. Put cybersecurity at the heart of recruitment Upskilling in cybersecurity will inevitably involve addressing the skills gap. And that could force companies to take an innovative approach to recruitment, like hiring candidates with non-IT backgrounds. The research found the Skills Leaders are more likely to embed cybersecurity awareness in their recruitment and onboarding processes, stressing the need for high cybersecurity standards from the start. Enterprises with a multinational presence must ensure they approach cybersecurity consistently across their global operations. It only takes one cyber threat in one region to potentially wreak havoc across the whole organization. The skills gap is a big challenge for enterprise cybersecurity teams. To be protected against the full range of evolving threats, enterprises must do all they can to fill it. That means expanding recruitment, preparing their existing workforces by keeping them abreast of changes and training them right from the start.
10 skills for IT success

Nine new skills to supercharge your IT leadership career

  • min read
    • IT and network security education has always emphasized the technical and academic. But in a world increasingly defined by change, the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2020 found soft skills are suddenly in high demand. Harvard University's Division of Continuing Education says employers want a host of new abilities in their IT leaders, like creativity, critical thinking and emotional intelligence. "The skills an IT leader needed in the past are different from what's needed to manage an organization running in the Cloud," Clyde Seepersad, Senior Vice President and General Manager for Training and Certification at the Linux Foundation, told me. "Things move faster today than they did a few years ago. People who have high flexibility, adaptability and resilience will be best positioned to help their organizations succeed." Let's look at the 9 new skills insiders believe are critical for IT success in today's world and how to develop them. 1.  Adaptability: Broadening your skillset IT and computer security move so fast that global management consultancy McKinsey says the business world recently leaped forward technologically by 10 years in just 90 days in response to COVID-19 challenges. Technology leaders' adaptability, or in other words, the capacity to get familiar with and adjust to new scenarios and technologies, will only become more important. A recent Deloitte survey of 2860 executives at leading organizations found having digital transformation as a central pillar of its business strategy is key to enterprise success. Executives must regularly and routinely transform their skills, and even their way of thinking, to match that mission-critical shift. "Tomorrow's leaders will need to apply more business acumen across a wider variety of disciplines," Bhushan Sethi, Joint Global Lead for People and Organization at consulting firm PwC told me. He names the ability to analyze new business models, design more compelling experiences and read and visualize data more effectively when making decisions as just some of those disciplines. 2.  Agility: Switching strategies, embracing change Senior executives at technology leader Oracle say, "Businesses that fall behind trends can quickly lose market position and competitive advantage." This means IT leaders must become more willing to take action, switch strategies and get their workforce embracing regular and pronounced change. University of Chicago Booth School of Business reports customer trends and habits are shifting faster. So, technology executives must find ways to become more agile as individuals and support their organizations to increase agility. Artificial intelligence, machine learning and automation tools are now critical to staying ahead. 3.  Collaboration: Learning from others Linux Foundation's Seepersad points to the need to master communications, teamwork and people skills. "The stereotype of the programmer in a basement has never been accurate, but even less so now," he says. "There are tasks that should be handled by one person alone, but generally, it's helpful to collaborate with others, if only to get outside perspectives on what you're building." 4.  Courage: Speaking up and acting In my book Make Change Work for You: 10 Ways to Future-Proof Yourself, Fearlessly Innovate and Succeed Despite Uncertainty, I define professional courage as the willingness to speak up, act and take smart chances. Courage has become more important because, as PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel once famously told Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg, "In a world changing so quickly, the biggest risk you can take is not taking any risk." It also helps to get in the habit of having strong but weakly-held opinions. Do your homework and make firm decisions, but be able to change tack as new (even contradictory) business intelligence comes along. 5.  Emotional intelligence: Empathy, listening and understanding Defined as the ability to empathize, see others' points of view and be more self-aware, emotional intelligence lets us successfully interact with and influence others. Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin studied top performers in their organization and found science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills weren't the skills most needed for success. Rather, the top performers could stay ahead because of empathy for colleagues and appreciating coworkers' values and points of view. We can cultivate emotional intelligence by working on our active listening, empathy and situational awareness. PwC's Sethi thinks emotional intelligence has many facets. "Increasing your emotional intelligence also means getting better at understanding mental health, recognizing the toll of burnout on workers and knowing when teams need a break. We should also think about how we can redesign and automate workflows to get things done most effectively." 6.  Futurism: Seeing what's coming next In my 2020 book Think Like a Futurist: How to Plan Around Uncertainty and Future-proof Your Business, I define futurism as your ability to anticipate and plan for future events and happenings. It's an exercise in critical thinking and forethought. Get in the habit of asking questions like, Which new technologies and consumer trends will most impact our business, when, and how much? To practice futurism, use role-playing exercises where IT teams work through sample scenarios based on real-world events such as cyberattacks. You can also boost your ability to see what's coming next by practicing four things: Focus on trends rather than fads, stay alert to signals in the market, tie signals together to spot larger patterns and build communities of expert advisers with different perspectives. 7.  Ingenuity: Finding the answers Ingenuity is your capacity to use talents like creativity and innovation and to learn and intuit answers from scenarios quickly. While incremental innovation and experimentation are powerful for business growth, flashes of insight make game-changing leaps forward. Senior Research Scientist at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence Dr. Zorana Ivcevic Pringle published research showing ingenuity is something we can teach and learn, although perhaps not in the ways we think. IT leaders can spark more "A-ha!" moments among their team by, for example, asking workers to devise new solutions, collaborate with customers on new concepts or imagining unforeseen future events that might impact business and how they'd handle them. Organizations can boost overall ingenuity with outside-in innovation: Seeking input from external sources like the academic or start-up community, or inside-out innovation: Letting others use your tools and technologies in new ways. 8.  Problem-solving: Breaking it down IT leaders need to think more like computer programmers and approach challenges like solving puzzles. In Forbes magazine, tech skills writer Laurence Bradford proposes computer scientists have a lens on the world that's great for leadership. They're often more open to tinkering with variables and better at spotting options for changing or improving things that others see as fixed. "One of the most relevant skills for IT leaders of tomorrow is the ability to diagnose and discern the root cause of issues and separate these from the symptoms they produce," notes Sethi. "If you can tell whether it's user-facing challenges, system design or unclear business rules causing problems, you've got an important skill." 9.  Resilience: Bouncing back (again) Resilience is your capacity to bounce back from adversity. By studying many groups – from grade school students to military cadets – University of Pennsylvania psychology professor Angela Duckworth worked out resilience better predicts success than IQ or talent. Being smart helps technology leaders with technical competence, but your ability to work through setbacks has more influence on getting ahead. Next time you have a bad day at work or a project starts going sideways, remember you can overcome these challenges and be better for it. Soft and hard skills are must-haves for IT leaders. "It's a great time to be a learner," says Seepersad. "There are many options to explore, such as online services that provide thousands of courses in hard and soft skills, many at no cost. It's important to remember improving soft skills will always help you in the workplace, but it's important to stay up to speed on evolutions in technology as well."

New leadership skills for turbulent times, and how to develop them

  • min read
    • In my consultancy work with blue-chip companies worldwide, I've seen how the pandemic has affected business. It's a challenging landscape testing the mettle of every leadership team. The global economic impact will persist for a long time. Entrepreneurs and business leaders will need new habits for a new reality. While advances in tech have facilitated remote work, tomorrow's core skills will be deeply human. My recent book You lead: How being yourself makes you a better leader outlines the 'CHECK framework' I use in transforming executive teams. It brings to the fore skills and attitudes that help leaders navigate the ongoing challenges. CHECK stands for Curiosity, Humility, Empathy, Courage and Karma. The words are familiar, but each comes with a twist. You need to accentuate these qualities and attitudes, and use them in your daily routine. Pre-work: Developing self-awareness Before building new skills and developing the mindset to get through turbulent times, most accomplished leaders need to do some pre-work. To successfully gain new soft skills, you first need to dial into your needs, desires and imperfections, developing greater self-awareness. How much are you aware of your energies and emotions? Do you know what topics trigger you? For example, I know I don't take criticism well, so I've worked to steady myself when someone is critical of my work. I've created an internal mantra that criticism is a gift. What are your deep internal motivators? What activities give you intrinsic fulfillment. I know I'm excited to connect ideas and make valuable introductions between people. By being more self-aware, you'll know better how to tune your leadership skills and model the behavior that will raise your team's level. Get curious In this ever-changing world, with its disruptive technologies and alternative business models, you need to be constantly curious and in learning mode. This means understanding your range of competencies and, more importantly, your knowledge gaps. Curiosity helps you understand what you need to learn. It's too easy to focus on what you want to learn rather than what you need to learn. To know what you need to learn, you also need a wide view of what's going on, not just in your industry but in other sectors. Shake up your sources and inject novelty into what you read. Then you'll have a better chance of finding new ideas and concepts, and connecting the dots. Tools for the curious mind For a diverse pool of sources organized by theme, I use Flipboard – for example, I have a board on Sleep – curated Twitter lists and a Feedly premium account sorted by interests, languages and profiles. Listen and learn with humility Having humility, or being humble, means having a reduced view of your importance. By being humble, you admit others are better than you or know more than you in an area or topic. As Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said, we need to move from being know-it-all to learn-it-all leaders. Rather than operate with bravado and bluster, it's more effective to admit your weaknesses and ask for help. I am only as strong as my network. Building a network is a lifelong project, and relationships must be mutually beneficial. Think: How can I be of service to my contacts? It involves sharing credit, recognizing others' contributions and wanting to learn from others. And it works. One 2015 study found humble leadership means higher employee engagement, lower staff turnover and better organizational performance than hierarchical, top-down leadership. Tools for building humility To be humble is to recognize our place in the universe. Philanthropist and author Rick Warren wrote, "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less." I think mindfulness can develop humility, as it helps you understand and remember what matters most. My favorite mindfulness app is Monique Rhodes' 10 Minute Mind, but Headspace, Calm and Petit Bambou are also popular and come in multiple foreign languages. The empathy superpower Empathy is a superpower because it helps improve working conditions and results in many ways. I've seen an uptick in the appetite to develop empathy in business, yet, studies show an ongoing empathy deficit in the corporate world. Our perception that we're already empathic enough might be part of the problem – in a survey I commissioned, 73 percent said they had above average or well-above-average empathy. It's common to rate your own empathy higher than others rate you, so it's worth being honest with yourself in order to have the best chance at developing greater empathy. By checking in with your emotions and sensations, you can relate with colleagues and others around you. Having empathy means having a stillness in yourself, being present and listening intently to others. It's a muscle that takes exercise to develop. Tools for developing empathy One way to flex your empathy muscle is to meet someone new and get to know them. Practice asking open questions and actively listening without judgment. Even when locked down, there are ways to meet new people according to your interests and needs. I'm a fan of Lunchclub.ai. Others include ChitterChat and to meet experts and academics, SmartTribe. Plucking up the courage A crucial aspect of handling turbulence is courage: standing up for what you believe, even when it means standing out. It also includes being strategic in how you manage your resources, including your time and your team's time, and being willing to ask for help when you need it. Too many leaders and entrepreneurs feel they have to pretend to know all the answers. Seek counsel and support. If your intentions are genuine, others will be happy to support you. Tools for courage First, seek to bolster your network. I use LinkedIn carefully and pay attention to with whom I connect. Beyond developing a strong network of trusted individuals, LinkedIn is a great source of inspiration and has communities for every interest. Secondly, your personal contacts list is vital. Use the notes section for each contact you create: How you met, what struck you about them and common interests. I also add metadata, such as tags. I now have 50 tags I use systematically to call up people with whom I share a mutual interest or with a specific expertise or skill set. If you've meticulously added tags, you can easily search for people with any qualities or expertise you need. Karma is intentional The last quality in the CHECK framework is probably the least obvious. K is for karma. Karma is less about fate and 'what goes around, comes around,' and more about having the right intentions, acting on them in the spirit of doing good and expecting nothing in return. Go out of your way to thank people. Being generous and thoughtful to those around you – family, colleagues or strangers – has proven benefits. There's also a link between karma and humility. A 2014 study published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science found "humility and gratitude are mutually reinforcing." Tools for developing karma Spontaneously send a text message to a colleague, business associate or supplier you appreciate and thank them for what they mean to you. Call or send a message to someone you've not contacted for a while for whom you've been grateful. To help, Out of the Blue proposes "random" friends to call from your contact list. My karmic regimen includes giving away valuable content every day through blogs, stimulating interviews on my podcasts or vetted links in social posts. With more turbulent times ahead, we must keep our batteries charged. I intentionally add three or four activities to my day that give me energy – for example, meditation, listening to music and going for a walk. Find your regimen and take care of yourself, and you'll show up stronger and better with those around you. Leaning in to the CHECK framework – Curiosity, Humility, Empathy, Courage and Karma – will help you face the challenges ahead. The views in this article are the author's.
quantum computing talent

How business could leap the quantum computing skills gap

  • min read
    • Chiswick Health Centre is a large brutalist building in London, UK. Along its snaking concrete entrance ramp, masked people form a socially distanced line. Inside, the open-plan waiting room has neat rows of prefabricated cubicles, and a COVID-19 vaccination nurse is doing his rounds. New drugs and latest findings in the life sciences have never been more important. Innovative techniques to help develop and distribute vaccines have been delivered in double-quick time. And if there are the people to do it, quantum computing could make the process even faster. Where are the quantum computing skills gaps? Although the latest quantum hardware, pioneered by the likes of IBM and Google, has a way to go, in a decade or two, we could even see the 'holy grail:' a universal quantum computer. Ilyas Khan, Founder of enterprise quantum solutions developers Cambridge Quantum Computing, says, "There are two clear sectors in quantum computing. First, the hardware and second, the software and algorithm discovery. There are severe skill shortages in software and algorithm discovery. On the hardware side, the issue is less pressing, but the engineering problem that must be solved is, of course, very hard." Fast growth in the quantum computing market Tech industry insights firm ReportLinker forecasts the quantum market will grow from 472 million to 1.7 billion US dollars between 2021 and 2026. And governments are backing it by investing in education and training. In 2018 US Congress passed the National Quantum Initiative Act (NQIA,) investing more than 1.2 billion US dollars in quantum research and development. The European Union launched its quantum computing flagship around the same time, with an expected budget of 1 billion Euro. China, Australia, Singapore and others are starting their own quantum initiatives. But what's all this got to do with developing and distributing medicines? Drug discovery leading the quantum market The field of medicine and biosciences searching for promising new medicines is called drug discovery. Here, the value of quantum algorithms is already evident. A 2020 poll of life sciences organizations showed almost a third (31 percent) were starting to look at how they could use quantum computing. A further 39 percent said they have quantum computing "on their radar" for 2021. Khan of Cambridge Quantum Computing says things like drug discovery can take many years using the most powerful classical computers. Although quantum computing is still early stage, "it's close to starting to match classical timescales," making it worthy of investment. Pharmaceutical companies are keen to get ahead in quantum. This January, drug discovery firm Boehringer Ingelheim achieved a first in its industry, announcing it was joining forces with Google in quantum computing. In a statement, the company said it would "invest significantly" in the coming years to realize the full potential of the technology. Boehringer Ingelheim has already set up a dedicated quantum lab, hiring "outstanding experts in the field of quantum computing from academia, industry and quantum providers." Talent is key: The poll of life science organizations previously mentioned found 28 percent thought missing skills were a potential barrier to progress. Specialist skills needed for a challenging technology Vincent Yam, Co-founder of AI and quantum computing recruitment agency Tekna Search, explains how niche quantum computing skills are compared with regular software development. "Most people have a Ph.D. in something quantum-related and a physics background, either at undergraduate or Master's level. Even then, two say, superconductivity specialists may have very different skills." Khan says, "Quantum information theorists tend to have physics, maths and computer science backgrounds. A small but growing number have also done graduate or postgraduate quantum information theory." Anticipating quantum skills shortages, investment bank JP Morgan started an internship program for quantum talent in 2020 for Master's or Ph.D. students. Universities are stepping up their programs too. Renowned institutions like the UK's University College London (UCL) and Duke University in the US have launched a Master's degree in quantum technology. Khan thinks there's still not enough investment in education. "The range of quantum computing graduate and postgraduate degree courses must increase substantially." Practical internships can nurture the talent pipeline While true quantum computing is some way off, quantum developments are coming thick and fast. These will impact many businesses in the not-too-distant future. The skills are so specialized and sophisticated that governments are putting their weight behind developing the best talent, and even then, education is falling short. Yam of Tekna Search says he keeps seeing the same top 10 global institutions in his recruitment efforts. This shows how small the pool is and suggests businesses should focus on getting talent early from best-in-class quantum research universities. Tech giant IBM is working to secure the best people early with an initiative aimed at high school students. Quantum computing could help tackle society's biggest problems. Its computational power could hasten our way out of the next pandemic, but it will need the best minds. Companies must think today about who those minds should be, and how to hire and develop them.
people missing ink productivity

Why your staff aren’t using your amazing productivity tools

  • min read
    • I deal with many kinds of businesses and organizations in my work. They all use different productivity tools. As I get my head around learning that new software for a new project, I've often found those working in the company have no greater knowledge of their tech tools than I do. Many companies find productivity tools don't deliver. I see that, but I think the problem isn't the tools. Nor is it the people who don't know how to use them. It's something in between. Software is becoming more elaborate Most of us don't use much of the capability of our tools. Software company Pendo says we rarely or never use 80 percent of any software product's features. Cloud software companies spend 30 billion US dollars each year developing these features, "dollars that could have been spent on higher-value features and unrealized customer value." This is perhaps one reason comparatively feature-lite Google Docs is so successful. Non-use of features is only half the story. A recent survey of US workers found 68 percent faced challenges with their workplace software. Common gripes included that software was hard to learn, always changing, and many technologies to learn. Interestingly, four in five high earners (earning over 100,000 US dollars) found software challenging, but lower-income earners coped better, with three in five reporting difficulties. Is software training helping? Kaspersky's research found 38 percent of the workforce want more support from their organization when working remotely. One in two saw work-from-home skills as essential. Yet, employees aren't that happy with their on-the-job training. A Degreed and Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning study found only one in five would recommend their employers' learning and development offer. Nearly one in two are dissatisfied with it. Poor development opportunities might drive your employees into competitors' arms – a survey by communications platform Hibob found 56 percent of staff considered learning and development opportunities more important than salary. Receiving training in using new software is by no means the norm. I asked peers if, when new software arrived, they were trained on it. One said, "When we get a new piece of productivity software, it's very much, "Here's something we bought. Now use it." We're never told why and never given instruction." Another said, "Everyone just assumes if you know how to use (Microsoft) Office, you can use everything else." This 'technology will solve all our problems'-thinking may, ironically, be holding companies back when it comes to digitalization. Consultancy firm Gartner lists factors that hold back digital transformation, including not leading from the top, vague goals and too much focus on technology rather than corporate culture. What do we see here? Staff receive new technology and are told to get on with it. Their only participation in the process is as recipients. The pandemic helped us adopt new tools, not just because we had to Considering this problem, the grand, forced work-from-home experiment in the first half of 2020 may have had positive effects. We all had to start using new technologies, and the reason for it was staring us in the face. Companies made support available, staff wanted to learn, and together, they made big strides. The pandemic work-from-home experience filled me with optimism. You heard moans about 'Zoom fatigue' initially, but most people adapted well, supported by their companies. In September 2020, Enterprise Technology Research surveyed about 1,200 Chief Information Officers around the world. They said they thought, compared with before the pandemic, their permanent remote workforce would double in 2021 to about 34 percent. Nearly 50 percent reported productivity had improved with remote work, with only 29 percent reporting productivity reductions. This echoes what I've heard. A major professional services firm partner told me earlier this year, technological changes that once would've taken years had been pushed through in weeks. They had to be. Knowing why you should use the tech isn't the whole answer. You still need to articulate a vision, train people and make sure it works. But having a ready-made case for change, such as a pandemic forcing remote working, was a big part of the answer. One lesson companies can take from 2020 is to show employees why they're introducing productivity tools. Make a compelling argument for them gets you halfway there.
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Secure Futures magazine is your go-to business guide for opinions, trends and insight into the world of technology and cybersecurity. We help your business to bring on the future. Brought to you by Kaspersky, the global cybersecurity experts.

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