To say that technology has transformed the way that we do business is to put it very mildly indeed. The right technologies can make us significantly more efficient, can reduce the errors we make, and can even make work more motivating and engaging. However, there are dangers to become so reliant on your tech that it becomes a core part of your business. Here, we’re going to look at those dangers and what you can do to avoid falling face-first into them.
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Be careful with your data
Data breaches are becoming increasingly common and increasingly expensive. First of all, your business could lose a lot of its reputation if it ends up that someone steals sensitive customer or financial data. Furthermore, the fines levied against companies that suffer data breaches, especially businesses that deal with overseas customers, can be enough to cripple a business. If you’re using your IT systems to contain and manage large amounts of data, then it is essential that you invest in the right protection for them, as well. Working with digital security consultants and having firm security policies for your employees are both essential. Whatever gaps there may be for criminals to exploit, you must do your utmost to close.
The effect on team cohesion
If we are spending more and more time looking at a screen, it means we’re spending less time working face-to-face with other employees. Isolation is becoming an increasingly important issue in high-tech offices and there are multiple measures that must be taken to correct it. For one, tech can actually help improve communication and cohesion with the use of things like team management software. Otherwise, managers and employers must look for the means to get the team together away from computers. Occasional meetings are essential, but you should also look at team-building exercises and retreats that remove the pressures of work from their immediate concerns. By building a more cohesive and happy team, you reduce the chances that you will lose them to churn as time goes on.
Protect yourself from downtime
Data breaches aren’t the only costly catastrophe that can happen to businesses that rely greatly on their technology. Equipment failure and the downtime that comes with it can be costly as well. Not only do you have to deal with the costs of getting things up and running again, but the productivity of your employees can grind to a halt, so you could end up paying them for hours of doing nothing at all. For that reason, having the help of proactive and preventative IT and printer services is essential for any business with a significant tech scope. Not only can they help you respond more quickly to problems, but they can do the work ahead of time to identify potential issues, finding the fixes that make them much less likely.
The impact on your employees’ health
Tech is making our workloads much easier to deal with, but as a trade-off, we tend to spend a lot more time sitting in front of a desk with our eyes glued to a screen. To many, this is preferable than shuffling papers all day, but an increasingly sedentary lifestyle does come with additional health risks, such as increased risks of joint injuries, eyestrain, and weight gain. For the safety of your employees, consider investing in more ergonomic office equipment that decreases the burden on their bodies, and perhaps invest in a wellness plan that helps them combat the effects of that aforementioned sedentary lifestyle that the office contributes to.
Misapplications of tech can waste a lot of time and effort
We often use tech to make our work easier and to improve the quality of results, but it can become easy to think that new tech is the answer to every question when that’s not always the case. Some leaders may even end up becoming too dependent on tech to manage their own team. When you implement new software or hardware solutions, make sure that their cost is justified by the return on investment they have to offer. Furthermore, make sure that you’re not adding to your team’s workload by introducing unnecessary new steps to existing processes. Always be mindful of why you’re adding new tech.
The above warnings shouldn’t scare you off relying on tech. Rather, it should make it clear that you have a little work to do to ensure that your reliance is managed as responsibly as possible. Know the risks, know how to manage them, and you should be just fine.