20 Jul Tips for Introducing New Technology to Your Employees
Change can be challenging for many people. This can be doubly true in the workplace, where people often want to get in and get their work done with as little friction as possible. This is one reason that the fallacy that follows from we’ve always done it this way, that it should continue to be done that way forever, is often so rife in this environment. If you aren’t careful with the introduction of new technology, you can find yourself with a rebellion on your hands. The following tips can help you avoid that and introduce the changes brought by tech in a way that is embraced by all rather than rejected.
Communicate
Pushback can be frustrating when you know very well that ultimately, the tech will bring improvements to everyone, but the onus is on you to effectively communicate that fact. You don’t need to and shouldn’t deceive employees if there is in fact a big learning curve or if it’s going to slow down productivity for a while, but you do need to emphasize the positive elements and demonstrate how it will ultimately benefit them. Make sure it is clear to them as well that if productivity does become an issue during the ramp-up, workers will not be penalized for it. Acknowledge that there may be issues and reassure them that you will work with them to resolve those issues. If it’s going to cause them problems beyond what happens in-house, such as slowing down their ability to respond to customer complaints, talk about workaround or find ways to provide additional support as everyone gets up to speed.
Understand Employee Needs
There is often a gap between what employees think they need and what business owners and executives see as a need. It can be easy to feel tempted by shiny new tech, but it’s also important to ask who it will serve. On the other hand, you may need to face employee resistance even when making an upgrade that you know is necessary. This might be the case with something like fleet tracking software, which can allow fleet managers to use real-time GPS data for tracking. This is where it becomes your job to demonstrate the benefits to everyone. With the additional data that you are able to gather, you could offer incentives for superior performance.
Listen to Feedback
As a business owner or manager, support is required for success, and it’s absolutely true that you have a bird’s eye view of operations that can provide insights that people working on a smaller part of the whole may not have access to. At the same time, be careful that you don’t barrel through with change on the assumption that any resistance is unfounded. They have valuable insights as well. Listen to what your workers are telling you, and take some time to mull over their feedback. Even if you ultimately decide to go forward with the tech upgrade, this signals to them that you are open to hearing criticism and can create a more positive environment as you manage any initial difficulties and growing pains that come from adopting the new tech.
