Employees in Singapore are increasingly feeling the pressure of technology adoption in the workplace.
With accolades such as one of the countries with the highest Smartphone penetration in the world and the highest internet penetration in Southeast Asia, Singapore is primed for technological adoption and breakthroughs in the workplace.
According to the Randstad Q1 2016 Workmonitor report, technology is on the top of mind for Singapore employees, is it for better or for worse?
In Singapore, 84 per cent of employees noted that the digitisation of the workplace has had a major impact on work, higher than the global average which revealed that 80% of respondents felt this way.
With the speed of technological adoption in the workplace, 89% of Singapore’s respondents noted that they felt the need for additional training to be able to keep up with technological developments.
With the global average pegged at just 69 percent, Singapore’s high exposure to new digital processes and tools could be the underlying factor as to why respondents feel the increasing need for training.
Eight in ten Millennials aged between 18 and 24, despite being natives of the digital world, felt they needed digital training. Respondents aged between 35 and 44 seem to be feeling under pressure with these developments, as 94 percent felt the need to stay up to date.
Daljit Sall, Associate Director, Randstad Technologies noted, “Singapore has truly become a hotbed for technological adoption with both large multinationals and small to medium sized businesses eager to utilise new technologies in all aspects of their businesses.”
“With this rapid adoption of technology, scope for job roles are becoming increasingly blurred as candidates are required to be able to carry out digital work, in addition to their more traditional work requirements. Considering the high demand for digital skills, Singapore’s employees are feeling the need for additional training,” Sall noted.
Despite the increased speed and connectivity that technology has offered the workplace, respondents felt strongly that rather than bringing colleagues and external work contacts closer to them, it has in fact distanced them.
The Q1 Workmonitor results indicate that 62 percent Singapore employees felt that technology has decreased the number of personal interactions with colleagues, compared to 46 percent globally. In terms of interactions with external work contacts, 79 percent felt that face-to-face interactions dropped, compared to 60 percent globally.
A high percentage of 90 percent state that, they feel a face-to-face meeting is the best way to interact with someone. These insights are helpful when introducing new tech solutions for your employees, and helping them to understand how to balance tech and touch in the workplace.
