Employees willing to take a pay cut for better software and tech at work

After two full years of working remotely, a new survey revealed American employers remain out of touch with their employees’ needs.

The study polled 500 U.S. C-suite and HR professionals to analyze the relationship between employees and their higher-ups and found 44% agreed they’re completely disconnected from their employees’ tech needs.

The survey shows communication is the culprit. More than a quarter of respondents pointed to a lack of communication between departments and from managers to employees as the top things keeping them from addressing their employees’ needs.

Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Paycom, the survey found over half (54%) of those polled said their employees are easily frustrated with outdated workplace technology.

All of these tech mishaps and frustrations lead to an average of three deadlines missed per month by employees.

The top perceived reasons behind employees’ tech complaints included a lack of training opportunities (22%) and too many logins and passwords (21%).

Respondents also identified their employees’ top HR and payroll software-related complaints. One in four cited out-of-date software and slow technology as issues, followed by software that is difficult to use (23%).

In fact, 50% agreed they think their employees would go so far as to take a pay cut if it meant getting better software and tech in the office.

The results found 81% agreed that functioning, up-to-date, user-friendly HR tech improves employee workflows and productivity, and 80% believe it to be a priority in the workplace.

“Employees are essential to the improvement and growth of a company’s bottom line; therefore, ensuring that their needs are met should be a top priority for all businesses,” said Craig Boelte, Paycom’s chief financial officer. “Finding a tech solution that simplifies processes, aids in employees’ day-to-day tasks and enhances productivity and growth within the business is critical to the future of the workplace.”

Three in five respondents agreed that not all of their company’s tech (61%) or HR processes (59%) are being used to the fullest extent by their employees.

Just over 1 in 5 (22%) respondents said relying on outdated processes is the top blind spot in their management.

It’s no surprise that employers' top perceived frustration their employees are facing is burnout and feeling overworked (21%).

“Determining ways to improve processes and technology for our employees is a must. This is especially true if companies want to stand out from the competition and retain top talent,” said Jennifer Kraszewski, vice president of HR at Paycom. “Today’s consumer-grade HR tech focuses on tools that benefit the whole person.”

TOP THINGS THAT PREVENT MANAGEMENT FROM BETTER ADDRESSING THEIR EMPLOYEES’ NEEDS

• Lack of communication between departments - 26%
• Communication between HR and employees - 26%
• Lack of communication between employees and their managers/supervisors - 26%
• Budget - 25%
• Not knowing if they are fully using the software we already purchased - 20%
• Change in management - 19%
• HR isn’t bringing me what I need to make decisions - 17%

TOP PERCEIVED REASONS BEHIND EMPLOYEES’ TECH COMPLAINTS

• Lack of training opportunities - 22%
• Too many logins/passwords - 21%
• Difficulty collaborating with different departments - 21%
• Difficult to use - 20%
• Too many devices/software applications - 20%
• Poor user experience - 18%
• Faulty/slow - 18%
• Out of date - 16%
• Cybersecurity concerns - 16%
• Too many distractions - 16%