Steelcase’s quarterly Workplace Index Survey found that office workers are overwhelmingly not using technology in meetings because of a perception that using such tools is inconvenient and unproductive because of limitations in the physical work environment.
- 82% of the 842 working adults surveyed report spending almost one third of their workweek in either formal or informal meetings.
- 30% of survey participants find tools such as laptops cumbersome and inconvenient to use in meetings.
- 93% percent of those surveyed note that the most traditional tools such as pens, pencils, and paper are still the most commonly used tools in meetings.
Ironically, the survey finds that while mobile technology devices, such as laptops, were created in part to increase workplace efficiency and help facilitate mobile communications, these tools are among the items least often used in meetings. Moreover, such tools are thought by many to be more of a hassle than a means for increased productivity.
Why, then, is it that the majority of the workforce is not utilizing laptops and PCs in meetings? Nearly 1/3 of respondents indicated at least one of the following reasons for not using laptops in meetings:
- It is too much of a hassle
- No access to the company server
- Inconvenient location of outlets or no access to an electrical outlet
Additional information on issues affecting the workplace can be found in the knowledge center on Steelcase’s Web site at http://www.steelcase.com.
Based on a report from officeinsight
