92% of employed people in Malta feel dependent on technology for daily work tasks
92% of Maltese consider themselves dependent on technology for daily tasks, as dependence increased after the pandemic, a Misco survey showed.
Between September and October 2022 a study was published by Misco, with the title, ‘Technology at the Workplace Report,’ which involved 291 individuals employed in Malta who make use of different technologies at their workplace.
The study aimed to determine the impact that technology has on individuals in the workplace, as well as their perception towards different forms of technology for their work, and the impact of technology on their work-life balance.
The survey also addressed aspects of technology in the workplace including aspects related to HR, how modern technology attracts staff and impacts their productivity and how technology is impacting the – remote work productivity.
42% of employees find that technology in their workplace increases their stress and burnout levels, while 41% believe it makes it more difficult for them to achieve work-life balance private.
Misco Director Joanne Bondin noted that reliance on technology has increased during and after the pandemic, particularly for those in a managerial role.
She also noted that the accessibility to different work-related tasks from their phone leaves the individual constantly aware of what is happening at work.
The survey found that 88% of respondents have access to various work-related tasks, including emails and calendars, from their phone. 55% of these find that having access like this makes them constantly aware of what happens at work.
It also showed that 48% check their phone for work-related tasks several times a day outside of their working hours. Men (55%) seem more likely than women (39%) to check their phones for work several times a day.
Most agree that technology has increased their productivity and flexibility, but it has also increased the overall time they spent working, the survey showed.
42% feel that technology has had an impact on their stress and burnout levels, and 46% of respondents said that technology has not impacted their stress levels. 12% said that technology actually helped them reduce stress and burnout levels.
The survey showed that 90% of respondents agreed that technology in the workplace made them more productive, however 64% also agreed that it increased the amount of time they spent working. 41% said technology makes it more difficult to achieve work-life balance.
Similar research conducted by Misco had found that while in some cases, remote working has a positive impact on work-life balance, many end up worrying about work when they are not working and some some also perform work-related tasks in their spare time.
“At this point, I would say that a new framework of self-organization skills is needed to ensure that we manage the technology and not the technology that manages us,” said Bondin.
The survey asked participants to what extent they considered themselves tech savvy on a scale of one to four (one meaning not at all, and four meaning very much). It showed that 54% of respondents rated themselves with a score of three. 36% of men consider themselves to be very tech savvy, but only 18% of women rated themselves with the same score of four.
Bondin noted that if men are more likely to consider themselves tech savvy, meaning they are more confident in their tech skills, then technology could become ‘another glass ceiling for women.’