Top Job Recruits Demanding Modern IT Devices, Technology

The lingering presence of IT legacies is taking a toll on corporate staff recruitment and retention efforts, according to a recent survey from Insight Enterprises and Harvard Business Review Analytic Services. The resulting report, titled “The Connected Workforce,” reveals that most companies are deriving solid value from investments in new end-user devices—investments that prove critical in attracting top talent. But they’re also saddled with “old” solutions and systems that cause employee attrition. More than 240 U.S. executives, managers and consultants took part in the research. The following slide show features highlights from the survey, with charts provided courtesy of Insight Enterprises and Harvard Business Review Analytic Services.

The report reveals that 63 percent of survey respondents said their organization is reaping good value from its investments in end-user devices, including desktops, workstations, laptops and mobile devices. This proves essential for recruiting, as 58 percent said it is increasingly common for job candidates to take into account the technology/devices provided by a potential employer in deciding where they want to work.

Nearly one-half of respondents said their company does a good job of giving employees access to state-of-the-art apps and devices to help them do their jobs better. But “old school” issues persist, as 51 percent of respondents said that outdated office technology is impeding their organization’s ability to retain talent with high-value skills.

Budgetary constraints create the most imposing challenges in attempting to equip employees with the best-available tech to support their work and productivity, as cited by 55 percent of respondents. Other top challenges include the presence of legacy on-premises systems that don’t mesh with current solutions (as cited by 44 percent of respondents), security concerns (34 percent) and the fact that IT is too busy supporting legacies to introduce newer tech (30 percent).

The presence of disparate information systems throughout an organization poses the biggest barrier to employees connecting and collaborating via tech tools, as cited by 44 percent of respondents. Other major barriers include a lack of the following: staffer training/education (as cited by 40 percent of respondents), adequate tools (37 percent) and IT support/budgeting/resources (37 percent)

When asked what employees want from their organization’s tech and IT support, 63 percent of respondents said they’d like more opportunities for self-service access to critical knowledge and data. One-half said workers would like to choose their own device.

Employees also want to see more self-service setup and installation of software and devices, as cited by 45 percent of respondents. And 43 percent said staffers are asking for more self-service opportunities to upgrade software and devices.

To improve organizational collaboration, productivity and/or security over the next two years, 45 percent of respondents said their company will migrate and/or update some legacy apps (such as email, calendars and analytical tools) to cloud-based platforms. The same percentage said their company will introduce more self-service and automation features.

In another attempt to improve organizational collaboration, productivity and/or security over the next two years, 34 percent of respondents said their company will invest in a digital innovation (or modern management) road map. More than three of 10 businesses are expected to invest in the training of the workforce on the use of collaborative tools.

Ultimately, companies invest in tech for end users so they can boost their ability to compete, and, toward this end, 63 percent of respondents said these investments improve their products and services. The same percentage said they reduce operating costs, while 35 percent said they help them attract and retain customers.