Participants believe management is not investing enough money into software and hardware
(Oxford, UK, 9th July 2019)– A new global study reveals that nearly half of all employees say that updated office technology would help improve their productivity.
The global research, commissioned by expense management provider Webexpenses, explores workplace attitudes towards technology and the challenges faced by office-based employees during a typical working day.
The survey of more than 5,000 workers across the UK, North America, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, found that 48% of respondents feel frustrated by their employer’s lack of investment in time-saving technologies.
More than a third (38%) said they are still having to use paper-based processes and manual administration methods despite the availability of faster and simpler software alternatives.
An example was the traditional approach to employee expenses. The study found that it takes an average of 24 minutes to create a claim using a manual method – written forms, paper receipts and Excel spreadsheets.
US workers are spending the most time on creating expense claims, an average of 40 minutes, with the shortest average times (17 minutes) found in New Zealand.
Outdated and inefficient
This was just one of the workplace time-wasters revealed to be causing frustrations. Others included time spent arranging business travel and the hassle of having to manually handle invoices.
Adam Reynolds, CEO of Webexpenses, said:
“What’s remarkable about these survey results is the level of frustration and annoyance that’s clearly being experienced by employees.
“People are used to the simplicity and efficiency of digital solutions in their personal lives and that clashes with workplaces where they’re having to shuffle and process mounds of paper.
“Our businesses are rapidly becoming one of the few remaining places where these kinds of outdated and ineffective forms of management are still tolerated.”
Outdated processes, unnecessary meetings and pointless paperwork were found to eat up more than a quarter (26%) of employees’ working time. 40% said manual and outdated admin tasks often prevented them from completing their core work.
There was general discontent with the standard of workplace technology, 40% of respondents described their company’s technology as being ‘woefully outdated’. Dissatisfaction was highest amongst US and UK employees and lowest in Australia and Canada.
Automating business management
Digital systems have virtually eliminated the need for a business to rely on any paper-based or manual processes. Cloud-based management and real-time handling of data has transformed the way information is controlled.
Adam Reynolds added:
“It’s unbelievable that so many businesses continue to make their employees endure these outdated and broken processes.
“It’s not just frustrating for employees, this kind of inefficiency damages productivity, impacts client relations and creates the kind of archaic working environment in which nobody wants to work.
“With digital tools and a willingness to move away from our traditional approaches, we have the power to create happier workers and much more flexible, forward-looking and productive businesses.”
About Webexpenses
Webexpenses is a leading global provider of cloud-based travel and spend management software to businesses of all sizes. The company’s flagship expense management application provides automated financial processes and reporting for seamless digital workflow across company teams. The company’s product line also includes corporate travel management, invoice processing, online payments, and expense audit. The Webexpenses suite can be used as stand-alone products or bundled for a single solution.
With a client retention rate of over 98%, Webexpenses is now tried-and-tested with over 1,500 companies throughout the world, with over 250,000 users. By using Webexpenses, companies typically see savings of up to 10% in travel and expense costs and up to a 25% reduction in processing times.
Webexpenses was founded in 2000 and has offices in the United Kingdom, United States, and Australia For more information, visit webexpenses.com.
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Media contact: press@webexpenses.com
