Indian workers using tech tools in a big way, says survey

A global survey conducted among 9,908 respondents spanning 32 countries (including India ) between March 25 and April 24 this year on behalf of software company Microsoft has found that Indian workers are increasingly leveraging tools such as email, instant messaging (IM) and video conferencing, apart from team sites and intranets. 

The survey, conducted by research firm Ipsos, found out that 9 out of 10 Indian workers use emails, followed by 8 in 10 who use IM or video conferencing, while 75 per cent use intranets. The usage of these tools is high among Indian workers than their counterparts elsewhere in the world.

The flip side, according to the survey, is that external social networks, micro blogging sites and internal social networks continue to be out of bounds for a fourth of the workers, the survey added. Further, 7 in 10 workers cited security concerns for the restrictions while 6 in 10 attributed it to productivity loss. Paradoxically, 71 per cent of the respondents felt that social tools have helped in increasing productivity.

Globally, 61 per cent of Asia-Pacific employees said that social tools at work help increase their productivity while 38 per cent feel that their companies underestimate the value of the tools. Interestingly, 45 per cent of the respondents said that would be willing to spend their own money on social tools to improve efficiency.

The survey quoted a social media analyst and founder of  Altimeter Group, Charlene Li as saying, “Employees were already bringing their own devices into their workplaces but now they are increasingly bringing their own services as well.”

The survey said that some employees are facing challenges as their companies are hesitant of implementing social tools. Of the survey respondents, 39 per cent said their IT departments can be a barrier to using new tools, with 74 per cent naming security concerns and 47 per cent citing the fear of productivity loss as the top obstacles in their organizations. As they face these challenges, 23 per cent of employees in the Asia-Pacific region say they have ignored their organization’s IT policy to install social tools, and 32 per cent say they know someone who has ignored it.