Technology will have a negative impact on morale and productivity unless it is aligned with business objectives and good people management, says the CIPD report, Technology and People Management: the Opportunity and the Challenge.
The report singles out the potential for technology to restrict employees' freedom and autonomy as a particular concern, and calls on employers to limit the impact of the 'dark side' of technology by involving HR in the design and implementation of new systems.
According to Graeme Martin, author of the report, "Every solution brings with it equivalent problems and technology is no different. But employers have one fundamental choice when implementing a technical system – whether the technology is a tool to empower employees or control them.”
"Too much control may leave employees feeling under surveillance, while too much empowerment may not meet business needs,” he explains. “It is up to HR to highlight these choices and work with designers and implementers of new technologies to ensure there is a balance between empowerment and control."
The report, launched at the CIPD HR Software Show, highlighted other problems with new technologies. These include:
- alienating employees from a lack of face-to-face interaction;
- increasing work intensity due to mobile working technology;
- de-skilling of manual work as technology replaces traditional skills;
- surveillance and intrusion at work through monitoring devices; and
- health and safety problems such as repetitive strain injury, eyesight problems and backache.
Graeme Martin concludes:
The main problem is that many employers do not involve HR in the design and implementation of new technology despite nearly every informed commentator suggesting that technology is the single most important transforming force on work. Employers need to involve HR professionals and encourage them to show interest in the more imaginative uses of technology."