Do Digital Tools Make Us More or Less Productive at Work?

The world of technology is rapidly evolving. This evolution has further initiated the production of numerous useful digital tools that have now made their way in our everyday lives such as in our domestic life, academic life, personal and professional life. Some of the examples that fall under the category of digital tools include laptops, mobile phones, interactive whiteboards, and tablets. It also includes computer softwares such as video makers and picture editors. 

Due to the many benefits that they provide, digital tools are extensively implemented in workplaces and their use has surged during the COVID-19 era because the majority of the employers, and employees remained in contact with each other through digital tools such as Zoom, Skype, Google Meets, and WhatsApp. With its extensive implementation in workplaces, a question arises, do digital tools make us more or less productive at work? According to a 2013 study conducted by Green and Singleton, digital tools can either increase or decrease a person’s productivity or quality of work depending on the user. However, its pros outweigh its cons. 

In this ever-evolving era, there is no denying the fact that digital tools have made our lives easier in more than a hundred different ways. The laptop I use to write my articles, submit my assignments, attend my virtual University lectures, and watch movies is also a digital tool. The device you’re using to read this article right now is also a digital tool. 

Easy communication. We all want that, don’t we? To be able to communicate with our employers, and employees easily without any distractions? Can we imagine how life would have been if no one had invented digital tools during the COVID-19 era and we had no way of communicating with our employees? Wouldn’t our businesses, companies, and organizations go bankrupt? Easy communication, during a pandemic where the entire world was shut, many people found their passion to work from home with the help of digital tools because they believed that it made their lives easier, made them more productive, and also gave them the freedom to work on flexible hours. In short, COVID-19 has made working from home the “new norm.” And how was all of that possible? With the help of digital tools, of course! 

The trend of remote working has been prevalent even before COVID-19 consumed our lives. According to Global Workplace Analytics, the number of people who work from home has increased by 159% since 2009. By 2028, 73% of the departments are expected to have remote workers. Whereas, remote workers earn an average annual income of $4,000 more than employers who work in traditional office spaces. Approximately 77% of remote workers who work from home reported to be more productive when they’re working from the comfort of their homes. 

Digital tools play a substantial role in many companies, and organizations. And the productivity of an employee is dependent upon his usage of digital tools to complete his tasks in a timely and efficient manner. 

Communication across the globe is also one of the many perks of digital tools, as it becomes a means of communication for people, across the globe irrespective of their time zone or location. For instance, a marketing specialist who might be at the golf field can quickly open his laptop and email his employer the market data he has analyzed the night before so that his manager might use the data for decision-making. 

If used smartly, organizations can use digital tools as a means of earning profits and revenues. For instance, applications of data analysis minimize the amount of time taken and the number of employers involved to work on a specific task thus lowering the costs of labor. With the facilitation of automation for repetitive processes, costs of labor can be reduced with the help of digital technology. In major corporations, there is no need for a supervisor to monitor the employees of a specific department since digital tools have made it easier to track employees. 

We live in an unpredictable era. One minute you’re sitting in the comfort of your homes surrounded by your loved ones. And the next thing you know, a pandemic has struck the entire world and every single human being is affected by this disease, irrespective of their nationality, race, religion, skin color, or ethnicity. 

When 2019 ended, no one would’ve imagined that we’ll have to spend the next year and a half in fear of not stepping out of the house because if we would, a deadly disease would attach itself to us. During these challenging times, some of us lost our friends, and some of us lost our loved ones. Some of us lost our jobs and some of us lost our businesses. Despite all of that, one of the things that kept us connected was digital tools. 

With the help of digital tools, some of us were lucky enough to keep our businesses intact, work for our dream company, attain work experience through remote internships, complete our tasks on time as assigned by our employers, and attend office meetings through virtual platforms such as Zoom, Skype or Google Meets. 

In conclusion, life would have been extensively difficult without the presence of digital tools in our lives and we definitely wouldn’t have been able to complete our works as conveniently, swiftly, and moderately as we do at present.