Technology has been revolutionary for the business world, enhancing scalability and streamlining operations. However, as organizations rushed to adopt new tools during the shift to remote and hybrid work models, an unintended consequence emerged: digital friction.
While technology was meant to simplify work, it’s often complicating it, negatively impacting productivity and employee engagement.
The Reality of Digital Experiences
The concept of digital transformation was particularly pushed to its limits when COVID-19 hit. Organizations rushed to adopt remote and hybrid work models, implementing various digital tools and platforms. While these changes were necessary for maintaining business continuity, many companies now face the unintended consequence of these rapid shifts—decreased productivity, reduced engagement, and frustrated employees.
Knowledge workers today rely heavily on digital tools to perform their daily tasks. Despite this reliance, the quality of digital experiences (DEX) provided by employers has been steadily declining. In fact, 50% of all knowledge workers say that poor DEX negatively impacts their productivity at work, while 18% rate their experience as poor, up from 15% in 2021.
Digital friction is the main culprit behind this trend. It hampers productivity, slows down workflows, and frustrates employees to the point where the work environment becomes demoralizing. Organizations are facing increasing pressure to address these issues to avoid high turnover rates and loss of talent.
What is Digital Friction?
Digital friction, as defined by Gartner, refers to “the unnecessary effort employees must exert to use technology for work.” It manifests in various forms, such as software freezing, excessive toggling between apps, and notification overload. Essentially, digital friction refers to anything that makes digital tools harder to use or less effective, which can severely impact overall productivity
This friction eats away at productivity and engagement. Across industries, this amounts to billions of lost hours and, subsequently, millions of dollars in lost revenue annually.
Examples of Digital Friction:
- 47% of knowledge workers experience frequent application crashes, while 35% struggle with switching between applications
- Knowledge workers waste an average of 5.55 hours per week due to poor technology, leading to billions of lost hours across industries annually.
The Consequences of Poor Digital Experience
The impacts of poor digital experience extend far beyond lost productivity. They also directly affect employee satisfaction and retention rates:
- 43% of workers report reduced job satisfaction due to poor DEX
- 29% of employees have even considered leaving their jobs because of their frustrating digital experience
In an age where attracting and retaining talent is critical to organizational success, these statistics are a wake-up call. Bad digital experiences not only reduce productivity but also contribute to burnout and employee dissatisfaction. Workers who constantly face digital friction become frustrated, disengaged, and ultimately look for opportunities elsewhere.
This high turnover can be especially costly for businesses, not just in recruitment expenses but also in lost institutional knowledge and reduced morale.
When We Asked Our Readers…
In a poll conducted with our readers at HR Brain Pickings, we found some interesting insights into how organizations are currently addressing digital employee experience (DEX):
- 25% of respondents stated that they are proactively working to improve DEX by gathering regular employee feedback.
- 40% admitted to struggling with the adoption of new tools, highlighting the difficulty of implementing change at scale.
These results demonstrate the spectrum of approaches organizations are taking and the critical gaps that exist. While some are taking proactive steps, others are still grappling with how to effectively introduce and integrate new technologies.
The Current State of DEX Focus in Organizations
Despite the growing importance of digital employee experience, many organizations still struggle to prioritize it effectively. A significant number of companies lack dedicated strategies or roles focused on optimizing DEX, resulting in employees navigating poorly integrated tools and experiencing daily frustrations.
This lack of focus ultimately affects productivity, engagement, and overall job satisfaction. Organizations must recognize that improving DEX isn’t just an IT issue; it’s a cross-functional effort that involves leadership, HR, and operations working together to create an environment where technology empowers rather than hinders employees.
The Human Cost of Digital Friction
The consequences of digital friction go beyond numbers and productivity metrics; there is a profound human cost involved. Employees who face digital challenges daily often report higher levels of stress and anxiety. In some cases, the pressure of meeting deadlines while dealing with inefficient tools leads to burnout, as workers struggle to keep up with the demands placed on them.
Moreover, employees want their tools to “just work.” According to a study by 1E, 75% of knowledge workers expressed that they expect IT issues to be resolved before they even become aware of them. Yet, a significant number of organizations still operate reactively, fixing problems only after they become roadblocks.
This gap in expectations versus reality further exacerbates employee frustration and reduces confidence in their organization’s ability to support them.
4 Key Approaches to Improve Digital Employee Experience
Organizations need to take concrete steps to reduce digital friction and improve DEX. Here are four key approaches that can make a significant difference:
Researching and Picking the Right Technology
- When selecting digital tools, it is crucial to thoroughly evaluate multiple options and understand how they will fit into the existing tech ecosystem.
- One common pitfall is adopting new AI-driven technologies without fully understanding the implications for data privacy and security.
Organizations must do their due diligence, perform trials, and choose tools that are secure, scalable, and intuitive.
Setting Reasonable Expectations
- Digital transformation cannot happen overnight. Instead of attempting a complete overhaul, organizations should take a phased approach to adopting new tools.
- By optimizing one tool before moving on to the next, they can reduce digital friction and minimize disruptions.
Employees need time to adapt, and by setting reasonable expectations, organizations can ensure that the transition is smoother and more effective.
Providing Sufficient Training
- Not every employee is a tech expert, and expecting everyone to quickly learn and adapt to new systems is unrealistic. Adequate training is essential for ensuring that employees feel comfortable with new tools and understand their benefits. Social media marketing, for example, is a specialization that requires substantial training and not simply handed to the newest junior employee.
- Organizations should consider incentivizing participation in training programs, and IT teams must be available to provide ongoing support.
Inadequate training has been identified as one of the top causes of digital friction, with employees feeling reluctant to adopt new technologies when they don’t feel adequately supported
Measuring Digital Employee Experience
- Effective DEX management starts with measurement. Organizations must regularly gather employee feedback and analyze key metrics to identify areas of improvement.
- Metrics such as application switching rates, communication efficiency, and tool adoption rates are essential for understanding how well employees are adapting to new technologies.
- According to a survey, 55% of knowledge workers said they are open to their employer using DEX software to gather data if it means improving their working experience from home
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- The AI Literacy Movement | In Conversation with Jeanne Meister
- AI Literacy and Employee Training: Key Insights and Best Practices for HR Leaders
The Importance of a Proactive Approach
Digital friction is not a problem that will solve itself. A proactive approach to improving DEX can provide numerous benefits, from higher productivity to better employee morale. The focus should be on creating a seamless digital environment that enables employees to focus on meaningful work rather than struggling with inefficient tools.
The responsibility to improve DEX doesn’t fall solely on IT; it is a cross-functional effort that includes HR, operations, and even leadership. By ensuring that employees are equipped with the right tools, trained properly, and continuously supported, organizations can significantly reduce digital friction.
Conclusion
The struggle with digital friction is silently undermining the workplace, eroding productivity, and frustrating employees. For companies aiming to stay competitive and retain top talent, improving the digital employee experience must become a priority. By choosing the right technologies, setting realistic expectations, providing sufficient training, and measuring the employee experience, businesses can reduce digital friction and create a more engaged, productive workforce.
To move forward, organizations must recognize that the digital environment they create is just as important as the physical office environment. By investing in digital employee experience, companies can ensure that their workforce is empowered, engaged, and equipped to meet the challenges of the modern workplace.
