Every company finds technology useful – eventually. But getting employees to fully use and accept new hardware or software can determine how comfortable they are with technology in general.

Most companies have at least some differences among employees when it comes to technology. Some employees can’t wait to get their hands on the latest technologies, often viewing them not only as a productive tool but also as an extension of themselves. Their first uses of technology — whether email, instant messaging, video games, or the latest apps — have morphed into a wide array of high-tech applications they seem unable to live without.

These people thrive on mastering and learning new technology and are most likely to use it at its fullest potential. They are the ones you often see multitasking between several applications.

On the other side of the divide are the employees who aren’t so eager. They may be less skilled or uncomfortable with technology, and in some cases, they may even be intimidated by it. As a result, they tend to resist electronic tools and new software that threaten or disrupt their comfort zone. They may also be dismissive of their techno-enthusiasts colleagues and suspicious about using texting applications and social media on company time.

These employees, of course, use technology, but they often learn at a pace slower than their counterparts. They may also be more inclined to want to know only the parts of a technology that help them with their jobs, and they may be less inclined to venture beyond any initial training.

As a business owner, however, it is in your best interests to try to bridge these technological gaps so that your associates can become more efficient, in turn boosting your organization’s value and profits.

Despite any techno-cultural differences, most employees do recognize that high-tech electronics can help them in their jobs. To a degree, they welcome it. In many cases, even for the most resistant, new applications eventually become normal.

For example, receiving and sending data electronically, communicating by e-mail, managing documents without paper were once cutting-edge technology. But now they are common. Many employees on both sides of the technology divide have managed to adopt and adapt to cell phones and, in many cases, to smartphones.

Make Training a Priority

To help make technology a company-wide positive attitude, you must start from the top down. Supervisors and managers must be taught that technology training is a priority:

  • Saves time by making employees more efficient;
  • Increases revenue and cuts costs, and
  • Leverages the money spent on new hardware and software.

Once managers start to realize this, they can help create an environment where all employees, including the most resistant, can be persuaded into accepting new work methods.

Social Media

The technology gap at your company can be most obvious when it comes to using social networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn. Some employees see these sites as productive work tools, others view them as time-wasting activities or even inappropriate.

Your company can help bridge these differences with training that shows how social networking can help market the business and make it more profitable in the end. Properly trained employees can become skilled in:

  • Using social networking platforms as a tool for generating new business,
  • Provide useful feedback on how to improve recruitment and marketing by using online tools, and
  • Researching the websites of your company’s top rivals and offering tips on how to make your online presence more competitive.

Six Training Tips

Here are six tips to incorporate into training that can help motivate everyone to get on board when your company wants to make productive use of new technology:

  1. Make sure any administrativestaff understands the technology and its importance to the bottom line and efficiency of your organization.
  2. Bring employees together at least once to go over the plan in place. Explain the reasons for the change and any specific benefits of the technology. Outline your expectations and answer questions completely and clearly.
  3. Keep training sessions short— 60 to 90 minutes at the most. Focus on narrow topics. Give employees time to digest what they have learned and see how it helps them in their day-to-day.
  4. Try to compartmentalize training without making groups into obvious age-differentiated categories. If able, identify their training needs by skill sets. The more technologically inclined employees can go into a session and learn all the functions of the new applications quickly. Another session can be set up for employees who are less comfortable with technology. Trainers can go slow with them, focusing on just what they need to know to do their jobs efficiently. Once they learn that, then they can move on to other important functions of the applications. The point is to have them learn at their own pace.
  5. Recognize that some employees may need training individually. For one thing, they may feel their questions are wrong and avoid asking them in front of their colleagues. Some may be too slow in grasping the technology that they hold the others back. Maybe consider letting some of the more skilled employees coach the others. Carefully select and train those that you want to be coaches and follow up consistently throughout the process. This type of mentoring lets the resistant employees learn in a more comfortable environment, and it also gives the coaches some practice with the application.
  6. Encourage employees unfamiliar with using the new technology to reach out to their more skilled colleagues to learn how to navigate the new practices in their day-to-day routines, as well as encouraging the skilled employees to be more receptive to help those who need it.

Hoberman & Lesser’s NYC accountants serve a broad cross section of businesses, ranging from publicly held companies, to private sector businesses, to individual entrepreneurs throughout New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, and across the United States. To schedule a complimentary and confidential consultation with a member of our team, please contact us.