Gen Zers are nearly twice as likely than other generations to usetechnology for personal reasons during the day, while millennialsare most apt to play games while on the clock. (Photo:Shutterstock)

Workers and managers alike are apt to overuse technology tocommunicate to coworkers while on the job – andeven after-hours, according to the report, “Technology and the Employee Experience: HowTechnology Impacts Your Most Important Asset,” by Randstad USand Future Workplace.

“One consequence of the ability to connect from anywhere is thatemployees often blend work and non-work activities throughout theday,” the authors write. “Instant access also tempts employees tojuggle work responsibilities when off the clock or on vacation. Onthis front, employers must provide guidance and promote healthytechnology habits for teams at all levels.”

Related: Enough with the after-hours workemails!

The survey of more than 1,200 U.S. human resources leaders, linemanagers and employees found that many people find it easier todeal with work conflicts through words on a screen thanface-to-face conversation. Indeed, the majority (56 percent) ofboth managers and employees say they prefer to handle stickysituations digitally, and more women (57 percent) than men (48percent) feel this way as well.

Gen Zers are nearly twice as likely than other generations touse technology for personal reasons during the day, with 60 percentchecking their devices, while millennials are most apt to playgames while on the clock. Interestingly, managers are most likelyto be the ones going online for entertainment during the workday,with 37 percent of them doing so.

Eight percent of managers and nearly a quarter (23 percent) ofemployees say they're unsure whether companies promote healthytechnology habits.

“This gap highlights the fact that more guidance is needed whenit comes to technology use in the workplace,” the authors write.“Developing guidelines around the healthy use of technology canevolve into an important aspect of organizational culture andemployer branding — and that, in turn, can help with recruitment,engagement and retention.”

Healthy use of technology for work must extend to after hours,according to the report.

The vast majority (87 percent) of managers check email afterwork with some frequency, while just 13 percent rarely or nevercheck. On the other hand, far fewer employees are keeping tabs onwork-related projects and assignments after hours, with 48 percentfrequently or sometimes checking in. Men (67 percent) are morelikely to stay connected after working hours than women (59percent).

Broken down by generation, nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of GenZers check in when not on the job, whereas over half of Gen Xers(56 percent) and baby boomers (62 percent) say they rarely or neverreconnect after they leave the workplace.

When asked if their managers expect them to answer emails ortake meetings after office hours, most employees (67 percent) sayno. Thirty percent of men feel they need to be available, comparedonly 18 percent of women.

Gen Zers feel most obligated to show up online after hours,while just 23 percent of millennials, 21 percent of Gen Xers and 10percent of baby boomers say their managers expect them to be oncall after hours.

While managers may support extended time away, over half (53percent) have some expectation that team members reply to businessmessages while out of office. A full one-third (33 percent) ofmanagers expect employees to always or very often reply, and 20percent sometimes want to hear back from employees who are onvacation.

As a result, many employees (43 percent) feel compelled toalways, very often or at least sometimes reply to managers'requests while they're on vacation. Gen Zers most apt to respond to workemails while on holiday, with 68 percent at least sometimesresponding to work-related messages.

“Instant access to collaboration and productivity tools meansboth managers and employees may feel pressure to check in, evenwhen they're not officially on the job,” the authors write. “And ifemployers aren't clear about their expectations for after-hourscommunications, employees may not know how and when they'reexpected to be 'on.'”

While 43 percent of managers' organizations have establishedpolicies about after-hours communications, only 18 percent ofemployees say they are aware of them.

“This gap indicates that organizations need to not only defineexpectations, but also communicate those expectations to allemployees,” the authors write.

Other key findings from the survey include:

• A majority (63 percent) of employers say that online skillsassessments are the most effective tech solution for screeningcandidates, and 37 percent say online tests not only help them makesmarter hiring decisions, but increase efficiency andspeed-to-fill. However, fewer than 40 percent of employers say thesame of artificial intelligence and chatbots. Half of employeessurveyed have taken an online skills test during their job search,while only six percent say they have interacted with AI whilelooking for a job.
• Nearly all (94 percent) employers at least sometimes offer orpay for training opportunities for employees to learn new skillsspecific to their role, and 40 percent say they provide blendedlearning models that combine technology touchpoints and in-persontraining. Of these blended learning models, the most commonapproaches are one-on-one coaching (45 percent), instructor-ledon-site training (43 percent), computer-based training (40percent), peer mentoring (39 percent) and hard-copy trainingmanuals (36 percent). However, only a fourth of companies say theyprovide the same learning opportunities to remote workers.
• The majority (66 percent) of managers say they've had a newhire accept a job offer, only to back out before the start date. A third (34percent) of Gen Zers say they have accepted and then reneged on joboffers, compared to only 13 percent of baby boomers.

“Companies can prevent this by developing processes for engagingnew hires during the interval between formal acceptance and startdates,” the authors write. “Unfortunately, however, nearlyone-third (30 percent) of companies say they don't have suchprocesses in place.”

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