The Advantages and Disadvantages of Technology in the Workplace

Jessica Toyber

January 23rd

      Succeeding the innovation of the printing press in the mid 15th century, the human race has been captivated with the conceptualization of technology. In modern day society, people live day by day in the handcuffs of technology. Unable to peel their eyes from their IPhone screen, Mac laptop, Kindle, e.t.c., the general public has forgotten what human existence consists of apart from high tech gadgets and fancy apps on a touch screen phone. Technology has transformed from an enchanting notion that humans once considered impossible to a tool of basic survival. Is human dependence on technology necessarily as corrupt as certain age groups in society make it out to be? Is human dependence on technology going to lead to our eventual demise?

    

    useoftechnology.com, a resourceful site that explains the use of new and common technology and keeps the world updated on progress within the technological field, recently posted an article weighing the pros and cons of technology in the workplace. Almost every single company (small business, large scale, e.t.c.) requires expertise in the technical field to make sure the job is done as smoothly and efficiently as possible. Whether it’s dealing with a banker or an engineer or even the manager at a front desk, technological skills are required to display an individual’s proficiency in a job environment.

   Having technology in a work environment has spurred ingenuity between co workers, allowed humans to accomplish an assortment of responsibilities at once (thereby accentuating performance for the entire company), permits people to carry out career tasks from a home location, and improves communication between different sectors in the work place. Using a variety of business technologies helps a community of workers expand and develop their business and optimize their enterprise’s reputation. Technology has turned a job made for ten people into a job made for one. The demand for manpower has turned into the demand for mechanical power. The negative side to more machine power is that less human power is needed to be exerted, therefore less humans are needed to accomplish a task(less jobs). Technology has closed the gap between job and home, by allowing employees to carry out the corresponding assignment from the comfort of his or her own home. With this new improved work strategy, the stress and burden of a person’s work day is alleviated. A relaxed worker is a more efficient worker, which overall benefits his or her company. Technology can network people in business together, and allow humans to collaborate their ideas without having to be in the same room. Partnership between different companies allows room for beneficial growth for not only one company, but two.

   Although the benefits of technology seem to be limitless, the negative connotation of technology in the workplace is equally as perpetual. The underlying opposing factor against technology is distraction. How efficient is a worker who spends every twenty minutes checking his or her iPhone, ordering clothing off of the internet, or browsing through Google endlessly? Technology also causes the maintenance cost for a company to skyrocket. A preponderance of small businesses cannot afford to keep sustaining their technological bill while being efficient and productive in their company. Technology creates a sluggish environment, which creates comatose and ineffectual workers. What’s the point of having a computer that can allow one person to exert the work of ten people if that one individual is wasteful and incompetent? The relationships in the workplace are severely affected, as employees are focusing more of their energy into typing a message then saying it face to face.

   Whether technology in the workplace is a blessing or a curse is up to personal opinion, nevertheless, the businesses in America would be nowhere near where we are today if it wasn’t for the gift of electronics. In a modern, robotics based society, human beings must accept the integration of technology into our world with welcome arms while keeping the negative factors in mind. One of the most important and executive decisions an enterprise can make is whether or not they choose to use technology, what best way to optimize their technological use, and who to rely on behind the face of a computer. The choice is all yours.