Technology, in its many forms, is now integral to the world of business. Long gone are the days when an internet presence wasn’t necessary for a company to function and grow.
Tech tools are now core parts of every department, stretching from marketing and sales to finance and HR. With how integral technology has become, employees that know how and why to utilize it are much more valuable within the workplace.
That said, not all your workers will have a tech background, nor will they be particularly tech-savvy. Instead of only hiring people that have a background in coding or IT skills, you can always turn to educate your workforce on tech skills. Digital literacy comes in many forms, meaning this won’t be a one-size fits all solution for everyone.
In order to help convert your business culture into one that thrives on and readily uses technology, we’ve constructed this article. We’ll dive into why you should push for a technologically aware workplace culture, as well as share some tips to help you get started.
Let’s dive right in.
Why Does Your Workforce Need Tech Literacy?
As we move further into this digital age, the importance of using technological tools and platforms on a daily basis has only become further apparent. Manual processes are quickly being automated, and businesses around the globe are turning toward big data and AI technologies.
In fact, an incredible number of businesses currently invest in big data, demonstrating just how global this strategy has become.
Businesses that turn to technology and embrace it as a core part of their operational workflows are able to access a number of benefits:
- Improved Workflows – Integrating technology into your workflows can automate a number of processes, saving everyone time.
- Data-Driven – Employees that understand the value of data and are able to use tech tools to draw meaning from it are able to increase efficiencies in their day-to-day operations.
- Reduced Costs – By speeding up processes, the cost of certain activities within your business will go down. This will save your company money in the long run.
If the largest and most successful companies in the world are turning to tech, why should your business lag behind? Creating a tech-first culture can be a powerful way to rejuvenate your current operations. Here are a few strategies to get you started:
Encourage Testing, Exploration, and Experimentation of Tech Tools
One factor that typically holds employees back when it comes to developing tech skills is the fear of failure. By creating a space within your company where new tools, systems, platforms, and ideas can be tested out, your employees will be much more likely to engage with technology.
Ensure that employees are open to learning about new tools. Instead of shying away from change, make this a point of culture for your business. Being able to incorporate new technology into your daily operations will help people build up exposure to different tools.
Over time, experimentation with many different tech tools can set the tides in motion, helping your workforce to become much more confident with technology.
Turn To Available Online Content
Millions of videos and articles are published every single day. In any given 24-hour period, millions of new articles are posted online (of course, this figure is going to explode now that ChatGPT-4 is out). That’s not to mention the millions of minutes of video content that are uploaded for those that prefer a visual education. With this huge quantity of content being posted, it’s no wonder that there’s great educational content within arms’ reach.
By turning to online content and pointing your employees to certain sites, you can help to foster an interest in technology. Online content also means that your employees can access videos and articles at their own pace, which will help to increase their attentiveness and decrease the pressure around learning.
Equally, just by checking out some of the videos from top tech YouTube channels, your workforce will be able to learn about any number of topics. With the sheer quantity of videos that are uploaded onto the internet every single day, you’ll be able to find a number of places to start with. Most of the time, certain YouTube channels will focus on specific areas of tech.
By building up a list of recommended channels for each tech concept, you’ll be able to then offer better suggestions to any employees that want to learn more. Most of the time, the first step toward helping employees to learn more about technology is demonstrating just how easy it can be. With something as accessible as online content, especially via a service like YouTube, you’ll have no trouble demonstrating this.
Make sure you don’t count out online content just because it’s freely accessible. There are thousands of tech channels out there which masterfully teach tech courses. Free access doesn’t necessarily suggest that the quality of that education is bad or worse than a paid course.
Focus on What Tech Can Do For Your Employees
If your employees don’t understand the need for tech tools, they’re going to be very reluctant whenever you bring a new one to your tech stack. In order to overcome this potential barrier, it’s a good idea for management to always introduce new tech utilities along with their intended benefits.
Instead of showing what a tool does, demonstrate how its function will aid individual team members. Maybe a tool is going to help automate a lengthy process and save time. Alternatively, a tool could simply help streamline intra-team communication.
Whatever the benefits of the new tech tool are, make sure that you’re focusing on them above all else. For a company culture that isn’t currently interested in tech, nothing will be more emotive than showing why they should care about the most recent addition to your stack.
If you showcase the direct benefits to the employee above all else, you’ll be on the right track to bring people over to your side.
Final Thoughts
Tech literacy isn’t something that you can inspire or build overnight. Especially on a cultural level within your business, you’ll often have to provide ongoing support to really see the changes you want. That said, by incorporating the tips that we’ve outlined in this article, you’ll be in a much better position going forward.
Whether you’re trying to increase tech literacy to prepare for the future, to speed up operations, or simply to help educate your workplace, there are a number of powerful reasons to start this cultural shift. Going forward, be sure that you make tech literacy a core part of your business. Managers, employees, customers, and business leaders will all benefit from this new focus.
