SILICON SLOPES, UT--(Marketwired - May 4, 2017) - Teem, a developer of cloud-based meeting tools and analytics that help workplaces optimize productivity, today released results from its second annual Employee Happiness report, identifying trends related to workplace happiness and demonstrating the importance of better management to enable a more content and productive workforce.
Besides some surprising changes from Teem's 2016 Employee Happiness report, this year's data reveals that almost half of employees are unhappy in their work in part due to poor work/life balance and feeling underappreciated in their role. Although there is excitement around emerging workplace technologies, it is clear that mismanagement of workplace technology can be a contributing factor to employee burnout and poor office communication.
Unhappy workers are bad for business as demonstrated by recent headlines and research. Teem's 2017 report finds that unhappy workplaces are created by poor communication, stifling workplace design, and lack of guidelines concerning communication and tech use when not on the clock, among other factors.
"New technologies are rapidly overhauling everything about how we work. Business must remain flexible to keep pace. Our data shows that employees associate these tools with happiness, and by extension productivity," says Shaun Ritchie, CEO, and co-founder of Teem. "It also shows the value of having proper equipment, usage guidelines and training to avoid burnout."
As organizations scramble to find the best way to create a happy and productive workforce, Teem data highlights what makes employees happiest/happier:
- Millennial Matters: 67 percent of Millennials reported they are "somewhat happy" at work, compared to 55 percent saying they were "very happy" in 2016's survey.
- Burned Out: 48 percent of employees are "somewhat happy" or "unhappy". The leading causes? Feeling underappreciated and poor work/life balance.
- Tech Fail: 49 percent of respondents reported that today's communication tools make them feel obligated to respond to colleagues regardless of where or when.
Generations Collide
As Millennials enter managerial positions, some are feeling less fulfilled. A leading cause for this decline appears to be work/life balance and recognition for a job well done (48 and 46 percent respectively), with Millennials saying these factors most influence their happiness at work. Meanwhile, opinions on the open-office concept vary, with 70 percent of Millennials and 55 percent of boomers saying the shift to the open office plan has made them happier.
- Open Water: 83 percent of Millennials feel that the lack of privacy in an open-office negatively impacts their work
- IT Training: 53 percent of baby boomers say their workplace failed to provide them and new employees with adequate training in new technologies. 64 percent of Millennials report the opposite.
- Automate Me: Millennials are almost twice as excited (58 percent) as boomers (33 percent) to see AI-fueled solutions/automation enter the workplace.
Setup For success?
40 percent of employees value flexibility through digital tools. Yet despite direct correlations between happiness and productivity, 43 percent of employees appreciate their workplace technology offering but supplement with their own additional equipment.
- Best Communication Method: 42 percent of respondents say in-person communication is their preferred collaboration method -- followed by email (19 percent) and phone (8 percent)
- Emerging Tech: Millennials (76 percent) are most excited about the introduction of digital assistants to the workplace while boomers (79 percent) are most excited to see augmented reality enter the workplace
- How Much Automation? 55 percent of male respondents say half or more of their work can be automated, with women more doubtful at 44 percent.
Happiness is...
At an increase of 8 percent from 2016's data, 48 percent of workers are unhappy or only somewhat happy. Although the majority (53 percent) would prefer a salary increase over any other perk, they cite work/life balance (23 percent) and recognition for a job well done (22 percent) as the factors most likely to increase their happiness at work.
- Redesign Time? 51 percent say they have not experienced significant improvement in the quality of their work since their workplace adopted an open office environment.
- Office Drama: 38 percent of employees say conflict resolution is "very important" to happiness.
- Bipartisan Agreement: All generations say their least favorite aspect of the modern workplace is feeling they are always on -- having to quickly respond to a colleague or client no matter the time or day.
"Teem's platform addresses key areas of friction for employees in today's workplace. What we see and hear from our customers and data is that a streamlined workflow is imperative for a happy and productive workplace. The annual Employee Happiness report provides us with even more opportunity to better understand how to develop the best technology and resources for relieving stress and boosting success," said Ritchie.
Teem's 2017 Employee Happiness report is fresh on the heels of Teem introducing voice control to meetings with their Teem skill for Amazon Alexa.
The report is based on responses from over one thousand and three hundred professionals across industries, company size and the U.S. Respondents range in age, gender and professional level.
About Teem
Teem is a cloud-based software and analytics platform for meeting management and analysis that helps companies maximize their workspace and enable their employees to work more efficiently. The platform provides employee-focused meeting tools and activity-driven insights, including eye-catching conference room displays, streamlined visitor management and detailed space use analytics that drive better decisions on space and facilities utilization. To date, the Salt Lake City-based startup has raised over $20 million in capital from NGP, GE, Google Ventures, Greycroft Partners, Zetta Venture Partners, Origin Ventures, and others. The platform integrates with many existing calendar systems, including Google Apps, Microsoft Exchange, and Office 365. For more information on Teem, visit www.teem.com.