The shift to cloud computing and various digital technologies can be confusing for some members of staff. Baby boomers and some Gen Xers in particular, struggle to stay on top of disruptive technologies. The rapid pace at which IT changes these days can be confusing and frustrating.
To be fair, the moans and groans from employees are justified. It feels as though office workers have to learn how to reuse a new tool every 6 months. Or a software update changes the layout of the interface and moves a tool to a different part of the menu.
However, training your employees to embrace the latest technologies could help them approach work life with a different mindset. Studies show that when people understand why they accept changes easier and adapt to new ways of working more quickly.
When employees understand what is being asked of them – and it makes sense – they are less resistant to change. As a matter of fact, they embrace the change and buckle down to learn new skills or ways of working.
So what are the key areas your employees could do with a little guidance? Of course, that probably looks different for various companies but the two big hitters are cloud software and cybersecurity.
Cloud Office Tools
Cloud computing permeates the business and although new tools and one-click interfaces are supposed to increase productivity, it feels like the small increments in time that you do save up is suddenly lost as soon as the software company performs an update or releases a new version of their software.
For example, the latest Microsoft 11 update moved the video editor into the photos app and hid it behind the video editor tab which has been relocated and is barely noticeable.
You then have to edit the video you want in a video editor and move it to a movie maker to stitch your video together. In the previous version, you could do all that in a video editor. Infuriating.
Fortunately, information about software updates is available online – typically published by the software company. IT support that is on the ball could identify where changes will be made and roll out training to individuals they feel will need it once the update goes live.
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity is arguably the most important area of IT support that employees need training. It is estimated that around 95% of successful data breaches occur because an employee was not aware of a malicious threat.
Malware can be planted in malicious links and downloadable documents. Once a virus is on a device, hackers can access sensitive information by covertly acquiring login details.
Strategies to help companies protect their sensitive data from malicious actors have been particularly disruptive. Cloud permissions prevent employees from accessing certain files, so having to wait for authorization and multi-factor authentication can feel like an unnecessary step to staff who don’t understand why it is critically important to defend your business network.
However, the number of staff that do not receive cybersecurity training is alarming. One study found that more than 50% of employees did not know that clicking on a malicious link could infect their devices with a virus.
Another survey found that 67% of employees that participated admitted to not fully adhering to cybersecurity policies at least once out of 20 times they are subjected to cybersecurity protocols.
