Survey Says Employees Want Social Tools at Work

Nearly half of employees report that social tools at work help increase their productivity, but more than 30 percent of companies underestimate the value of these tools and often restrict their use, according to new Microsoft research released today.

The survey, conducted for Microsoft Corp. by research firm Ipsos among 9,908 information workers in 32 countries, also found that 39 percent of employees feel there isn’t enough collaboration in their workplaces, and 40 percent believe social tools help foster better teamwork.

More surprisingly, according to the survey, 31 percent said they are willing to spend their own money to buy social tools.

The research also found distinct differences between countries, sectors and genders as they relate to the levels of productivity, collaboration and communication tools used in today’s workplace.

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“Just as email accelerated the pace of business in the ’90s, enterprise social will be the driver of greater agility and transformation in the 21st century workplace,” said Kurt DelBene, president, Microsoft Office Division.

“As we look ahead at how collaboration and communications continue to evolve, we believe the tools people use today — email, instant messaging, voice, videoconferencing, social — will come together and be deeply integrated into apps in ways that will speed collaboration and truly transform the way people work.”

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These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll of information workers (defined as employed adults working at a company with at least 100 employees who use a PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone for at least 75 percent of their job function) conducted online March 25–April 24, 2013. The findings were released today, May 28.

Photo courtesy: Microsoft