Impact Of Monotonous Work And Complex Software On Your Employee’s Mental Health At The Workplace

The use of technology has increased more than ever after COVID-19. Many employees are forced to work from home only on their laptops, iPad, MacBooks and other devices, which has increased their screentime and caused excessive burnout and stress. A European Commission survey found that more than half of the 147 million workers in the European Union complained of working at a very high speed and under tight deadlines. Mental health is a key aspect to follow at the workplace for employees and employers. After the pandemic, the mental health issue has received enormous attention as employees are at risk of job stress, which affects their performance productivity at work. According to the American Institute of Stress report, 40% of workers state that their job is extremely stressful.

Even though there are many disadvantages of using the software at the workplace, in a State of Software survey 2019, more than half of the employees were unhappy because of the software they are using. And it is stated that when employees are unhappy and de-motivated, the quality of work decreases. About a quarter of employees said that the software they are using at work has made them consider leaving their jobs. The survey also indicated that about 1 in every 8 employees had quit a job because of mismatched software. About 95% of respondents said they would be more satisfied if they had better software tools at work. 62% of workers felt that they were not reaching their absolute maximum of work performance because of software mismatch. Half of all employees surveyed said they would prefer having more control over software decisions at work, leading to employee happiness. More than half of all employees stated that they use more software tools now than they did 2 years ago. Thus, making the process even more difficult and time-consuming.

Main disadvantages of using complex screen software

• Requires extensive training and support for months to get familiar with all software features. Some software is not user-friendly and is difficult to use, which gets hectic.
• Time-consuming and a large amount of time spent on-screen can affect the eyesight of workers. Complex screen software is slow and glitches of the time, which lead to employees facing the excessive burden of operating software.
• Complex screens can lead to confusion and burnout. Therefore, stress can lead to a decrease in efficiency at work, further decreasing employees’ productivity, leading to low levels of happiness.
• Costs increase in setting up and installation of the software. There are more costs for maintenance and customising the software according to the needs and demands of the company.  

Low levels of support and performance pressure to utilize the complex software can increase workload, making employees tired, overwhelmed and demotivated. Job insecurity can also be a major factor for employee’s stress and mental health at work. Poor mental health has many consequences: lack of focus, inability to face challenges, low levels, communication issues and poor decision making. Employees can also miss meetings. Not adhere to company policies and feel emotionally exhausted all the time. Bad software can cause employee disengagement. Gallup’s State of American Workplace report shows that 51% of workers are not engaged, and 16% are actively disengaged. Therefore, employees are less likely to contribute to their companies and more likely to miss deadlines.  

Ways to improve mental health at the workplace

• Practice health coping activities at the workplace, such as deep breathing, take a walk away from complex software screens, engage in team communication, and share your experience. Listen to positive ted-talks, podcasts and use techniques like EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique).
• Employees should encourage employees to participate in the Employee assistance program (EAP), which can help employees talk about their work-related problems and increase job performance and well-being.
• Employers can develop relaxation spaces that are quiet and self-reflective for employees to take breaks and de-stress themselves with these calm and open spaces.
• Employers can also provide health insurance with mental health benefits at no-costs. They can arrange free or subsidized clinical screenings for mental health issues and provide them with certified psychological coaches or therapists.  
• Employees can also motivate themself to engage in self-care activities like having healthy meals, exercising regularly, getting a good amount of sleep and fixing a daily personal care routine which would lead to happiness.

In conclusion, companies should opt for the right software for their employees as poor mental health can lead to poor job performance, disengaged employees, high turnover, low productivity levels, decreased profits, lack of motivation and poor decision-making. According to a study by 1E, US companies wasted about $30billion on unused software for about four years. The data was gathered on 1800 software applications installed on 3.6million desktops in 129 companies. And a total of $30 billion was wasted on bad software alone in the USA. Companies need to gather honest feedback regarding the software to achieve employee satisfaction. This can save a lot of time and money for the company. Therefore, decreasing mental health and productivity issues in the company. Businesses should make relevant changes for the betterment of their employees and their mental health. Businesses can make more software choices as it is the era of digital transformation.

UBIQHR gives you a simple and minimal design approach for your HR team. It is easy to utilize and does not require any previous training or support. UBIQHR keeps in mind employees’ mental health as a priority and their satisfaction at the workplace to operate on software smoothly.