Workers are getting depressed by everyday tech challenges - could AI be the answer?

• Teamviewer finds one in three workers expect tech friction to rise over the next 12 months
• UK, US and India are among the worst-affected, Germany among the most comfortable
• AI could be the solution - but workers need to be supported

New research from TeamViewer has revealed the correlation between tech and worker satisfaction, which could be having much broader knock-on effects on revenue and workforce turnover.

The company’s Impact of Digital Friction report found nearly half (46%) of UK businesses blame digital friction on slowing their work down, with even more (55%) experiencing delays to critical projects due to IT issues.

Furthermore, around one-third (30%) of UK workers expect digital friction to increase over the next year.

Digital friction is costing companies revenue and staff

Businesses in the UK (46%), US (50%) and India (65%) are most likely to report revenue losses due to IT inefficiencies, putting them ahead of the global average (42%). On the flip side, Germany (33%) seems to have sussed out what works and what doesn’t, seeing a much lower rate of revenue loss.

In the UK specifically, nearly half (47%) say tech frustration can contribute to employee turnover. One in three (31%) have even seen colleagues go as a result of poor tech offerings, and a similar number (27%) have considered leaving themselves.

“Our findings show that reducing digital friction can have an enormous impact on both performance and morale,” Strategic Technology VP Andrew Hewitt wrote.

TeamViewer sees AI tools playing a role in dealing with tech friction – 52% of workers are open to AI handling routine IT tasks like troubleshooting and password resets already.

“When organisations embrace AI-powered connectivity and smarter IT systems, they can remove barriers, give people back valuable time, and create a smoother, more rewarding work experience,” Hewitt added.

Besides integrating AI into more workflows, companies must also provide better user training and onboarding to keep workers in the loop, giving them a higher sense of purpose and belonging.

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