The impact of underutilising productivity software

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the level of utilisation of productivity software by staff of the Engineering Faculty of a South African University, and the impact it has on productivity. One of the primary effects of staff underutilisation is time wasted by staff who are doing tasks manually, instead of learning faster methods of doing tasks. It was thought that the use of computers would free staff up from the tedium of everyday manual tasks, effectively giving staff a shorter work day, however the actual impact has been to increase workload, as one can now simply do much more work. Staff have become so accustomed to using technology in every aspect of the daily work life, that they are not able to perform even the most basic function if that particular technology, such as e-mail or the internet, is not working. This study investigates the current skills level of staff in their use of productivity software, as well as what effect their current knowledge has on their ability to do their job effectively. Also to be investigated is how their level of training relates to their current level of knowledge, what tasks are staff not capable of doing, what additional skills do they need to improve their productivity, what type of training would they like to receive. A questionnaire will be used to gather required information about both the general skill level, as well as specific functions in Microsoft Excel and Word, as well as Novell GroupWise.