MEA employees prefer better software to more vacation time: report

Freshworks Inc., a software company, released the findings of a report that found IT professionals in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) spend nearly a full work day each week dealing with bloatware – unwanted, overly complicated SaaS add-ons.

This has impacted their productivity (51%), motivation (31%), and desire to resign (23 percent ).

The new State of Workplace Technology: Bloatware – the difference between love and hate for workplace technology report from Freshworks investigates the interactions of over 2,000 global IT professionals with workplace technology. According to it, 40% of MEA respondents report that most of the software provided by their employer does not help them do their job better, and more than half (54%) say their company pays for software products that their IT teams never use, indicating that organizations are currently spending significant amounts on unnecessary overheads.

IT Pros Want More of Less

Despite widespread innovation and a societal shift toward simple, easy-to-use apps, new research shows that bloatware is a persistent and pernicious problem for businesses.

MEA IT professionals report having an average of 7.5 different applications available for use on their work computer, but only actively use half of them, implying that the other half are merely a distraction that reduces overall system performance. Almost every IT professional (91 percent) believes that reducing overall software contracts would benefit their company, citing benefits such as increased productivity (56 percent), cost savings (50 percent), and more enjoyable work (25 percent ).

“It’s clear Middle East users prioritise functionality over features as unnecessarily complex software can be a bane rather than a boon. For businesses, investing in overcomplicated technologies has a threefold negative effect – the costs sunk into implementing the solution, the impact on employee satisfaction, and the subsequent loss of productivity,” Manish Mishra – Head, Middle East & Africa, Freshworks.

“Legacy SaaS providers may have had good intentions by offering more add-ons and features, but the era of complexity has backfired and is bogging down businesses’ ability to deliver,” said Prasad Ramakrishnan, CIO of Freshworks. “As we approach a possible slowdown in the economy, the C-suite is re-examining their tech stack to prioritize solutions that deliver maximum productivity, not complexity and burnout. Bloatware needs to go.”

Gaining the necessary understanding of user preferences, on the other hand, will necessitate a cultural shift that encourages employees to share their experiences and frustrations. Despite costly and frustrating software issues, three-quarters (75%) of MEA IT professionals are hesitant to share feedback on their software. Why? One-fourth do not want to be perceived as a complainer and say their company has a history of ignoring feedback (24%) while 18% do not believe they will be listened to.

Frustrating Software Hurts Motivation and Performance

IT professionals almost universally despise their company software. 84 percent of MEA IT pros are dissatisfied with their company’s software, citing the following as the primary reasons: it slows down their work (36 percent), it lacks flexibility (33 percent), and it requires multiple programs to do their job effectively (28 percent). Worryingly, poor software degrades work performance and morale. Among the notable findings are:

● Contributes to the Great Resignation. Nearly a quarter of MEA IT workers (23%) say being forced to use outdated legacy software makes them want to quit their job.

● Hurts mental health. The large majority (87%) of MEA IT pros are burnt out and nearly half (49%) say they are the most burnt out they’ve ever been in their career. They see bloated software as part of the problem, with 25% reporting that easier-to-use software would help reduce their burnout.

● Better software can be part of the solution. MEA IT professionals say that easier-to-use software (45%) and software that reduces workload (36%) would help reduce burnout.

IT Pros Will Give Up a Lot for Better Software

In the MEA region, 57% of IT professionals dislike using outdated legacy software that is difficult to use. Many people despise the software so much that they are willing to forego benefits, vacation days (47%), more parental leave (36%), and more sick/wellness days (35 percent).

“In an increasingly digital world, business and IT heads need to pay careful attention to the usability, performance, and intuitiveness of their digital platforms. Those that get this right will have their pick of their industry’s top talent as workers gravitate towards organizations that place an emphasis on delivering exceptional digital experiences,” Mishra concluded.

Freshworks recently published Part 1 of its State of Workplace Technology series, titled Workplace technology: The new battleground for the war on talent, productivity, and reputation. It discovered that businesses worldwide face a potential workplace crisis due to inadequate technology, which harms employee productivity, mental health, and the ability to retain talent, with an overwhelming 91 percent of employees reporting frustration due to inadequate workplace technology. Meanwhile, 71% of business leaders agree that employees will consider changing jobs if they do not have access to the tools, technology, or information they need to do their jobs well.