ANZ employees open to next-gen tech in the workplace

Employees across Australia and New Zealand are more open to the idea of advanced training technologies such as automation, augmented reality, robots and artificial intelligence, according to a recent survey by tech firm Genesys.

Those in ANZ had the highest combined positive attitude towards technology in the workplace (88%), compared to other countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Germany.

Nearly 75% of ANZ respondents stated one of the main reasons for embracing technology in the workplace was for greater efficiency.

Further, 45% of Australians and 49% of New Zealanders appreciated specific tools such as AI and bots, because they believe it enables them to focus on other things.

Full time workers were up to 8% more willing to be trained by some forms of technology compared to part time workers. Only 33% believe AI will have a positive impact on their jobs in the next five years, despite 54% believing they already have the skills to be able to work in an AI-enabled workplace.

"We are seeing an increase in ANZ companies looking for innovative ways to implement technology to improve their current processes. The demand for providing fast, efficient and reliable service is growing, and the way to meet this demand is to seamlessly blend AI technologies with human support," comments Genesys ANZ managing director Gwilym Funnell.

"As our region is smaller and more agile than many other markets, we find the vast majority of businesses and employees are open to change, and it's wonderful to see the results of our truly progressive workforce.

The majority (58%) of respondents believe their organisation should have an ethical policy concerning the use of AI and bots in the workplace.

What's more, 62% of ANZ employees also felt companies should be required to maintain a certain number of human employees, and 90% feel their employers should invest in training to help them upskill and make the most of advanced technology.

Across ANZ:

•    43% indicated they would be willing to be trained by an AI/bot
•    44% indicated they would be willing to be trained by a human-like robot powered by AI
•    67% indicated they would be willing to use a virtual/digital assistant to help manage tasks and deadlines
•    67% indicated they would be willing to use AR or VR technology for job training
•    25% of ANZ respondents have never felt threatened by technology
•    32% of people aged 18-38 years believe AI has had a positive impact on their job
•    10% of ANZ respondents expressed a dislike of new technology tools being introduced into the workplace
•    Staff in smaller organisations sometimes feel more threatened by new technology than staff in larger organisations by 8%
•    69% of employees believe their employer understands how they use technology at work.

Genesys surveyed 4,207 employees from five regions including the US, UK, Japan and Germany completed the online survey in April 2019. The ANZ region represented 19% of respondents, who were evenly divided into three age ranges (18-38, 39-54, 55-73) with women accounting for 51% and men 49%.