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Problem$-$Solving Application

Technology: A Situation Factor that Affects My Performance

Technology is ubiquitous in the workplace, yet despite its numerous benefits, does not come without its drawbacks. This activity is important because it will help you to identify the positive and negative impact of technology on employee performance and well$-$being.

The goal of this activity is to give you the opportunity to recommend realistic and effective solutions for managing the drawbacks of technology in the workplace.

Read the case about the impact of technology on employee performance. Then, using the $3-$step problem$-$solving approach, answer the questions that follow.

Since the Blackberry Quark in $2003,$ the iPhone $2007,$ and the first Android in $2008,$ smartphones have become extensions of our hands, which means they go with us and are used everywhere. ${?}^1$ Approximately $31$ percent of adults with smartphones report being online nearly constantly as do $39$ percent of those $18-29$ years old. ${?}^2$ Many employers allow employees to bring$-$their$-$own$-$devices $($BYOD$)$ and access work e$-$mail and other resources via their personal phones. Walmart, for instance, adopted such a policy and now allows employees to check inventory, prices, review sales data, and sign in and out for their shifts from their own devices. This is a reversal of previous policies that banned the use of personal devices at work. ${?}^3$

Benefits. Walmart obviously expects to save money and boost performance and they, like other employers, are promoting the benefits to employees. Employers claim smartphone use at work and connectivity, more generally, provides employees greater flexibility in terms of where they work, how, and when. ${?}^4$ Flexible work arrangements, such as telecommuting, have ballooned in the pas't decade and as a result, are now benefits highly valued by employees. On the