New report reveals the human impact of digital frictions at work
Organisations should invest in modern platforms, including agentic AI, to reduce digital friction that can hurt employee experience and drive employees away, according to a recent study.
The report, released by digital workplace solutions provider TeamViewer, underscored the need for organisations to empower their teams to significantly enhance the digital employee experience.
"Organisations should invest in modern platforms that centralise visibility, automate common fixes, and deliver real-time insights into device and application performance," the report read.
"Agentic AI can amplify these capabilities by automating root-cause analysis, resolving routine issues autonomously, and surfacing proactive recommendations before friction escalates."
Human impact of digital friction
Digital friction, as defined in the TeamViewer report, refers to the workplace technology challenges that prevent employees from doing their job efficiently.
Its poll among 4,200 managers and employees in nine markets found that digital friction makes 47% frustrated and less satisfied with their jobs.
Another 43% said it reduced their motivation to produce high-quality work, while 42% said it contributed to their feelings of burnout.
In fact, 69% believe it has contributed to turnover within their organisation.
"Unhappy employees can permeate an entire organisation," said Kai Werner, chief human resources officer at TeamViewer.
"As these findings show, satisfaction in the modern digital workplace depends heavily on functional IT systems. When those systems fail, culture suffers."
Improving digital experience
In addition to investing in modern platforms, the report also highlighted the need for organisations to foster a culture of open feedback to identify digital friction at work.
"Many employees quietly work around recurring IT issues or never log support tickets, allowing minor frustrations to grow into major problems," the report read.
"Organisations should encourage open feedback and establish trusted channels for reporting issues beyond the traditional help desk."
Andrew Hewitt, VP of strategic technology at TeamViewer, underscored that employees are happiest when they feel productive and accomplished at the end of their day.
"When people can't make progress in their day-to-day work, frustration builds and burnout follows. Great technology might not be a main attractor of talent, but bad technology can certainly play a role in driving it away," the report said.
