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Digital Transformation Programs Are Leaving Workers Behind

Sandeep Kishore
Zensar

The lack of proper IT tools is killing the morale of white-collar and higher-level professionals in the US, according to new research from Zensar.

More than half of such professionals involved in the study, titled Living Digital Survey, said their company's digital transformation priorities are focused on how to increase profits instead of empowering workers.

Most also said that IT tools play a key role in productivity, and nearly a third said having the proper IT tools makes them happier.

In addition, close to half said if their company's digital transformation priorities focused more on how to empower people, morale would improve.

Outfitting Workers with the Proper IT Tools Is a Win-Win

More than three-fourths (76%) of the 1,000-plus survey group said having the digital tools they need at work makes them more productive. More than half (53%) said it makes them more successful. The same share said they would be more empowered to better manage workflow if provided with the IT tools they needed, and 42% said it speeds up boring tasks.

42% also said it would result in better worker morale. A third said it makes them smarter. Nearly as many (28%) said it makes them happier. And 38% said a focus on worker empowerment via IT would allow the company itself to change faster.

Yet Many Companies Don't Do It – and the Fear Factor May Be to Blame

At least a third of these professionals indicated that fear could be preventing their employers from outfitting them with all the digital tools they need to succeed at work. Nearly a third (31%) said their company has a wait-and-see approach to new technology. More than that (44%) said their employers are too concerned with incremental expenses to invest in new technology.

Supervisor inattention to worker needs is also to blame. Less than half (47%) of white-collar workers and just more than a third (37%) of their higher-level coworkers said their bosses understand their technological needs.

Companies That Don't Provide Proper IT Tools Suffer from a Fatal Disconnect

Half of the survey group said if their employers' digital transformation efforts focused more on employee empowerment, it would be easier for them to collaborate with coworkers. More than half (53%) said technology makes companies better.

Yet only 65% said they feel very connected with their company's mission; less than half (48%) said they are aware of their company's digital transformation strategy.

Surprisingly, 53% of white-collar workers feel connected only to the people on their team. And just more than a third (37%) only feel connected to people in their nearby vicinity. Those shares are even lower among higher-level – so-called gold-collar – workers, at 50% and 30%. With the proper IT technology, however, companies could improve connections within their organizations.

IT Matters to Workers of All Ages

People tend to assume only the youngest workers place a high value on having the technology they need at work. But Zensar's research reveals that these digital natives are not alone.

68% of the 18 to 34 age group said having the digital tools they need at work makes them more productive. But an even higher portion — 80% — of the 35 to 54 age group connect proper IT tools to their own productivity. 83% of workers age 55 and older agreed.

The 35 to 54 age group is the most bullish on technology's effect on business in particular and life in general. When asked how they feel about technology, 57% of this group said it makes life better, and 58% said it makes companies better. And nearly half (46%) of this age group said they believe technology will free up people to do more creative thinking.

Digital Transformation Has a Human Component

It's understandable that some companies' digital transformation priorities are focused on how to increase profits. But rather than focusing exclusively on the financial aspects of digital transformation, businesses need to take a big-picture view of what they're trying to accomplish and how they can unlock exponential value today to create the enterprises of tomorrow. That should include understanding what digital tools workers want and need to get the job done.

Organizations can then make the most informed decisions about and investments in IT technology. And they can ensure that they and their customers benefit from the quality performance that highly engaged employees deliver.

Sandeep Kishore is CEO of Zensar

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Digital Transformation Programs Are Leaving Workers Behind

Sandeep Kishore
Zensar

The lack of proper IT tools is killing the morale of white-collar and higher-level professionals in the US, according to new research from Zensar.

More than half of such professionals involved in the study, titled Living Digital Survey, said their company's digital transformation priorities are focused on how to increase profits instead of empowering workers.

Most also said that IT tools play a key role in productivity, and nearly a third said having the proper IT tools makes them happier.

In addition, close to half said if their company's digital transformation priorities focused more on how to empower people, morale would improve.

Outfitting Workers with the Proper IT Tools Is a Win-Win

More than three-fourths (76%) of the 1,000-plus survey group said having the digital tools they need at work makes them more productive. More than half (53%) said it makes them more successful. The same share said they would be more empowered to better manage workflow if provided with the IT tools they needed, and 42% said it speeds up boring tasks.

42% also said it would result in better worker morale. A third said it makes them smarter. Nearly as many (28%) said it makes them happier. And 38% said a focus on worker empowerment via IT would allow the company itself to change faster.

Yet Many Companies Don't Do It – and the Fear Factor May Be to Blame

At least a third of these professionals indicated that fear could be preventing their employers from outfitting them with all the digital tools they need to succeed at work. Nearly a third (31%) said their company has a wait-and-see approach to new technology. More than that (44%) said their employers are too concerned with incremental expenses to invest in new technology.

Supervisor inattention to worker needs is also to blame. Less than half (47%) of white-collar workers and just more than a third (37%) of their higher-level coworkers said their bosses understand their technological needs.

Companies That Don't Provide Proper IT Tools Suffer from a Fatal Disconnect

Half of the survey group said if their employers' digital transformation efforts focused more on employee empowerment, it would be easier for them to collaborate with coworkers. More than half (53%) said technology makes companies better.

Yet only 65% said they feel very connected with their company's mission; less than half (48%) said they are aware of their company's digital transformation strategy.

Surprisingly, 53% of white-collar workers feel connected only to the people on their team. And just more than a third (37%) only feel connected to people in their nearby vicinity. Those shares are even lower among higher-level – so-called gold-collar – workers, at 50% and 30%. With the proper IT technology, however, companies could improve connections within their organizations.

IT Matters to Workers of All Ages

People tend to assume only the youngest workers place a high value on having the technology they need at work. But Zensar's research reveals that these digital natives are not alone.

68% of the 18 to 34 age group said having the digital tools they need at work makes them more productive. But an even higher portion — 80% — of the 35 to 54 age group connect proper IT tools to their own productivity. 83% of workers age 55 and older agreed.

The 35 to 54 age group is the most bullish on technology's effect on business in particular and life in general. When asked how they feel about technology, 57% of this group said it makes life better, and 58% said it makes companies better. And nearly half (46%) of this age group said they believe technology will free up people to do more creative thinking.

Digital Transformation Has a Human Component

It's understandable that some companies' digital transformation priorities are focused on how to increase profits. But rather than focusing exclusively on the financial aspects of digital transformation, businesses need to take a big-picture view of what they're trying to accomplish and how they can unlock exponential value today to create the enterprises of tomorrow. That should include understanding what digital tools workers want and need to get the job done.

Organizations can then make the most informed decisions about and investments in IT technology. And they can ensure that they and their customers benefit from the quality performance that highly engaged employees deliver.

Sandeep Kishore is CEO of Zensar

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According to Auvik's 2025 IT Trends Report, 60% of IT professionals feel at least moderately burned out on the job, with 43% stating that their workload is contributing to work stress. At the same time, many IT professionals are naming AI and machine learning as key areas they'd most like to upskill ...

Businesses that face downtime or outages risk financial and reputational damage, as well as reducing partner, shareholder, and customer trust. One of the major challenges that enterprises face is implementing a robust business continuity plan. What's the solution? The answer may lie in disaster recovery tactics such as truly immutable storage and regular disaster recovery testing ...

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Amidst the threat of cyberhacks and data breaches, companies install several security measures to keep their business safely afloat. These measures aim to protect businesses, employees, and crucial data. Yet, employees perceive them as burdensome. Frustrated with complex logins, slow access, and constant security checks, workers decide to completely bypass all security set-ups ...

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Cloudbrink's Personal SASE services provide last-mile acceleration and reduction in latency

In MEAN TIME TO INSIGHT Episode 13, Shamus McGillicuddy, VP of Research, Network Infrastructure and Operations, at EMA discusses hybrid multi-cloud networking strategy ... 

In high-traffic environments, the sheer volume and unpredictable nature of network incidents can quickly overwhelm even the most skilled teams, hindering their ability to react swiftly and effectively, potentially impacting service availability and overall business performance. This is where closed-loop remediation comes into the picture: an IT management concept designed to address the escalating complexity of modern networks ...

In 2025, enterprise workflows are undergoing a seismic shift. Propelled by breakthroughs in generative AI (GenAI), large language models (LLMs), and natural language processing (NLP), a new paradigm is emerging — agentic AI. This technology is not just automating tasks; it's reimagining how organizations make decisions, engage customers, and operate at scale ...

In the early days of the cloud revolution, business leaders perceived cloud services as a means of sidelining IT organizations. IT was too slow, too expensive, or incapable of supporting new technologies. With a team of developers, line of business managers could deploy new applications and services in the cloud. IT has been fighting to retake control ever since. Today, IT is back in the driver's seat, according to new research by Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) ...

In today's fast-paced and increasingly complex network environments, Network Operations Centers (NOCs) are the backbone of ensuring continuous uptime, smooth service delivery, and rapid issue resolution. However, the challenges faced by NOC teams are only growing. In a recent study, 78% state network complexity has grown significantly over the last few years while 84% regularly learn about network issues from users. It is imperative we adopt a new approach to managing today's network experiences ...

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