How is information technology an essential part of your work environment and work tasks? How has the use of information technology affected your IT placement?
Working at Macquarie has reinforced my understanding of the importance of technology in today's workplace. It has revolutionised the way we work and made working more convenient, flexible and efficient.
Being able to use multiple channels of communication including email, instant messenger, telephone etc. makes contacting colleagues very easy and accessible. For a quick question I can simply pick up the phone and receive an answer instantly. While for lengthier issues, emailing means that the receiver can answer my question when they have the time, contributing to employee efficiency as there is reduced time chopping and changing between tasks.
Having such great technology at my fingertips has allowed me to learn more about the different functions of various software, and with technology support available 24/7 makes life that much easier especially when there are hiccups with the smooth running technology.
An interesting note my director mentioned to me, was that having email instant notifications can potentially reduce employee effectiveness, because of the transition time taken to stop one task and pick up another. This is something important to think about when considering the integration of technology into the workplace; while its benefits definitely outweigh the disadvantages, it can potentially be a major distraction at work.
