Digital amnesia warning for business as research highlights Welsh employees’ growing dependence on tech to stay organised
New research suggests Wales is at risk of widespread ‘digital amnesia’, as it revealed 25 per cent of employees don’t know their own mobile phone number.
The research1 by CRM specialist Capsule found two thirds (64 per cent) of workers in the region don’t know their partner’s number off by heart, whilst 65 per cent don’t know their best friend’s birthday, and 63 per cent don’t know their booked holiday dates without using tech to check.
Dependence on modern technology to carry out everyday tasks was further highlighted in the survey, with more than half (53 per cent) of Welsh workers saying they rely on tech for directions, 43 per cent for shopping, 31 per cent for times and dates of events and 25 per cent use it for maths calculations and to check spelling of words, respectively.
“In an increasingly digital age, many people are using technology to store and access information instead of memorising it,” said Duncan Stockdill, Capsule CEO.
“Those surveyed admitted that they reach for their devices to carry out simple, basic tasks, such as maths calculations and spelling.
“As technology has become more connected, accessible and easy-to-use, we have become progressively more reliant on it to help organise our lives and remember for us – giving rise to ‘digital amnesia’. Essentially, we are storing more information and memories in the ‘cloud’, not our brains.
“With this in mind, it’s essential to trust the software you use and ensure it keeps your data secure like enabling two step login and using strong, unique passwords. We know passwords are easily forgotten though – around eight per cent of our users reset their password each month. Tools like 1password are useful as they’ll remember them all for you.”
According to the survey, almost one in three (31 per cent) Welsh employees describe themselves as disorganised – and 23 per cent said this has negatively impacted their performance at work, such as missing deadlines and arriving late to meetings.
One in four (24 per cent) have forgotten to pay bills in the past 12 months, 18 per cent have missed birthdays, 17 per cent have been late for appointments, and 15 per cent double booked social events.
The link between technology and being organised was clear from the research, with more than half (55 per cent) of Welsh workers saying they use technology, such as online calendars, digital to-do lists and reminders, to keep their lives in order.
Stockdill added:
“There has been a significant shift in how we function and operate, and the gulf between the past and the future is set to become more pronounced as technology becomes even more advanced.
“Reliance on tech is showing no signs of slowing down and the business world needs to adapt to these changes in order to stay ahead of the curve and help their employees reach their full potential.
“Companies should consider taking steps to ensure that their employees have the tools they need to support well-organised and effective working practices.”
Capsule is a cloud-based Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software platform. The system helps businesses stay organised, in control of their sales process and build strong customer relationships through its simple but powerful integrated solution.
1Research conducted among 2,000 permanently employed respondents