One in two employees feel their PC devices are out of date or insufficient like not fast or powerful enough to carry out daily office tasks, according to a new Lenovo-Intel report. Employees are frustrated with their PC hardware and software experience at home, with 46 per cent saying their software frequently malfunctions and disrupts their work.

Only 33 per cent are extremely satisfied with the current laptop provided by the company and 30 per cent said their laptops or desktop work well for cross-collaboration. "However, 84 per cent of IT decision makers believe workers can easily switch or upgrade to new devices to improve productivity, engagement and customer satisfaction," said the Lenovo-Intel report.

IT leaders said they plan to nearly double their investment in employee experience (EX) initiatives over the next two years.

"Given employees are a company's greatest asset, the study maps out opportunities to uplift the return on technology investment by focusing on PC devices and collaboration tools, while better involving employees in purchase decisions," said Christian Teismann, President, Commercial PC and Smart Devices Business, Lenovo.

Nearly 60 per cent of IT leaders noted a 10 per cent increase in employee experience scores by improving employee satisfaction with technology. With better communication to bridge these two groups, there exists better potential for a more satisfying employee experience.

While IT decision makers are prioritising strategic IT integration, software and service needs, employees are more focused on their fundamental daily technology experience.

"This suggests that business leaders have room to collaborate more closely with employees on their IT purchase decisions to elevate team engagement, increase customer satisfaction and improve the bottom line," the report noted.

With organisations now shifting their focus toward remote and hybrid work, the IT decision makers are upgrading devices, software and services as part of EX initiatives to improve team engagement and satisfaction.

IT leaders are reporting a 5 times return ($1 spent on these programmes yields $5 of increased staff productivity, organisational agility and customer satisfaction), with many expecting to increase their investment by nearly 25 per cent in two years.

Yet again, there is a clear disconnect between employees and IT decision makers, whose primary concerns are the longevity of their technology investments rather than its impact on team engagement. According to the study, whereas 84 percent of IT decision makers believe employees can easily switch to a different PC device if their current one needs to be replaced, only half of employees agree that's an available solution.

"Ultimately, both IT decision makers and employees agree that refresh cycles can be improved and better aligned". PCs have become critically important to employees, with 77 per cent of full-time employees saying that PC devices are a critical factor in their daily work and collaboration with one another.

"In today's new remote and hybrid work set-up, these steps are pivotal for companies in yielding opportunities that go far beyond the initial spend on their technology," Teismann stressed.