The resistance

  • 22 November 2021

  • I come to work, do my job, and go home. The current system works for me and I feel like any new tech will kill my efficiency. Plus technology is killing the way we communicate with each other, what’s wrong with picking up the phone or meeting face to face?

    Internet connection
    (3/5)

    Devices

    • desktop
    • personal phone

    Cyber knowledge
    (1/5)

I have been working in the Public Service all my life as it was my dream job due to the benefits that came with the job. I have been in the same government department all my life, have figured out workarounds and processes that make me very efficient in my role – any knowledge will be lost if I leave. I like leaving work at work, and believe technology is the reason the world is in chaos and why there’s no “compassion” or “empathy” anymore.

Understanding the interaction

Thoughts, opinions, feelings

  • I feel like I can’t take leave because work depends on me too much
  • I am indispensable and irreplaceable – without me things fall apart
  • Training someone or learning new systems slows me down – might as well do it myself
  • I am afraid any new systems will make my job redundant

Pain points

  • I keep having to go to training for new systems that don’t work and end up having to find a work around
  • Every time I take time off I get calls and emails with questions about my job

Want to achieve / get out of interaction

  • Quick and easy to learn and implement
  • Simplify processes and not have to come up with a workaround 

Motivation to use modern workplace?

  • My job is safe and I can be more efficient
  • Others can pickup the work and I can finally go on holiday

Modern workplace benefits

  • System is easier to learn and navigate
  • Shared documents, channels and wiki summaries are accessible through the cloud for easier task delegation

Though user adoption of new tools may remain a challenge, intuitive sharing and storage of “alternative methods” used by staff can help avoid the loss of organisational knowledge when they are not available.

User journey

New tool/system introduced

Actions/tasks

  • Learn a new tool as its been launched
  • Look at new tool/system

Pain points

None

Interactions/tools

  • Email

Feeling

  • Exasperated – another tool that won’t work and will slow down their work

  • Already thinking it’s a waste of time

Learn system

Actions/tasks

  • Attend training
  • Start using tool

Pain points

  • Has to do a lot of training
  • Struggling to understand the tool

Interactions/tools

  • New tool

Feeling

  • Frustrated – feels the tool is adding a new step and slowing them down

  • Gives very negative feedback

  • Doesn’t understand why the tool was built

Develop way around it

Actions/tasks

  • Develop alternative ways to avoid the tool
  • Start using alternative
  • Avoid tool

Pain points

  • Trying to get a spreadsheet to do the work of the tool

Interactions/tools

  • Excel

Feeling

  • Angry – they have to find a “fix” for the tool

Go on holidays

Actions/tasks

  • Handover to person covering
  • Show alternative way
  • Go on holidays

Pain points

  • Too little time to do handover
  • Keeps getting interrupted during holiday

Interactions/tools

  • Email
  • Text messages

Feeling

  • Happy – gets to go on holidays

  • Annoyed – keeps getting calls and texts with questions on where to find things

Back from holidays

Actions/tasks

  • Lots of backlog work
  • Needs to spend time catching up

Pain points

  • Too many emails to go through
  • Only half the work got done

Interactions/tools

  • Email
  • Tools
  • Spreadsheets

Feeling

  • Frustrated – “Why is there so much work? What was the point of the handover?”

  • Annoyed – part of them wishes they hadn’t gone on holidays

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