Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/1999/12/02/computers_are_bad_for_your/

Computers are bad for your health

Latest research is a load of old Tosh

By Linda Harrison

Posted in On-Prem, 2nd December 1999 16:48 GMT

Kitting the office out with new PCs makes workers disloyal and want to quit. These are the findings of research by Toshiba into the effect on employee morale of upgrading IT equipment in the workplace. The Japanese vendor found that staff resent new technology and that it increases stress and dents enthusiasm. Almost 60 per cent of those surveyed reported higher stress levels since computers had been introduced into the workplace. And almost 80 per cent of company directors said they were not satisfied with productivity levels since spending money on IT. According to Toshiba, managers are expecting too much from technology investment –- and those with increased expectations from the new equipment were three times more likely to see staff leave. Alan Thompson, MD of Toshiba UK, said: "They buy technology that only serves to automate the existing business processes of their company, which puts staff under immense pressure to produce more. They confuse faster with better and the spiral continues." "What you then have as a consequence is a workforce of highly stressed, uninspired and disloyal people who don’t care about their work or the company they work for," said Thompson. ® More tales of computers that can kill: Man beaten to death for using mobile phone in pub