- Nine out of 10 Spanish employees report high productivity
- Productivity is partly responsible for Spain’s strong GDP growth
- Workers need better document management, collaborative tools and automation
According to Japanese Workplace Transformation Technology Company Ricoh, Spain is leading the wave of productivity in Europe, with 92% of Spanish employees reporting high productivity.
As a result, the country’s GDP grew by 3.2% last year, reflecting a strong economic momentum compared to the United Kingdom, who saw only a growth of 0.9% GDP.
The poorer growth ties to the nation’s productivity, where both the UK and Ireland rank sixth among the six countries compared to Ricoh’s analysis.
Productivity in Britain hangs behind other European nations
The report reveals how UK & I employees are more than twice as likely to consider themselves unproductive compared to their Spanish colleagues.
Only one in four (28%) UK & I employees feel that they have the right tools for seamless cooperation – the lowest among the countries surveyed. Ricoh connected productivity holes to accessibility (or lack) of modern workplace technologies, with 40% of European workers agreeing that better document management software alone could improve their productivity.
Ricoh Europe Chief Strategy and Commercial Officer Caroline Bright commented: “Our research shows that it is important to equip employees with the right technology to unlock their full potential and driving productivity.”
Communication and collaboration tools (37%) and automation software (36%) were also highlighted as key areas where companies could invest further.
In France and Germany, which placed a little ahead of Britain and Ireland, but behind Spain, Italy and the Netherlands, business leaders noted that outdated technology is the largest barrier to employee technology.
“As the dynamics of the workplace develop and companies renew their focus on the office, it is more important than ever to give employees the tools they need to operate and collaborate effectively,” Bright added.
Bright continued to explain that companies that are willing to act now to modernize their workplace technology will be in the best position to close productivity gap in the future.
