What Obstacles Get in the Way of New Workplace Software?

Employees often face a variety of challenges when learning new software, which can lead to frustration, decreased productivity, and resistance to change. These struggles are not always due to a lack of technical skill, but are often rooted in a combination of psychological, organizational, and training-related factors. Today, we will go through some of the most common ways employees struggle with learning new software.

What Can Interfere with Employee Training Efforts?

Resistance to Change and Psychological Barriers

Employees may fear that new software will disrupt their established routines, make their jobs more difficult, or even lead to job insecurity. This fear can cause them to consciously or unconsciously resist the new technology.

Some employees are so afraid of making mistakes or not being able to learn the new system as quickly as their colleagues that their motivation to avoid failure outweighs their desire to succeed.

If employees don't understand how the new software will benefit them directly—for example, by making their work easier or more efficient—they will be less motivated to learn it. They may see it as just another new, shiny thing they're being forced to use.

Finally, when employees are used to a particular workflow, a new system can make them feel like they've lost control over their work environment.

Issues with Training and Support

Traditional training methods, such as long, generic lectures or dense user manuals, can be ineffective. They often lead to information overload, disengagement, and poor knowledge retention.

A one-size-fits-all training approach rarely works. Different employees and departments have unique needs and use the software in different ways. Training that isn't tailored to specific roles and responsibilities can feel irrelevant.

Poor Timing 

If training is provided too far in advance of when the software is actually implemented, employees may forget what they learned. If it's provided during a busy period, employees may not have the time to fully engage with and learn the tool.

Insufficient On-Demand Support

Employees need access to help when they need it, not just during scheduled training sessions. A lack of ongoing, real-time support can leave employees feeling lost and frustrated.

Organizational and Leadership Challenges

If leaders don't actively use and champion the new software, it signals to employees that the change is not a priority. This undermines the entire adoption effort. After all, if the people in charge haven’t even bought into their new decision, why should you?

As a result, any new software that isn’t actively endorsed by leadership is poised to fail in its implementation.

Time Constraints

Employees often struggle to balance their existing workloads with the time required for training and learning a new system. This can lead to burnout and a feeling that they are being asked to do more with less; and these feelings are only exacerbated if these employees were already feeling pressure from their workloads. Imagine being told you were working hard to catch up, only to be told to stop, turn back, and go another route midstream. You’d be frustrated, too, and certainly less receptive to the new option that—from your perspective—was just creating more obstacles.

Poor Communication

Throughout the introductory process, it is essential to maintain open lines of communication with your team to ensure they understand the evolving state of affairs. A lack of transparent communication about why the new software is being implemented, what the timeline is, and how it will benefit employees can breed distrust and resistance. 

Lack of Standardization

When different departments receive varying levels of training or the rollout is not standardized, it can create a skills gap and cause frustration.

By understanding these common struggles, organizations can develop more effective strategies to help their employees successfully learn and adopt new software.

We Can Help!

In addition to helping your business procure and manage its software, we can also be there to support your team members as they put it to use. Our managed IT services include a help desk that’s there for when they need a hand with some aspect of their business tools.

Reach out to us at (848) 202-8860 to learn more about what we can offer you and your business.