Reasons why people may resist the introduction of computers at their place of work

Why should people resist computers in their work place?

01.

Computers may lead to job replacement and displacement.
          This means that computers may make a person lose his/her job or root for the transfer of a worker to another department. A condition like this one may make people resist computers at their work place.

02.

Computers require skilled manpower.
          Usage of computers requires the staff to be trained for necessary skills to handle them. For those who don't see training as a good idea, will resist its implementation in a work place.

03.

Computers have adverse effects on our health.
          It is believed that computers cause cancer, electromagnetic radiation, changes in brain activity, eye problems and sleeping patterns. However, scientists are still researching on these areas to establish elements of computers that are responsible for these problems and how they can be avoided.

04.

Some people are just bureaucratic.
          Some people in work places are just difficult to change, they follow excessively complicated administrative procedures that demands things to be done they way they used to be.
        Examples of these bureaucrats are school heads who demand professional records to be handwritten rather than being typed and printed. They think that handwritten records are more original than the printed ones. These are the kind of people who will never tolerate computer changes in their institutions.

05.

Attitude problems leading to computer-phobia
          There are certain personalities who just hate computers because they either acquired this attitude myth or had previous shallow experience with computers.
          These people may likely resist the introduction of computers in their workplace and if it is introduced, they will blame it for everything bad that happens.

06.

Fear of increased work in their workplace
          Computers sometimes increases the amount of work in a work place. This is especially if new programs and applications are added to be used by the system. And if there will be no addition of manpower, handling them on top of your normal tasks can sometimes be overwhelming, in this case, people tend to resist them in their work places for fear of additional tasks.

07.

Fear of increased initial costs
          Introduction of computers require high initial costs however their benefits outweigh the costs (cost effectiveness). Some people may oppose implementation of computers in their workplace simply because they fear the initial costs.

08.

Poor communication skills/strategies
          Bad communication skills from the top management to workers below them may trigger workers to resist technology change. Communication breakdown, misinformation or inaccurate communication can be a recipe on why people may opt to resist technological change.
​        Changes that are mandated with little or no communication, on the other hand, are often poorly received, since employees may feel that the change is being shoved down their throats. When it comes to change management there’s no such thing as too much communication.
         If there is no immediate information to communicate during the change, telling employees that there is no update regarding the ongoing change is communication! Don’t just keep quiet; this is also the time to maintain an open door policy regardless of where you are placed in the organization.

09.

The Rapid Pace of Change
​         People often reject technology because it presents changes, big or small, to their immediate world, a world to which they have worked hard to adjust.
            People usually resist to anything that disturbs their social order and if done rapidly, change may never be taken seriously, this can lead to drastic opposition and resistance.

10.

Poor Timing:
​          This is another viable reason why employees resist introduction of computers at work. Change must be introduced when there are no other major initiatives going on. Sometimes it is not what a leader does, but it is how, when and why she or he does it that creates resistance to change! Undue resistance can occur because changes are introduced in an insensitive manner or at an awkward time.

​Works Cited

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• Adenle, C. (2011, JULY 26). 12 Reasons Why Employees Resist Change in the Workplace. Retrieved 04 04, 2019, from CATHERINE'S CAREER CORNER: https://catherinescareercorner.com/2011/07/26/12-reasons-why-employees-resist-change-in-the-workplace/
• Howarth, J. (2017, NOV 20). Here’s Why People Resist New Technologies. Retrieved 04 04, 2019, from BENTLEY UNIVERSITY: https://www.bentley.edu/prepared/here-s-why-people-resist-new-technologies