Digital technology and electronic devices enable companies and employees to work and complete their tasks faster and more efficiently. These devices help business owners save time and money without exerting more effort.
But unfortunately, there is the potential for the irresponsible and inappropriate use of these devices. All entrepreneurs must understand that the use of these equipment comes with responsibilities. Read on to discover how to promote responsible technology use in the workplace.
1. Train Employees
Information technology (IT) training is a necessary process that can lead to numerous benefits for your business, including:
- Improved productivity
- Increased efficiency
- Fast adoption of new technologies
Unfortunately, most business owners see user training as additional overheads because of the costs involved. But if you want to ensure the success of your IT systems, you need to invest money in training.
The process helps your employees be more confident and comfortable using technology. It also informs them of their responsibilities once they are using different technologies, like office computers, laptops, and the internet.
The more time, money, and effort you invest into training and supporting your staff, the greater the benefits will be in the end.
2. Be Critical of Using Online Information
Responsible technology use also includes critically assessing the information you find online. Fortunately, there are easy ways to evaluate the reliability of your online sources or any materials you see on the web.
An online source can be a newspaper article, a blog post, a journal article, or any informational content online.
Although the internet can be a helpful and valuable source of information, most of this data can be updated by individuals worldwide. While this benefit enables free access to a diverse range of information, it also means that the info may not always be accurate or credible. This is because anyone, even non-experts, could have written it.
When looking up information for work, you must never take an online source at face value. Critical evaluation is crucial to assess the source’s credibility and accuracy.
When testing the credibility of your source, use the Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose (CRAAP) test. This assessment focuses on the five elements that can determine the quality of a site.
Aside from assessing the reliability of online data, you must also understand and respect intellectual property and copyright. Copyright restrictions still protect digital content, so before using any text or image, ensure you give proper credit to the original creator.
3. Encourage Electronic Recycling
One crucial way to promote responsible use of technology at work is by encouraging electronic waste recycling. As a business leader, you should tackle this topic when onboarding new employees to outline its importance to the company.
You must demonstrate the firm’s commitment to helping the electronic waste recycling effort. Instead of buying new computers, you should get them repaired first. You can also donate or reuse old laptops, phones, and computers.
Here are some examples of tech components you can recycle:
- Plastic
- Metal
- Glass
- Circuit boards
- Batteries
- Hard disks
- Toner and ink cartridges
You can reach out to professional technology recyclers who can help you discard old or broken devices. Electronic Recycling Association (ERA) allows clients to recycle old electronic and IT devices. The company has depots in Canada and the US.
If you recycle your electronics with ERA, your company can help address the growing e-waste problem by recycling electronics safely and securely.
