Craig Stewart | Managing Director | Altron Digital Business (ADB) | mail me |
We have concluded a first-of-its-kind benchmark study focused on how employees experience technology across eight major institutions in the Financial Services Industry (FSI).
The Employee Technology Experience Index (TEXI) measured employee sentiment across eight core technology categories. It used a standardised scoring methodology. The findings reveal the scale of the cost. Gaps in workplace technology cost FSI organisations up to R30 million per 1,000 employees each year.
How technology influences workforce outcomes
The study provides business and technology leaders with a data-driven view of how technology directly influences workforce outcomes. These outcomes include employee productivity, job satisfaction, retention, customer experience and organisational performance.
For the first time, South African banks and insurers have access to local, evidence-based data that connects technology investment directly to workforce and business outcomes. This shifts the conversation from IT support metrics to strategic performance indicators that belong in the boardroom.
Most organisations measure technology in operational terms. These measures include device fleet age, infrastructure stability, ticket resolution rates and system uptime. These metrics describe what IT does. However, they do not describe what it feels like to work with the technology IT teams deliver.
The measures also do not connect technology performance to the outcomes that boards care about. These include talent retention, customer experience and competitive positioning. The research offers distinctive insights into challenges and opportunities for South Africa’s leading financial services institutions. It examines these issues as institutions modernise their technology foundations to better support employees and customers.
Employee experience vs business performance
Technology is no longer a back-office enabler; it is a defining factor in how employees perform, how customers are served and how organisations compete. The Employee Technology Experience Index provides South African CIOs, CEOs, CTOs and HR leaders with a clear, evidence-based view of where technology investments are driving value and where they are creating risk.
Our aim is to support more informed, strategic decision-making that strengthens both employee experience and business performance. The TEXI study draws on input from 385 employees across eight major banking and insurance institutions.
It reveals a strong correlation between technology performance and employee experience outcomes.
These include eNPS, job satisfaction and retention:
- 88% of employees agree that technology enables their best work;
- A +105-point Employee Net Promoter Score gap exists between employees with positive versus poor technology experiences. This illustrates how likely they are to promote the organisation as an employer;
- 47% report technology friction has negatively impacted customer or colleague interactions; and
- Tech-related disruption is estimated to cost between R3.2 million and R30 million per 1,000 employees each year.
A critical finding is the “visibility gap” emerging within organisations. More than 28% of employees have stopped reporting IT issues entirely, while over half resort to personal devices or unauthorised tools to complete their work – this is a significant governance and information security risk that many boards may not yet have visibility of.
Strategic levers for leaders
The research identifies three priority investment areas for executives seeking to improve both employee and business outcomes.
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AI readiness
While 82% of employees are already using AI tools in their daily work, fewer than a quarter feel prepared for an AI-enabled future. Nearly 30% rely on self-sourced tools outside of employer-sanctioned environments. This presents both an opportunity and a governance risk.
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IT support
IT support represents the strongest driver of employee advocacy, job satisfaction and perceived value. Quality IT support shows the highest correlation with workforce outcomes tracked at board level.
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Core infrastructure
Foundational systems, particularly network performance, are critical to customer experience. These systems often go unnoticed when they work effectively. However, failures directly result in service degradation and lost productivity.
A technological advantage
The study reinforces that technology experience is now a critical differentiator in South Africa’s financial services industry. It shapes not only employee productivity but also talent retention, customer satisfaction, and institutional competitiveness.
Workplace technology therefore plays a direct role in shaping how employees experience their organisations. It also influences how effectively those organisations serve customers and compete in the market.
For leaders, understanding workplace technology requires more than monitoring technical performance. It requires examining how employees experience the systems, tools and support that enable them to work.
The TEXI findings suggest that organisations that strengthen workplace technology can address both employee needs and broader business risks. The cost of poor technology experience on employees is no longer theoretical. We can now put a rand value on it – and that changes everything.
