Improving office productivity: A technology perspective

There is a perception these days that office workers are not as productive as they should be. Whether or not this is the case, the emerging office technology provides great potential to improve office productivity by introducing specific, computerized support tools to aid office workers. In this paper, we look at ways in which office workers can be better supported by providing computer-based tools that allow them to more easily access and process computerised data, to better understand their work environment and help computerize it, and to assist them in managing their time and peforming their office tasks more effectively. Our view is that the greatest productivity gains will be realized by better supporting office workers, rather than trying to displace them.