Are your employees calling in sick, requesting way too many time offs or not showing up at office on time? Are you noticing your staff’s productivity taking a nosedive? If yes, one of the reasons could be faulty or outdated equipment in your office. That’s right! If your employees are having to constantly work around broken equipment, slow servers, or damaged systems, it’s most likely taking a toll on their morale and motivation to work.

Frustrating Waste of Time

In a survey of 6000 office workers in Europe, people who worked in offices with outdated processes and time-consuming admin tasks described their workplaces as “grim,” “oppressive” and “toxic.” And why not? Imagine the frustration of having to work on a 5 year old computer that freezes or crashes regularly. Or, maybe a photocopier that’s always jamming or the internet that runs slower than the snail.

Even 10 minutes of such lag times on a daily basis can add up to 4 unproductive hours every month. This means, in order to meet the expected productivity levels, a person has to work for longer hours—probably cutting out that game day with friends or a dine-out with family from their schedule. In fact, according to research by Sharp, people waste more time on slow tech in office than they spend on a holiday.

Work/Life Balance is Out of Whack

When your employees don’t have the tools and support they need to be effective, it can throw a wrench in their work/life balance. If they find themselves constantly working extra hours to make up for lost productivity due to faulty office equipment, it will have a negative impact on job satisfaction and ultimately, your employee retention will suffer. You’d be surprised to know how costly it can be to lose an employee. Plus, frequent turnovers will further deplete employee morale, productivity, and company revenue. These costs are hardly factored in when businesses try to save money by keeping their old equipment.

Poor Employer Image

Enabling your employees to get their job done quickly and effectively can trigger positivity and inspiration within work environments. On the contrary, if you’re still running on tools and devices that should have been left behind over a decade ago, it can put a dent in your reputation as an employer. This “tape it up” mentality can cause your employees to think that the management isn’t serious about the company’s objectives. Worse, it sends across a message that you simply don’t care.

It’s Not Worth Taking the Risk

As a small business owner focused on getting things done on a limited budget, investing in equipment upgrades may not be your top priority. But the risks—as well as costs—of not doing so is huge. Especially today when employees and job seekers have more options than ever to choose from in a growing job market. If your company lacks the environment that allows people to work productively, recruiting and retaining the right employee is going to be harder than you may have imagined. In fact, nearly 70 percent of small businesses are struggling to attract and retain skilled employees.