With office landscapes changing across the country, it is unsurprising to discover that over one third of UK recruitment professionals believe that handwriting at work will be extinct for future generations.
The new research is brought to use from job site CV-Library, who conducted a survey with over 500 British recruiters.
The findings reflect the digital times in which we are living; the National Handwriting Association recently reported that one in ten children don’t own a pen, yet nine out of ten own a tablet or a smartphone. However, those that still rely on pen and paper can rest assured in the knowledge that while recruiters do believe it will become extinct in the workplace, it won’t be happening any time soon.
The research also revealed that 73.3 percent of UK professionals prefer a handwritten to-do list over an electronic one and over half feel that handwriting is important in the workplace for signing contracts.
Regardless of the belief of imminent handwriting death, 99 percent of professionals still use pens in the workplace and 88 percent of businesses still provide staff with pens and paper.
“While these aren’t changes that we should expect to see in the near future, it is interesting to see how recruiters across the nation feel about technology and the impact it has on the traditional working environment. There is no escaping the fact that the way we work is constantly evolving, and technology is very much at the forefront; while it has brought about some massive benefits, it also comes at the expense of handwriting, which is simply no longer as important in the workplace as it once was,” said Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library.
The news comes just days following National Handwriting Day which was established to recognise the value of sending a handwritten note and demonstrating personal expression.
Rebecca joined the HRreview editorial team in January 2016. After graduating from the University of Sheffield Hallam in 2013 with a BA in English Literature, Rebecca has spent five years working in print and online journalism in Manchester and London. In the past she has been part of the editorial teams at Sleeper and Dezeen and has founded her own arts collective.
