Why Poor UX in Workplace Tools Frustrates Employees and Impacts Everyone

Imagine this:

It’s your lunch break. You rush to buy something quickly, but when you get to the cashier, the software is slow, confusing, or requires multiple steps just to complete a simple task. The seller apologises, but they can’t continue; they have to call a manager. The manager is already overloaded, so you wait. Minutes pass. The line behind you grows. Instead of enjoying your purchase, you feel your short break slipping away.

Now multiply that by hundreds of customers, every day. Or by every employee experiencing the same frustration during busy times, as lunch break, Christmas rush, hotel check-ins/check-outs, you name it. All because of a system that could have been designed better.

Over the last year, I have had the opportunity to work in various jobs, from retail to hospitality. Regardless of the position, I couldn’t help but notice one recurring issue: the frustration of working with outdated software that no longer meets employees' needs. These systems don’t just slow down tasks; they create a domino effect that impacts many people. The frustrations affect more than employees using the tools, but also the clients, teams, and the overall workflow.

When an error happens in front of a client, under time pressure, frustration grows. Often, it means repeatedly calling a manager to solve an issue, which interrupts their work and delays everyone else in line. The result? Employees feel stuck, clients lose patience, and the overall experience discourages people from returning.

Companies often invest significantly in B2C* experiences, refining websites and applications that clients use directly. These products are made to draw in and keep customers because they are aesthetically pleasing and incredibly useful. In the meantime, employees frequently overlook B2B* and B2E* systems, which are the tools they use daily. Although the need for UX specialists in B2B is increasing and there are numerous roles in this field, internal tool design quality often falls below expectations. Especially in B2E systems, outdated interfaces, ineffective workflows, and annoying usability problems are common. And this isn’t just a matter of efficiency; it affects employees’ emotions, customer satisfaction, and ultimately the company’s reputation.

The good news? Solving these issues doesn’t always require major renovation. The key is to face these issues with empathy, observation, and the willingness to step into employees’ shoes. Spending a few hours or days in their world reveals multiple frustrations, workarounds, and hidden inefficiencies that are invisible from the outside. You discover how managers perceive the functionality of the product by observing how they teach you. You can get the taste of the general interaction with the colleagues and get to see how you both interact with the product, and also what consequances arise from issues that appear (e.g. effect on clients, on schedule, etc. )

Too often, companies patch problems instead of rethinking the tools themselves. Outdated systems persist, and small annoyances accumulate into big operational and emotional costs.

What if we treated workplace tools with the same care and creativity as we do customer-facing apps? We could achieve the kind of smiles we see on employees in advertisements.

These experiences keep reminding me: UX doesn’t stop at the customer’s door, it lives inside companies too. Which workplace tools do you wish were designed better?

B2B = Business-to-Business

B2C = Business-to-Consumer

B2E = Business-to-Employee