Poor office technology costing employers working hours, UK study reveals
Workers say they are losing working hours each week because of poor technology in the office, a UK study has found.
Research by the Chelsea Apps Factory, based on a survey of 1,000 office workers, found that a total of 7.5 million working days each week were being lost by staff because the technology their employer provided them was not good enough.
Some 59% of those asked said that their personal mobile phone was better than the one given to them by their business, and almost 60% said that tech-related issues at work were preventing them from doing their job properly.
Almost half of those questioned said that they would consider moving jobs because the IT was so poor, with the most common issues cited as a slow internet connection, crashing computers and out of date software.
Mike Anderson, CEO of Chelsea Apps Factory, said: " It's clear that the 'techspectations' of the modern employee far outweigh what companies can deliver - and employees are literally taking matters into their own hands."
Mr Anderson also suggested that as technology had become more mainstream and widely available, general consumers were embracing it faster than businesses, leading to a divide that was frustrating workers once they sat at their desks.
"Businesses are still investing unnecessary millions on clunky, highly-complex systems, services and software that leave employees stumped, unproductive and in some cases so unhappy they would consider leaving their job," he said.
The research found that the average worker wasted 22 minutes a day on IT issues, equal to more than 11 days a year lost to faulty software or hardware.
Of all the technology that office workers were asked about, only the printer was regarded as being better in the office than at home, with 63% saying their work-based hardware was the preferred option.
Four times as many people said their personal tablet was better than the one provided by an employer, while half said their broadband at home was superior.
Edinburgh was the UK with the smallest home-work technology divide, with only 44% of workers stating that IT prevented them from doing their job properly, compared to the UK average of 60%.
