A new survey of Canadian office workers suggests that professionals waste an average of 19 minutes each day dealing with IT-related issues.
That means employees could be losing more than two work weeks each year trying to get their computer equipment to work. The survey, conducted by Robert Half Technology, found that someone who works five eight-hour days for 50 weeks of the year will lose nearly 80 hours per year.
Despite the time spent tackling tech glitches, nearly half (44 per cent) of employees rate their organization's IT infrastructure good or excellent.
Workers were asked, "How many minutes per day, on average, would you say you lose due to technology issues?" The mean response was 19 minutes.
Workers were also asked, "On a scale of one to five, with one being very poor and five being excellent, how would you rate your company's technology infrastructure (e.g., computers, network connectivity, intranet and other equipment)?" The majority of respondents rated their technology as neutral of good.
"For technology to improve business productivity, rather than hinder it, companies must ensure that their teams are provided the proper resources to help make the best use of the tools available to them," said Deborah Bottineau, senior regional manager of Robert Half Technology. "If not functioning properly, technology can create delays and inefficiencies making a proficient help desk an invaluable asset to any company."
The survey was developed by Robert Half Technology and conducted by an independent research firm. It included responses from 300 Canadian workers who were 18 or older and employed in an office environment.
