Computer problems rampant at work? Average person battles 18 office tech issues each week!

New survey reveals the average worker loses more than 100 minutes of productivity weekly due to faulty workplace technology — enough to cause half to look for a new job!

NEW YORK — Half of employed Americans have been so frustrated with their workplace tech that they’ve switched jobs — or are actively applying, according to new research. The survey of 1,000 hybrid or remote workers and 1,000 IT professionals found 11 percent have left their job to find better tech, while 42 percent have applied to other jobs without actually switching.

Results found that 20 percent “always” have bad experiences with their workplace technology, facing an average of 18 frustrations during the average work week — adding up to 102 minutes of lost productivity weekly.

Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Compucom, the survey delved into the specific frustrations respondents face, and it also asked IT workers for their professional opinions about workplace tech. When asked what their daily frustrations are, slow websites topped the list (35%), followed by a lack of access to certain online resources when working from home (28%), and needing to restart their computer (28%).

Issues connecting when switching from in-office and at-home use (27%) and having to troubleshoot problems by themselves (25%) rounded out the top five issues. Microphones not working (25%), having to repeatedly input a password (24%), and needing a password to perform any updates on their computer (23%) also contribute to respondents’ frustrations.

tech headaches

Time for a tech upgrade at work

Some of these problems may simply be the result of using old technology — a quarter of respondents say the tech they use for work is at least five years-old. Not only are these issues frustrating, but they may lead to bigger security risks: 79 percent have switched to their personal devices after facing tech issues. If companies invested more in their technology, employee satisfaction and retention would increase, according to 93 percent of respondents.

Results also found that good tech can lead to more engaged employees — 77 percent of respondents would be more committed to their role if their company provided them with better technology.

“We know that employee experience is directly correlated to customer experience. A good employee experience usually translates to a better overall customer experience,” says Heather Lockhart, Compucom CMO, in a statement.

The survey also shows that that 65 percent place great importance on having good technology for work. This is even more important for respondents who work at enterprise companies (companies with 1001+ employees). Of those, 71 percent placed a great value on good tech.

Call the IT expert!

Because of how important technology is to today’s workforce, respondents were also asked about the IT teams at their company — and generally, the attitude was positive.

During the past year, specifically, 53 percent said their company’s IT team has been easy to work with. Employees also found IT to be responsive, and even more helpful over the past year — with the switch to remote and hybrid work — than they were previously (both 48%). That positive feeling extended the other way, as well: 88 percent of IT professionals surveyed have felt more valued by their company since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Still, the survey asked IT professionals what they’d like people to understand about their role.

Forty-five percent of IT professionals say, “it’s easy to blame IT when things go wrong, but we’re underappreciated when things are working right,” while 41 percent want people to understand that systems and software require constant maintenance and upkeep.

Others explain that it always takes more time than people think to fix tech issues (44%) — and that training and learning new platforms and applications for troubleshooting is endless (41%).

A third of IT respondents (36%) would also like their colleagues to know that “simple” requests aren’t always simple. One respondent wanted others to know, “I am a person with real feelings” — which should always be considered when requests are being made.

“With today’s hybrid workforce relying on technology more than ever, what we do is critically important,” Lockhart says. “And we are uniquely positioned to optimize the employee experience because we provide the crucial end-to-end capabilities and support required to enable effective hybrid work.”

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