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Technology issues cost companies a lot in terms of time and employee productivity.
- Most of our working days we use technology without even thinking about it. But it gets annoying when we face technology issues.
- But how much do these issues cost companies in terms of time, money and employee productivity? And what can you do about it?
- Electric recently conducted a study to find the answer.
Most days, we go about our business using technology without much thought. However, on bad days when our laptops freeze or the network is lax, we can get frustrated with these issues and lose time trying to fix them. But how much do these technical problems cost employers financially? How might these issues affect employees and the organization? And what can organizations do to fix it? Electric recently conducted a study to find answers to these questions.
Following are some of the findings.
Technical issues cost employers a lot of time and money
Some of the most common technical problems we face are some of the most expensive in terms of time and money. On average, employees spent about 2.7 hours per week fixing technical problems. Considering the average hourly rate of $29 per hour and the number of hours spent resolving issues per year (140.4 hours), the wasted money is an average of $4,072 in labor costs per employee per year.
The workers who suffer the most due to technical problems are the remote workers. 73% reported time wastage due to technology issues, 41% hybrid and 22% of onsite workers said the same. Remote workers face more technological challenges compared to others. They face an average of 4.1 problems per week, hybrid workers face an average of 3.7, and on-site workers face an average of 3.0 cases per week.
Additionally, the average cost per year (per person) spent fixing technology problems was $4,524 for remote, $3,770 for hybrid, and $1,960 for on-site staff.
So, what are the most demanding technology challenges employees face? 54% reported that their computer freezes and 35% experienced data loss or corruption. About 29% reported experiencing connectivity issues, while 22% reported hardware failures.
The most demanding technology issues
Source: 2023 electrical survey
Poor quality and antiquated technology and equipment are a significant drain on organizations whose employees struggle with these issues.
See more: 2023 HR Predictions: Tech Will Be Key to Harnessing Great Talent
IT problems are undermining productivity.
How do employees deal with technology issues? And if an employee is helping their team member solve a problem, how does that affect their work?
The survey found that 47% of respondents tried to solve technology problems on their own, 27% asked for tech support, and 26% asked a colleague to help them. Gen Z employees are more likely to try to solve problems themselves, with 58% reporting. On the other hand, 88% of Baby Boomers reported that they were likely to ask a colleague for help with a technology problem.
Gen Z employees are most often asked by colleagues to solve IT issues (61%), followed by millennials (40%) and Gen X (31%). This may make sense as younger generations are often expected to be surrounded by technology.
Addressing IT issues is certainly impacting employee performance and development. Most survey respondents saw productivity hindered, deadlines missed, and limited progress due to frequent requests from colleagues for IT support. 69% reported missing a deadline due to dealing with technology issues. Gen Z workers (77%) and remote workers (90% more than onsite workers) are more likely to do so.
About 45% of respondents experienced career advancement as a result of frequently requesting technical support. Gen Z employees are most likely to testify (57%), followed by millennials and Gen X (43% each).
Another problem eating up employees’ time can be lack of access to their company’s IT support, as 61% of remote workers often say IT support often affects their progress, compared to 30% of hybrid and 23% of on-site workers. Technology issues can be resolved more quickly if people and IT support teams work from one location. However, this is not possible when teams are distributed, and IT support is not configured to manage a remote or hybrid team.
Skilled workers can overcome backlogs.
One way to save time and money is to give employees the necessary skills. But are organizations giving their employees the information and skills they need to perform effectively?
While some organizations provide training, 20% of employees said their organizations did not provide them with any updates or training to improve their technology skills. Moreover, employees in the healthcare industry were more likely to agree with him (35%).
Some of the more common training organizations offer their employees include coding workshops, webinars, college and online courses, and mentoring programs.
Companies with training or advanced skills offer to improve technological skills
Source: 2023 electrical survey
The study also found that there is still room for improvement when it comes to existing technology support teams.
See more: The overall work technology market is expected to grow to $970 billion by 2026
Invest in technology and teams to set them up for success
Technical issues eat into organizations’ time, money, and employee productivity. Providing technical training and upskilling staff is one way to recover these by helping them resolve basic issues quickly and efficiently. At the same time, as many problems stem from outdated tools and technologies, organizations should consider investing in new tools and technologies that help employees and teams work more efficiently. Therefore, investing in technology and people is the best way for organizations that want to set up their teams for success.
How are you making sure technology issues aren’t impacting your employee’s productivity? Share with us Facebook, TwitterAnd LinkedIn.
Image source: Shutterstock
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