A massive 93 per cent of employees admit they have shouted or screamed abuse after suffering IT problems in the workplace, according to a survey out today. Thirty per cent of workers also confessed to taking out their frustrations on a customer or colleague after experiencing a technology breakdown, while 11 per cent walked out of the office in a rage.
The poll, conducted by remote IT support specialists, Bomgar, found that 70 per cent claim to have had an experience where poor IT performance affected their happiness and general productivity at work.
Stuart Facey, EMEA general manager at Bomgar said: “We’ve all experienced times when IT has not gone our way when at work. However the fact that this is affecting general productivity and wellbeing at work needs to be addressed. Technology plays a central role in the modern workplace and there is an expectation that it should work at all times.”
“Moreover, it appears that when this doesn’t happen, people are growing increasingly frustrated and angry because they fall behind with their tasks or miss deadlines. There was overwhelming support for the view that smooth-running IT makes for a happier workplace with 94 per cent agreeing, and a further 75 per cent stated that they deliver happier customers and clients when all is going well with IT.”
“It’s clear that businesses need to get the right support into place so these IT meltdowns stop happening.”
The survey also found nearly 70 per cent of respondents have had their email crash and lost an important document when they brought devices into work, despite 60 per cent also admitting that their organisation had support in place for those workers when they brought their own IT devices into the workplace.
“This is where the real potential meltdowns can happen”, states Bomgar. “With the increasing use of personal smartphones and tablet devices in the enterprise infrastructure, we’re seeing extra complications when dealing with IT support. If businesses aren’t careful about the IT support they provide, they may need to start paying for anger management courses to deal with these IT meltdowns”.