Sitting idle? Blame the computer

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This article was published 23/03/2016 (3664 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CANADIAN employees are wasting a staggering amount of time waiting for their computers and related equipment to work, according to a new study from Robert Half Technology.

The Toronto-based provider of online job-search services found the average worker wastes 19 minutes per day, or nearly 80 hours a year — that’s two full work weeks — in computer limbo.

The root causes are varied, said Nima Mirpourian, branch manger of RHT. In some cases, companies scrimped on computers and systems and bought ill-fitting or outdated equipment or employees were given inadequate training in how to use it. In others, companies don’t have the technical expertise to fix the problems on a timely basis.

“Nineteen minutes a day is a staggering number. That’s time that can be spent elsewhere doing more productive things,” he said.

In an odd twist, 44 per cent of people surveyed said they thought their IT infrastructure ranged from good to excellent.

Mirpourian said infrastructure isn’t typically the big issue; the big problem is the support employees get when encountering an unco-operative computer.

“If you’re an employee, you can relate to the time it takes in some organizations to help support them. The end goal as an employer is ‘How can we make sure these pains aren’t being felt?’” he said.

“They need to hire help-desk superstars, people who are as good technically as they are from a customer-service perspective.”

While technology enables so much work to get done when working properly, downtime can create delays and inefficiencies and lower both profits and employee morale.

Mirpourian said companies need to treat their employees with the same sort of respect they afford their customers. IT superstars are able to distinguish themselves by not only fixing the problem immediately but also providing proactive solutions before the next problem occurs.

“A lot of times, you don’t even know a problem existed or was taken care of because of (the superstar),” he said.

It’s not enough to hire the superstars; companies also need to communicate to their employees they can call these people when they run into trouble, he said.

The survey, which was conducted by an independent research firm, included responses from 300 Canadian office workers who were 18 years or older.

geoff.kirbyson@freepress.mb.ca