Office workers across the UK spend a huge amount of time at their computers, but recent research suggests many are struggling to deal with a major IT skills gap.
According to data from STL Training, who surveyed 2,000 office workers in the United Kingdom, the average employee spends more than half an hour a day - a shocking 10 hours per month - struggling to figure out how to operate their tech or IT systems.
Their nationally representative survey also found that more than a third of respondents believe their lack of IT skills are preventing them from doing their job effectively, with half admitting to not fully understanding everyday software like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel. An STL spokesperson said of the data:
Our findings show a clear gap in employees’ knowledge of IT systems and software across the UK, costing businesses significantly in terms of time, money and productivity.
Despite this clear gap in knowledge, 42% of people surveyed said that embarrassment stops them from asking IT departments for help, instead turning to co-workers for advice. More than half would try finding an answer online before asking someone else for help, with 10% even resorting to calling friends or family. There is clearly a need for businesses with employees working with IT systems to undergo training, allowing them to learn Power BI, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel and other potentially business critical pieces of software, and to bypass the feeling of embarrassment in asking for help.
When asked for help themselves, one in five office workers opt to ‘bluff’ their way through questions, even when hosting meetings or giving a presentation.
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