Half of office workers lack access to appropriate IT

Managers see conference call as essential but don;t have access to the right equipment

Almost 50 per cent of more than 1,500 UK workers and managers do not have the appropriate IT equipment to do their job, a new survey has found.

The Plantronics survey adds that 63.8 per cent of those polled use technology such as conference call facilities, seen by 81.9 per cent as a key tool for department management – but 68.4 per cent of managers don’t have access to the right equipment for office-based conference calls.

Some 58.5 per cent of workers surveyed said they struggle to concentrate on conference call discussions in the office as a result of not having the right equipment such as headsets or appropriate software.

With remote working becoming increasingly common, the problems are extended to home office environments.

Separate research by the same supplier suggests that only 36 per cent of office workers and managers have the equipment to effectively participate in conference calls outside the office.