Tech Support Snafus Cost Companies Almost $5K Per Employee Each Year

Three years since the pandemic started, the top IT-related search term is still, “How do I join a Zoom meeting?” That’s according to a new study(Opens in a new window) from Electric, an IT support company.

Workers report that they’re spending three hours per week on average dealing with tech problems, ranging from internet-connection issues to disappearing files and staring at Apple’s infamous spinning pinwheel of death.

Remote workers are struggling the most: 73% say they waste time on a weekly basis dealing with tech issues, compared with hybrid workers (41%) and those who commute to an office (22%). Remote workers also have a greater number of issues each week, at an average of 4.1 compared the 3.7 for hybrid and 3.0 for in-person.

These problems are burning a hole through corporate wallets. The study found people are spending an average of 2.7 hours per week troubleshooting. This equates to about $4,072 per year in labor costs, calculated using the average hourly wage of $29.

The cost is even higher for remote employees, at $4,524 per year. This may be one reason many companies are asking their employees to swap their pajama pants for dress pants and come back(Opens in a new window) to the office, reversing pandemic-era policies.

(Credit: Electric)

The top three most time-intensive issues are: the computer constantly freezing (54%), data loss or corruption (35%), and network connectivity issues (29%). Looking at the full list of issues, almost all revolve around hardware. Others include slow or unresponsive computers (18%), keyboard issues (21%), files not opening up properly (25%), and so on. Even printers made the list, with 19% reporting problems.

So, what do you do when you have a tech problem? Almost half of respondents say they troubleshoot it themselves. About a quarter turn to tech support or to other employees.

Boomers are 88% more likely than other generations to ask their co-workers for help with tech issue—specifically, their Gen Z co-workers. Nearly three in five Zoomers feel they are constantly asked tech questions by co-workers and that it’s stunting their professional growth.

(Credit: Electric)

Google and other online search engines are another source of bootleg IT support. The most searched question—by a mile—was “How do you join a Zoom meeting?” with 7.25 million searches in 2022, according to Google Trends data. “How to change a Zoom background?” claimed the number-two spot, with 1.4 million searches.

Another commonly searched video-conferencing-related question was, “How to record in Google Meet?” Clearly, adjusting to video meetings is still causing confusion.

(Credit: Electric)

Companies seem to know their employees are regularly struggling with tech issues, as four out of five survey respondents say their company provides training to improve their tech skills. But even with training, 55% say their company’s tech is antiquated, which can cause problems such as freezing and malfunctioning computers no matter how much training is provided.

When employees do turn to tech support for help, less than half (44%) say it typically fixes their problem.

(Credit: Electric)

Survey methodology: Electric, an IT support company, surveyed 1,049 employed Americans (56% men, 43% women). The respondents were 15% Gen Z, 58% millennials, 17% Gen X, and 10% baby boomers. Search trend data came from 2022 Google Trends and considered tech-issue queries across 50 states and the 50 most populous cities in the US.

Top Tips for Staying Productive When You Work From Home