Member Article

Poor quality internet is biggest bugbear of lockdown home workers, Odyssey Systems survey reveals

Unreliable internet connectivity has proved to be the number one IT headache for those working from home during the lockdown period, according to a poll by Odyssey Systems.

However, despite the niggles, 52% said they would like to continue working from home, 33% for either all or most of the time - citing convenience or an improved work life balance as the main benefits.

Of those working from home, only 5% said they had experienced regular IT issues, whilst 21% only experienced occasional problems and 21% having none whatsoever. The main problems cited were:

• Internet connectivity (57%) • Virtual Private Network (VPN) (13%) • Accessing files (9%) • Poor quality laptop, desktop, or tablet (7%) • Other issues (5%) • Insecure network (3%) • Lack of training or access to IT support (3%).

Mike Odysseas, founder and managing director of the Stockton-based telecommunications expert, said the results of the poll, which involved up to 3,488 people, revealed a seismic shift in attitudes towards remote working.

He added that the ability to work from home had major social and financial benefits for staff and employers alike and, despite the last-minute rush by many businesses and organisation to instigate home working, the technology had proven reliable with most reporting no drop in productivity and some experiencing an increase.

“The pandemic may have forced everyone apart, but technology was able to and reconnect businesses with their employees, customers and suppliers very effectively.

“There were no major issues and most people were able to work as efficiently and productively, if not more so, from home as in the workplace.

“The fact that most experienced only occasional or no issues at all is a tremendous testament to the success of this technology and that many of the issues encountered are easily and inexpensively solved.

“For example, the majority of the 57% who reported problems with internet connectivity could solve them by switching to a provider, such as Odyssey Systems, providing a business-quality service, improve the quality of wireless equipment and ensure critical devices are hard-wired with priority over other devices.”

The poll, conducted by independent market research company DRG at the start of this month, found that 52% of respondents said they would prefer to continue working from home in future if their job allowed. Just 28% said they would prefer to return to the workplace while 18% were undecided.

Those who preferred to remain working from home said the main benefits were: • Convenience (35%) • Improved work life balance (34%) • Reduced transport costs (20%) • More efficient working process (10%).

Most said they would like to spend the majority of their week working from home, with 16% completely and 17% for three fifths of the time) with 11% wishing to spend three tenths of their time at home.

Just 6% said they did not wish to work from home, while 17% said they were unable to carry out their job at home and 30% said they were not in employment.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by News Gathering .