Techies shunned as workers fix own IT problems

Two-thirds of UK office workers take a 'handy Andy' approach to PC problems and attempt to sort it out themselves, rather than contacting the IT helpdesk.

More than half of workers will go for the classic turn-it-off-and-on-again option when faced with a computer problem, according to a survey of 250 office workers. One in 10 of those surveyed claimed they might try this up to five times in the hope of solving the problem before resorting to calling the IT helpdesk.

A further 13 per cent of UK office workers reckon they would flick through a manual, and a brave nine per cent claim they would attempt to take the computer apart and try to rebuild it without guidance.

But only 30 per cent would forego the have-a-go approach and instead register the problem with the dedicated IT team.

Eric Wright, managing director at service desk software company Richmond Systems, which commissioned the research, said it showed a lack of faith in the ability of IT teams to fix computer issues quickly - even though workers' DIY attempts might actually make their IT problems worse.

Until office workers have confidence that the IT team has these issues under control, a DIY approach will continue to slow them down, he warned.