A large proportion (78%) of IT decision makers (ITDMs) believe their company has enough equipment for hybrid working, while around 20% of employees appear to contradict this view by still having their own personal IT equipment use for their work.
More than 3,000 people were surveyed by printer and camera maker Canon, with an almost even split between ITDMs and end-users, across seven EU countries, including the UK, Germany and France.
In addition, another 20% said they struggle to get IT support when they need it at home, and 56% of ITDMs are asked to provide this type of remote support.
Hybrid issues
Such issues for employees include signing digital documents and negotiating approval processes (42%), with 41% struggling to even access digital and physical documents they need. As a result, 37% have to visit their workplace to access and print files.
The most common help desk questions IT departments get from employees include printing at home (56%), not being able to access files remotely (43%), and having trouble sharing files with colleagues (36%).
The transition to hybrid working is also proving to be a challenge for IT departments. 71% of ITDMs said their legacy technologies failed to meet hybrid work standards. As a result, finding new technology has been key, but this has not been easy – 76% said they found it challenging to acquire equipment from multiple suppliers.
This means that when problems arise with the technology, 71% of ITDMs have to contact all different manufacturers to solve them, which takes time. The vast majority (81%) therefore believe it would be easier to have a single supplier for all their equipment and document management needs.
Canon believes there is more need than ever for technologies that improve hybrid working conditions. 50% of respondents said their company has been or will move towards hybrid working, while only 33% work entirely in the office. ITDMs seemed to agree on this point: 70% expected an increase in IT spending to meet the demands of continued hybrid working.