Staff find PCs up productivity

Irish office workers may complain about their computers and the frustrations of information overload, but it turns out they rather like modern office technology - it's meetings with colleagues that they find unproductive.

In a new study by Amárach Consulting for Microsoft Ireland, 85 per cent of Irish office workers said they found that computers increased their productivity.

Some 81 per cent said they also felt they were productive when reading and answering email, but one-third of workers said they felt overwhelmed by the amount of email they receive.

Only 67 per cent found office meetings productive, dropping to a lowly 33 per cent if the meetings are held outside the office.

"Interestingly, the things that involve very little use of technology are the things that take up time," said Mr Gerard O'Neill, managing director of Amárach, a finding that goes against common perceptions that information and communication technologies are time consuming and alienating for workers.

The report found that in a working day, the average worker receives 27 emails and sends 19, with one in 10 being personal rather than business related. Three-quarters of workers have internet access in the office and spend an average of 53 minutes online daily, with one-fifth of time spent online on non-work related sites.

The top two personal activities online are buying travel tickets (36 per cent do this) and online banking (32 per cent). Five per cent check their horoscopes, while 2 per cent admitted to looking at adult sites at work.

The report was presented in conjunction with the launch of software suite Microsoft Office System, which bundles together key Office programs with five new collaborative and communications applications.