IT issues are causing problems for more than eight out of ten of public sector workers, to an extent that many are considering quitting their jobs.
Half of end users are unhappy with their digital experience, and one in ten employees (11 percent) have seriously considered leaving their jobs due to the severity of IT issues they face, according to new research from Lakeside Software in association with GovNews.
Despite adopting new technologies and work models, 82 percent of public sector respondents reported feeling frequent or occasional frustration with their digital workplace experience.
Connection problems emerged as the most prevalent IT issues, affecting 68 percent of respondents. Following closely behind were slow-running and application-related challenges (56 percent and 55 percent, respectively).
Not all problems are reported or fixed, however. The data finds that 23 percent of respondents rarely or never report IT issues, resulting in a state of “silent suffering” that creates blind spots for IT teams to resolve issues that may affect multiple staff at once.
Addressing the challenges
The research aligns with the House of Lords Public Services Committee report, Fit for the future? Rethinking the public services workforce. It cautioned of a potential staffing crisis caused by a “vicious circle” of demand, staff shortages, falling morale and problems of recruitment and retention.
Civil servants also cite ‘fragmented and disconnected systems’ as the public sector’s biggest barrier to digital transformation.
Working with large public sector organisations like DWP, Lakeside said “a robust digital employee experience (DEX) strategy is vital for employee retention and talent acquisition.”
“Implementing a solution that would provide complete visibility across the entire IT estate (on-premises or remote) offers several benefits, such as right-sizing equipment for each employee’s specific technology needs or gaining visibility of cost-savings from software licence optimisation.
“Using DEX solutions to streamline already-stretched departments and simplify processes delivers opportunities for operational cost reductions, better service delivery, and better outcomes across the board.”
