IT hates end users - but the feeling’s mutual

IT staff are frustrated by their non-techy colleagues and feel underappreciated, according to possibly the least surprising research ever.

More than two-thirds of UK IT workers say their colleagues don't appreciate the complexity of their jobs, a UK survey of 1,000 IT and 1,000 non-IT staff commissioned by Jobsite found, and over 75% feel that fellow employees don't make an effort to educate themselves on even basic tech issues.

This has contributed to a general feeling that they perform a thankless task, with half of IT professionals reporting that their work is only noticed when something goes wrong.

Interestingly, this isn't simply an example of IT having a persecution complex. The study showed that 85% of general office workers actually don't understand how to fix basic tech issues, with crashing computers, email errors and system lockouts the most common concerns.

Moreover, the tension between IT and general users definitely seems to be mutual, with more than half of workers saying their IT departments worked at a slower speed to the rest of the business, and almost 90% said they have become frustrated with the IT department at some point in their job.

Jobsite's Fiona Rigby said the research "has highlighted friction between IT professionals and their office worker colleagues". The recruitment firm has launched an initiative to help foster cooperation between IT departments and the rest of the business by highlighting some of the misconceptions surrounding the IT department.

"We are launching this campaign today to try and raise awareness of the critical role these workers play in driving UK businesses forward. By educating the average office worker to the range of skills IT departments bring to the table, we hope to help IT be viewed with greater prestige."

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