Citation
(2004), "More information, more work", International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, Vol. 53 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijppm.2004.07953aab.001
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2004, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
More information, more work
More information, more work
Do not be surprised to see your company's technical support staff carrying industrial-sized coffee mugs. In a recent survey, 55 per cent of chief information officers (CIOs) said the number of projects in their information technology (IT) department has increased in the past 12 months. New initiatives are contributing the most to the rising workloads, according to 46 per cent of executives.
The US poll includes responses from more than 1,400 CIOs from a stratified random sample of US companies with 100 or more employees. It was conducted by an independent research firm and developed by Robert Half Technology, a leading provider of information technology professionals on a project and full-time basis (see www.roberthalftechnology.com).
CIOs were asked, "How has the workload of your IT staff changed in the past 12 months?" Their responses were:
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Increased significantly – 20 per cent.
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Increased somewhat – 35 per cent.
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No change – 38 per cent.
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Decreased – 6 per cent.
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Don't know/no answer – 1 per cent.
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Total – 100 per cent.
CIOs citing an increase were asked, "What is the main factor contributing to a growing workload?" Their responses were:
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New projects – 46 per cent.
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Corporate expansion – 36 per cent.
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Decreased IT staff size – 9 per cent.
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Other – 8%
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Don't know/no answer – 1 per cent.
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Total – 100 per cent.
"Many companies that postponed hardware and software upgrades to save costs are now faced with a business need to move forward with these projects", said Katherine Spencer Lee, executive director of Robert Half Technology. "A number of the systems purchased during the technology boom of the late 1990s, for example, are nearing the end of their lifecycle and must be updated or replaced". Lee noted that despite staff layoffs in recent years, only 9 per cent of executives said larger workloads are the result of smaller IT departments.