Information Overload: Sweden Loses Billions Every Year Due to IT Trouble

Inefficient IT environments, faulty equipment and software glitches cost businesses billions. Every day, computer trouble sets every single employee back approximately half an hour's work, which in the long run results in a mind-blowing loss of 14.5 billion krona (roughly 2 billion dollars) per year, a report by Swedish trade union Unionen revealed.

According to the report, only six percent of users believe IT systems actually operate as desired.

"Poorly functioning IT solutions create a negative spiral that leads to a troubled workplace where employees get stressed and perform worse. The need for improvement is clear," Peter Hellberg, Unionen's First Vice President, said in a statement.

"It's all about tailoring the IT systems for the intended operations. You cannot just buy a standard system and believe that everything will fall into place. You have to adapt it to the end users for it to function in full," Peter Hellberg said.

According to Hellberg, a lack of education and skills is another setback. The report showed that four out of ten officials distrust the IT systems, and that usually simple ignorance is the culprit.

"Knowledge enhancement is incredibly important to achieve a stimulating and challenging work milieu that will be sustainable for a long time. Failure to train employees to update their IT systems may, on the other hand, prove to be a waste of resources," Peter Hellberg said.

He believes that employers have a responsibility to create the right working conditions, in which users have the time to participate in and contribute to IT development.

The survey also showed that seven out of ten respondents believe they could perform better and with greater independence if they had better IT support.