However, 33 percent of IT decision-makers anticipate a variety of challenges supporting remote and office workers this winter

Workplace stress and burnout have been at an all-time over the past two years, however, according to new research from Splashtop, a third of IT leaders (34%) feel less stressed at work thanks to secure remote access and support technologies.

The data for the report, From Disrupted to Distributed: How IT is navigating the changing work environment, was obtained through a study by 3GEM, polling 1000 IT decision-makers at small, medium, and large organisations (250+ employees) in the UK. Over the past 18 months, remote access and support technologies facilitated the widespread move to working from anywhere and employees have learnt to be as productive from home as they were from the office. With winter in full effect – and the changing clocks, cold weather and dark nights that have come with it – the new data shows that the benefits of remote access and support technologies extend beyond just workplace efficiency.

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Two-fifths (42%) of IT decision-makers go as far as stating their job is more enjoyable as a result of the lack of stress they feel with remote technologies in place. In addition to this, 36% of respondents feel remote access tools give their users and colleagues greater confidence in them as a decision-maker, while nearly half (47%) appreciate that remote access tools not only benefit users, but IT teams too.

IT leaders anticipate a variety of challenges this winter

When asked about the biggest challenges IT leaders face during winter, a variety of potential issues were found to be in the thoughts of UK businesses. A third (33%) anticipated some challenges with being able to support both remote workers and office workers, while 30 percent said being able to support flexible working times as a result of remote working was an issue they had anticipated. Furthermore, 13 percent flagged budget concerns specifically around running the office when it isn’t at full capacity. Issues around employee wellbeing had also been considered as 18 percent noted the impacts of physical sickness and poor mental health to be a challenge they were anticipating.

“While it’s encouraging to see that a wide range of issues are on the radar of UK organisations, it is clear that having concrete plans in place around a distributed workforce will be important for tackling many anticipated concerns in the coming months,” said Alexander Draaijer, General Manager EMEA at Splashtop. “Investing in remote access tools gives IT managers peace of mind with regards to their budgets and confidence in facilitating an efficient and productive workplace, which ultimately leads to a better employee experience and happier workforce.”

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Distributed work is only likely to get more complex

With distributed working now embedded in both the culture and practices of many UK businesses, one in four (25%) IT leaders believe that it is only likely to get more complex, with the uptake of varying working patterns and an expanding list of specific individual team member needs. This is only likely to exacerbate the finding that the majority of IT decision-makers (82%) now work longer hours in general as a result of flexible policies.

The survey also found that although 35 percent of IT leaders recognise distributed working has made their job harder, the majority (61%) work an hour a day extra to facilitate this significant shift in the way employees now conduct business. As well spending an extra hour enabling a distributed workforce, IT managers flagged they now also provide emotional support to employees – with a fifth (20%) saying they act as a therapist or best friend in certain situations.

“It is encouraging to find that decision-makers are already considering the future complexity of accommodating distributed working arrangements. Managing more devices, shadow IT, the rise of ransomware and threats associated with VPNs and remote desktop protocols make adequate preparations more important than ever, as we move to a world that demands the ability to work anywhere and at any time,” added Draaijer.

“Installing the right solutions today will have long-lasting benefits for the overall health of UK organisations and IT leaders can get ahead of the curve by making smart decisions on technology before it becomes a necessity.”

Methodology

Splashtop worked with 3GEM to poll 1000 IT decision-makers in UK small, medium and large businesses (250+ employees) between 30th September – 7th October.

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