Office workers can't figure IT out

One in seven office workers needs help switching on a computer, a survey shows.

Rudimentary IT tasks are outwitting millions of people, with the PC still a real challenge despite being in its third decade.

The survey found 14 per cent of employees could not find the on/off button, a fifth struggled to save a document and 21 per cent needed assistance when printing.

The survey of 405 financial directors across the UK, by educational firm City and Guilds, found that employees might excel in other parts of their jobs but their lack of technical proficiency was leaving bosses at their wits end - as workflow suffers and the cost of IT support rockets.

But employers are not blameless. A lack of training is the key to worker ineptitude, with 21 per cent of firms admitting their employees have just basic IT skills. British firms fork out an average of £49,000 a year for additional IT support to bolster the shortfall.