A new study from printing and imaging vendor Epson paints a picture of the average Canadian business technology user, and it’s an interesting composite: you listen to music while you work, take business calls in the bathroom and think you’re Superman.
Epson surveyed 304 business technology users across Canada, with half coming from Ontario. Most were over 45 years of age and over half were self-employed; 67 per cent were men.
The survey found that the average business technology user is most productive between 9 AM and 11 AM, followed by 1 PM to 3PM – so right after a good breakfast or lunch. When things start to pile up, 66 per cent of respondents put on some music to help them get back on track while, in a potential worry for the human resources department, two per cent said they flirt with their colleagues – presumably they don’t work from home.
News sites topped social networking sites as the top workplace distraction, so perhaps our thirst for knowledge of current affairs is a silver lining to our penchant for procrastination.
You know the stress is getting to you if your printer starts talking to you. If their printer could speak, 39 per cent said it would say “low paper supply” while, speaking of stress, 35 per cent said it would tell them “we’re in this together.” They must have very friendly printers.
Nearly half of respondents said the strangest place they’ve taken a business call was in the bathroom – probably blaming the background noise on a bad connection – followed by in bed. Nearly 10 per cent said the strangest place they’ve taken a business call was a bar or restaurant, showing they clearly need more excitement in their lives.
More than half of Canadians said they send e-mails during conference calls, while 21 per cent have a snack and 16 per cent check social media – and the rest of you are probably lying.
Superman was the most common superhero for men, followed by Iron Man and Batman. For women, Wonder Woman was the choice of 63 per cent of respondents. When dealing with office technology, your desired super powers are super speed and the ability to freeze time (you can do the latter with more conference calls) while your workplace kryptonite is outdated, under-performing office technology.
“We conducted the survey to better understand how Canadians get their job done and identify some of their pain points,” said Karen Rowden, marketing manager with Epson Canada, in a statement. “Our results show a consistent emphasis on being time-constrained and the need to multi-task. Epson technologies help Canadian workers increase efficiency and get work done regardless of where or how they are doing business.”
